Epic gangster saga

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2009)

Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is an elegant, epic and thrilling work, to a large extent worthy of all its praise.
The cast is very impressive and everyone is doing a good job. Marlon Brando's performance as Vito Corleone is iconic even though I find his overly coarse voice and stuffed cheeks borderline comical.
Perhaps the best thing about The Godfather is that, even though the characters are involved in some questionable activities, they aren't really made out to be bad guys; you keep cheering for the Corleones almost no matter what they do. Some people might use this as criticism but I think it is rather refreshing.
Finally, the film is so well crafted in almost every aspect; the sound (particularly in the scene where Michael Corleone kills Sollozzo and McCluskey but also Nino Rota's score, of course), the cinematography (there are some stunning shots) and the aforementioned acting is all top notch. And yet, I think it falls a bit short of a masterpiece even though I have very few complaints. Perhaps it is a bit like with other classic works of art such as Stairway to Heaven and Mona Lisa; The Godfather has been so quoted and praised that it is hard to be completely blown away by it. Nevertheless, it is a solid and unforgettable film that should leave few people disappointed.