The Godfather [1972 film]

An incredible movie, and all the more incredible for how it holds up even after the decades of its own influence turning virtually every scene into a trope -- something other groundbreaking films often suffer from. With very few exceptions, the exposition in particular is done beautifully and believably, the scenes where you learn who these people are usually even more engrossing than the scenes devoted to advancing the plot. My only slight complaint is that the middle of the film is not as captivating as the first half, and it takes it a bit too long to regain the momentum. But it sticks the landing as well as any movie ever has.

The son of a gangster gets involved in "the family business" when his father is shot.

Normally it wouldn't be possible for a gangster movie to be a favorite of mine, regardless of how exceptional the quality (and the quality here is crazy exceptional), but I'm making an exception. Sometime circa 2007, I re-watched this movie (I'd also seen it as a teenager, when I was too young to appreciate it). I don't remember why I watched it, since gangsters whacking each other is not my kind of thing, but I did, and movies haven't been the same for me since. This is the one that showed me what film as a medium is capable of, what I'd been missing by sticking mostly to Fun Movies. This is the one where I first realized how visceral a reaction to show more great movie making can be. And so I sought out more, eventually started in on IMDb's Top 250, watched so many movies I needed a blog to keep track of them, and here we are.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: A
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: A
Music: A

Enjoyment: A plus

GPA: 3.8/4

(Dec. 2011) show less

Brandon & I went to the theater for the 50th anniversary remastered version. It's been years since I have watched it & I am so glad that we went. I liked it even more the second time around. Michael Corleone's ARC during the course of the movie is one of the greats of mob films & set a template for generations to come. One of the best movies that I have watched this year.

The scene with Vito Corleone petting and playing with the cat in his lap remains my favorite scene in the movie... though there's plenty of other great scenes as well.

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son. (IMDb)

The producers have sworn for years that they never had any connection with the mafia, and that this film is entirely fictional. If it is, it is a culmination of imagination, and the source of many idioms, like Omertà, "make him an offer he can't refuse", "Cosa Nostra" and "the Don" (not Mr. Trump, BTW). It is the classic tale of the Corleone saga, and the war of the families in 1948. The best movie ever? I kindly beg to disagree. Overlong at 3 hours played without intermission and occasionally confusing. While never boring, it is never as gripping as a superior thriller. The Mario Puzo book had space to go a bit deeper into the political economy of organised crime, in particular the role played (or not) by the police. It was also a bit show more better on the women characters and had much more explicit sex. But the movie is a cracking good show. I can't pretend that it's a very deep essay, but it's a very interesting juxtaposition with The Sopranos, The Departed, American Gangster, The Godfather Part 2, The Irishman, Casino , Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas, Eastern Promises, Miller's Crossing, City of God , Scarface (1932), The Untouchables (1987), and Road to Perdition show less