‘I work my whole life, I don’t apologise, to take care of my family. And I refused to be a fool dancing on the strings held by all those big shots. That’s my life. I don’t apologise for that. But I always thought that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the strings.’
The Godfather is held by most as the classic mafia movie. It’s an epic story of aging patriarch, Don Corleone, as he attempts to pass on his empire to a successor. Much like EastEnders, it’s all about ‘faaaaamily’.
I must confess, this was the first time I have seen The Godfather. It’s been on my watch-list for years, but because of its lengthy run-time and critical prestige, I’ve been holding off. I thought it would bore me and be massively over-rated. I must also confess, I was wrong. It’s actually really gripping and had me hooked all the way through. Fair enough, it’s still about half an hour too long, but I can’t actually think of anything that could be cut without ruining the overall film.
I’m not going to comment too much on the plot, because aside from a horse’s head in the bed, I’ve managed not to have it spoiled in all the years spent not watching it, so I don’t want to ruin it for any others in a similar position. All I will say is that it is delivered in such a way that every scene is crucial, even if you don’t know it at the time. The way it all links together and the different story arcs interweave is amongst the best I’ve ever seen.
I like the two main characters in it, Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) and his son Michael (Al Pacino) and the dialogue-driven scenes between the two of them are some of the best in the film. Obviously, the action packed, guns a-blazing, 37 bullets in the chest scenes are also highly entertaining, but for me, it’s the softly spoken manners of the Don in contrast to these scenes which makes him such an interesting character.
I also, really really enjoyed the music; I would even go so far as to say the soundtrack would be it to my top 10.
I don’t really know what else to say about it; it’s a classic for a reason, every aspect of it is so well-executed and it all comes together brilliantly. The only downfall for me is the length, which will probably stop me from re-watching it for at least another 5 years, but if you’ve got a good 3 hours to spare, it’s well worth it. I wouldn’t say it’s the second greatest film I’ve ever seen, but I can appreciate that it’s really bloody good. Next stop, The Godfather Part II…
IMDB position: 2
IMDB rating: 9.2/10
My verdict: 8.8/10
Millie's Movie Reviews 