An enduring classic

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2000)

Often mentioned among the greatest films of all time (#3 on AFI's top 100), `The Godfather' brings us an intimate look at a Mafia crime family. America has always had a romantic fascination with organized crime and this film takes us inside `the family' like never before.
The script is nearly flawless. The dialogue is engaging and emotional and the pace never lets up. The story is mesmerizing. The characters are so carefully and intimately developed that we can't help but get emotionally involved with them. Though the violence is graphic and disturbing, it is never random or gratuitous and always has a direct link to a vital plot element.
However, the appeal of this film goes beyond its great script to the characters and the actors who played them. The ensemble has such amazing chemistry that it hard to imagine they are not actually related to one another. They have such charisma that we fall in love with every member of this band of ruthless criminals, despite their moral decadence. We come to understand that they are immoral by our standards, but not amoral, since they have their own codes of honor that they take very seriously.
Though this was more of an ensemble piece than the sequels, two actors clearly stand out, namely Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. Brando was already an established superstar at that point, although he hadn't had a meaty role in a few years. His performance as Don Vito was powerful and commanding. Outstanding as he was, it was probably not his best performance (See `On The Waterfront', `A Streetcar Named Desire', or `Mutiny On The Bounty'), yet it is the one for which he is most famous. Brando redefined our notions of the mafia patriarch from that of a ruthless dictator, to a shrewd diplomat who only wielded power when absolutely necessary. He presented him as a potent but sympathetic character with a cunning mind and an astute understanding of the human dynamics of the other families.
Pacino, in contrast, was a fresh face with only two films to his credit at that time. Despite his lack of film experience, he delivered a tour de force performance portraying a complex character that required a great deal of range. Michael Corleone starts as a goody two shoes and is ultimately hardened into a cold-blooded crime boss, with a touching romantic interlude along the way. Pacino shined in every scene and established himself as one of the truly great actors of our time.
Other standouts include Robert Duvall and James Caan, who was brilliant as the hot headed Sonny Corleone. Caan's performance was raw, brutal and visceral, yet he somehow was able to render Sonny a magnetic and charming character with a strong sense of family loyalty.
This film was nominated for nine Academy Awards in 1973 and won three, including Best Actor for Brando and Best Picture. It is one of the very few videos that I actually own. It is hard to imagine that anyone born before 1982 hasn't seen it yet, but if you haven't, you should make it the very next film you see. It is an utterly perfect 10.