Synopsis

The Godfather is a movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola released on March 24, 1972. It follows Micheal Corleone played by Al Pancino who his character is reluctantly brought into his family’s business in the criminal underworld due to his father, Vito “The Don” Corleone, being shot where he soon experiences and is a part of some big “business” moves that result with multiple killings and murders that shake up the city.

My Thoughts

Francis Ford Coppola is a master at his craft with movies like The Godfather, and The Outsiders under his filmography. He has been able to show how good of a director he is, and this movie, his magnum opus shows this, each single scene feels essential, no second in the 2 hour and 55 minute movie is wasted. From the beginning to the end he is able to create an experience that is hard for anybody to completely forget as this is because he puts care and love to this. The passion alone is so strong for a director who felt lost and confused on how to direct this was able to give it his all. With some truly amazing scenes, the “Funeral of The Don” was a beautiful and lovely end to the character of Vito Carleone. Another part of this movie that is masterfully directed by him is when Micheal is at the baptism of his godchild, and it just flicks into another scene where another leader of the 4 other crime families of New York appear getting their life ended showing the Dark and twisted life that these characters live in. His vision for the movie is one that every director wishes to achieve. 

The actors in this movie also gave it their all. Al Pancino, for example, is one who is known mostly for his role in this movie and his role in Scarface, is so incredibly talented in selling the role of a mobster throughout this movie he has continued to give it his all. At points it feels like he has lived and experienced this all yet he hasn’t. The scene were he visits his father at the hospital and has to stand up and stop the attempted murder that is being planned on his dad and saves his life and then runs over to stand guard alone is a scene where it feels that he is ready to die in this moment and he sells it completely. Even for the side characters they give it their all, Luca Brasi is a character that throughout his short life in the movie was shown to be as ruthless and evil as he has been presented by every character around him until he met his untimely death.

With all of this going together to craft what could be said the greatest American movie, I would have to join in and say this movie lives up to the hype and I’d say “The Godfather” is a top 5 movie of all time, and a perfect 10/10 that will go down as one, if not, the greatest film in American history.