A Grand Masterpiece....

Rating: 10/10 (21 November 2013)

Almost every person who sees Hollywood films has at least heard of The Godfather, it is considered by multiple sources as one of the best films ever made in history, many people have also claimed that this is the best film ever made. I am not sure if I agree with the latter point, but I can proudly say is that the Godfather is just a Grand masterpiece which not only a fan of the crime genre but anyone who likes movies in general can enjoy.
Now this is a 1972 film some people say it has not aged well, I disagree that film is still entertaining to watch, the plot will still grasp your attention and you will still be on the edge of your seat. The main thing that this movie does different compared to the movies of today's generation that it moves at a very very slow pace not that it's a bad thing, back then almost all films did that, the minor scenes went on for quite long. I mean seriously has there even been a recent movie in which a party or wedding scene went on for over 10 minutes (unless the actual film was based upon it)?
Now I will not take away from this movie because of of prolonged scenes because the movie still makes sure to progress its story slowly in such scenes to keep the viewer interested. However these scenes also make the movie go on for 3 hours which kind of hurts its replay value. But even if you watch the Godfather once you will simply be in awe of it's magnificent story, brilliant characters and perfect setting and environment.
This film is also a very realistic portrayal of mobs in Italy during that time period. All actors bring the characters to life and very so into the characters that you will feel like they are the characters themselves rather than actual actors. The acting is simply among the best I have seen in any movie, not just from the lead Al Pacino and Marlon Brando but even the supporting characters like Sonny played by James Caan or Tom Hagen, played by Robert Duvall are fantastically portrayed. Even the minor and the female characters play their part to perfection. There is nothing really bad to say about the acting.
The plot is about the Corleone family and how it tries to co-exist with the other mobs. The story is fantastic with many twists and turns throughout and will keep you engaged about what will happen next, the movie does not move rapidly fast but it moves at a very slow pace to allow the viewer to get a better idea of the characters and the plot. The ending is also fantastic and is a perfect example of character development.
The soundtrack is also fantastic and fits all the scenes in the movie, the main theme of the film in particular still sounds awesome even to this very day. The movie also takes itself very seriously, it does not do comedy, apart from a very few and rare scenes, this film is very serious and rightfully so it deals with a very serious topic and the events that transpire throughout are very difficult, tragic and severe for this movie to be anything else. The film is violent but it is not what you see throughout 90% of the film, the violence which is there, serves its purpose and progresses the plot in a meaningful way.
Apart from the pacing, I felt like this film was a little hard to understand sometimes without subtitles specially when the Italian language is spoken, we are still not completely clueless to what's actually going on but knowing what the characters are actually saying would have helped. But that is only a minor issue which does not take away from the overall film.
In the end, I just want to say what has already been said many times, The Godfather one of the best films ever made in history and anyone who likes Hollywood cinema in general and still hasn't watched this masterpiece, should just watch this classic, this is Hollywood at it's very finest.
Overall Rating: 10/10