One of the Greatest Movies of all time

Rating: 10/10 (12 April 2006)

Yes I'm talking about The Godfather. It's one of the best motion pictures out there. I don't know if it should be at #1 on IMDPs top 250, but it definitely belongs in the top 10.
So many stars. Al Pacino looks so young in this picture, as does James Caan with all the dark hair. They are two of three brothers in the Corleone family. Michael (Pacino) is the youngest and wants nothing to do with the family business, but Sonny (Caan) is easily angered and flies off the handle a lot, especially when it involves the abuse of his sister Connie (Talia Shire). They have another brother named Fredo (John Casale), but he does not have the leadership ability of the other two.
Seeing over all of this is the late great Marlon Brando as Don Corleone. He is father too all the Corleone children and is also known as the Godfather by everybody else. He wields the most power, but that power is tested by four other powerful families who are also vying for what the Don has. This leads too much deceit and murder as the leaders of the other four families look to unseat Don Corleone from the top.
This movie is 175 minutes long. Usually when I watch a drama that long, I am unable to get through it. Not so with the Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola, who directed, manages to keep you're interest throughout. Yes the film moves at a leisurely pace, but it is never boring. His directing is helped greatly by the actors who give some of their greatest performances ever. Marlon Brando definitely deserved the Oscar for Best Actor.
It is also interesting to watch how Pacino's character Michael changes as the film goes on through to the end. The sequence during the baptism is one of the best ever. I could say more about that, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen this great great film.
Is this the single greatest movie of all time? I don't know about that, but it is definitely ONE of the best films of all time and deserved the Oscar for Best Picture in 1972. How can anybody think this movie is dull is beyond me.