The Godfather is not a single film

Rating: Null/10 (23 February 2003)

I bought the box set not having seen any of the Godfather films. I must admit that I can't pick out an individual film in the series and say, that's the best ever. What I can do however is look at all three films and see that it is all three films together that makes it great. How anyone can say that 'The Godfather' for them is Brando rather than Pacino baffles me. I think some critics may be getting a little over excited when it comes to Marlon Brando. Al Pacino is so much better than Brando in this story that it can only be some kind of blind idolisation that is generating these ideas. The development of Pacino's character over the three films must be unique in cinema, and must therefore be the true greatness of 'The Godfather'. It's a shame that they waited so long before the third film was made, the time jump feels a little alienating, and it's also a great pity Robert Duvall wasn't able to be a part of it either. However, the story is Pacino's and his performance in the final film is so good that its lack of popularity is a shame. It may be that people are more interested in the gangster genre than in witnessing a moving performance of one of our finest actors.