The Godfather (1972)

[Movie 287 / Day 306]

THE GODFATHER is based on Mario Puzo’s pulp novel, which was wildly popular at the time, and was adapted for the screen by Puzo and the director, Francis Ford Coppola. Routinely listed as one of the greatest movies ever made, it is a fictional account of the American mafia and focusses on the trials and tribulations of the Corleone crime family, headed by Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). Known to friends and associates as the Godfather, Vito is aided in the running of the family business by his eldest son and right hand man, Sonny (James Caan); and his adopted son, family lawyer and consigliere, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall). He also has another two sons, Fredo (John Cazale) who isn’t quite as ruthless or as bright as his brothers; and Michael (Al Pacino), a decorated war hero who wants nothing to do with the family business.

The movie is mainly the story of how Michael Corleone is drawn into the family and goes from being a hero (fresh from World War II, in love and living a life far from that of a gangster) to becoming the head of the family, replacing Vito as the Godfather. This takes place over a decade, 1945 – 1955, during which we hit several main plot points: Michael’s sister gets married; Vito decides not to move into the distribution of drugs; another family attempts to assassinate Vito; Michael brings the pain on the culprits and has to hide in Sicily; Sonny’s hot-head and his temper lands him in trouble; Vito retreats into himself, losing his edge completely; Michael reveals himself to be like his father and develops into a cold, ruthless successor as the new Don.

The transition from innocent bystander to feared Godfather is a subtle, lengthy one and contrasts beautifully against Vito’s simultaneous decline into old age. The acting throughout is absolutely top notch – Al Pacino is excellent as the young Michael, allowing his acting to darken the deeper he gets into the family business; James Caan is perfect as hot-headed Sonny, flying into a rage several times, revealing his impetuousness at inopportune moments; Robert Duvall plays mild Tom Hagen brilliantly, providing the balance for Sonny’s temper – and I haven’t even begun to mention Marlon Brando’s superb turn as Don Vito himself. He is quiet, understated and almost seems gentle at times; but there is always a dark undercurrent, a hard edge to his performance that leaves you in no doubt that if he were to make you an offer, you really wouldn’t refuse. As the movie progresses, his gradual softening as he loses his edge as an old man is brilliantly judged against Al Pacino’s hardening as he grows into the role of the Godfather. Even the supporting roles are excellent – there are no characters in this movie that aren’t played with relish.

Even the near-3 hour running time isn’t a problem as despite long periods without ‘action’, the movie never drags and it really leaves you wanting more – and that’s one of the greatest testaments to just how good this movie is; after sitting watching it without a break, the first thing I wanted to do when it finished was dig out and watch PART II.

Truly a masterpiece.

My Rating:
[ IMDB rating: 9.2 / 10 | IMDB link | Running time: 175 mins ]