The Godfather Reviews

It is now past 1 PM and I just finished watching Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather". I should probably go to bed. It's late and tomorrow I have to wake up a bit early. But not early enough to postpone writing these lines. Now that I have seen it three times, the opportunity of sharing my thoughts and refreshed insights are too much of a good offer to sit on. So, bear with me.

This film works so well because it takes place in an underworld in which we are so embedded that we do not even observe it. Coppola puts us straight in the smack-dab center of what is, admittedly, a society made by criminals for criminals. It is also the reason why it's so welcoming. We are surrounded by its inhabitants--cold-blooded murderers, men who see crime like a 9 to 5 job masquerading as honorable men. And I do mean men. From the outside, we would only witness the horrifying, disturbing manifestations of their well-thought out actions.

But it goes even deeper than that. It all revolves around the Corleone family led by Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). He is the most honest of these men, sitting right on the edge. But for people like him, who do not fully embrace this world, it's not easy. He avoids conflict until it is absolutely necessary. He is a man defined by moral principles. There is a scene at the beginning, in which, during his daughter's wedding day, one of his associates, Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) practices his speech that he is going to give to the Don when he meets him. The scene with these two is funny and almost adorable. I could not help but sympathize both of them only to realize that I am feeling warmth for two mobsters. Not to even mention that Lenny Montana was an actual mob hit-man and that he was actually nervous as he said that line.

The more I watched the more I realized just how incredibly complex and ruthless this society is and how it has the power to corrupt anyone to come in contact with it. The best example is Corleone's youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino). He returns home for his sister's wedding as a war hero dressed the part with his long-time girlfriend, Kay Adams (Diane Keaton). At first, he avoids this underworld, but necessity, first-hand exposure and just its sheer devilish appealing nature draws him in. As we get further in the film, the change is shocking and every outsider who ever got close to him is tainted in one way or another. If they survive it, they are drawn in as well as we are as viewers.

Inside, Coppola exposes the family to us fully, with a bold personal approach and we witness every discussion, every methodically calculated choice. Crime is done simply because it is the nature of their business, and we are put on a chair alongside them, so we easily relate. For us, they are the good guys, the rival families are the bad guys. This is the greatest feat this film managed to pull off--set apart good guys and bad guys in a world filled with bad guys.

This is a film of unmatched subtlety. No other movie sustains itself as good. No other film is done with such precision, attention and completeness. There are many layers which I probably missed and maybe will never notice. But I felt them. What director Francis Ford Coppola and his partner in crime (poor choice of words, sorry) Mario Puzo did is nothing short of a timeless piece of reference cinema whose influence is not based on reinventing the wheel, but rather perfecting it to the absolute maximum.

Most masterpieces are remembered for their historical contributions. "Citizen Kane" brought the biggest step-up to the art form, the same things did "Gone With the Wind" or "2001: A Space Odyssey". "The Godfather" is one of the few films that will be remembered simply because they are that good and I cannot possibly imagine a greater achievement.

overrated asf

(OK) History ans story, charater and action, saga in construction, violence and subtlety, the film where seuences equally great as the horse´s bloddy head and the death of Godfather playing with grandson....

'The Godfather' is scary and yet well written! It's not the best movie I've seen but it's very close! Marlon Brando and Al Pacino are great in the leading roles, the script and plot are pretty good as is the direction! One of the best movies out there!

Flawlessly told starting from the most perfect opening scene I have seen in any film! Acting was perfect with incredible pacing.

Even though some people believe this movie doesn't deserve so much praise, you can't possibly deny its huge impact on motion picture history. Basically, it is one of those flicks that you could/should watch every 10 years. Indeed, the first time I watched it, I was about 16 years old and, of course, I had some huge expectations and, to be honest, I thought it was slightly disappointing. Indeed, even though I did like it, it didn't really grab me like, for example, 'Goodfellas' did. The point is that Scorsese's masterpiece is full of energy, wildly entertaining, pretty much in-your-face and really accessible for younger viewers. Coppola's masterpiece, on the other hand, is a total different kind of ball game. Indeed, it is really subtle, quiet, slow paced, really meditative and, quite frankly, it went over my head when I was younger. So, I re-watched it, 10 years later, with my wife and this time, I was really blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, this time, I was able to appreciate this masterpiece in all its perfection. Whereas 'Goodfellas' was basically shouting at me about its awesomeness, this movie was actually whispering about its greatness and I wasn't able to hear it the first time around. Basically, the story was just spellbinding, the cast was great and Coppola was absolutely at the top of his game (this guy basically ruled the 70's anyway). To conclude, it deserves all the praises it has received, it is a great masterpiece and it is a must-see for any decent movie lover.

All the power on earth can't change destiny. Fanpop quiz: What movie : "All the power on earth can't change destiny" ? - See if you can answer this Movies trivia question!

My review , the most possibly honest review I could ever add, would never be honest enough to the immensity of talent that built this masterpiece. If you ever find this movie boring or uninteresting, please reconsider your concepts about cinema .

What do you get when you mix a few oranges and a few great actors? You get The Godfather. The God among insects. The Lord of the flies. The king of kings. When Francis Ford Coppola took on this once-in-a-lifetime job, he knew exactly what he was getting into and delivered exactly what he promised. Considered as the greatest mob film ever made and subsequently the greatest film ever, one cannot fail to see why. The storyline is perfect, the performances are miles beyond and the mood, especially that, is perfectly captured and is actually more nittier & grittier than it is on the surface. Everything has been said about this film and my review would only seem another "been there, done that" but I'm still gonna ramble on. This is cinema at its summit. Such dignity, such power, such awesomeness, it can only be The Godfather and, to an even greater extend, Ben-Hur, the only film I consider better than this one. Surprised? Hate to tell you this but I'm kinda tired seeing The Godfather hog the No. 1 spotlight while Ben-Hur virtually gets ignored by the higher critics and almost every Listal member here. I personally think Ben-Hur is times better but that's just my personal opinion. So, this film is officially No. 2 in my book. HA! suck on that, wimps!

Overall, this is one of the few films you have to watch nomadder what condition you're in. Sick in bed? I don't care. In a coma? I don't care. Stranded in the middle of the f*** desert? I friggin' don't care... WATCH!

10/10

I used to think this movie was really really awesome, but I'm finding that I can't really figure out why that was anymore.

I've actually gotten to the point where my favorite character is probably, kinda, you know.....Kay Adams. So, I guess that gives you an idea of just how much I've fallen off the Godfather bandwagon.

For shits and giggles, I wonder, do the goombahs hate her because (a) she's an Anglo, (b) she's a woman, (c) she's someone who doesn't like violence, or (d) all the above.

I'm guessing, they basically just hate everything about her.

"Eh, I'm gonna go buy some fruit."

Oh well. I least I still think "The Departed" is pretty fucking awesome.

.....

I mean, it's not the easiest thing to explain, but....

I did go through this phase where I was like, The Godfather is fucking awesome! But then one day I basically sorta woke up and said, Woh, shit, this film glorifies crime and violence, doesn't it! (And no wonder my Italian friend gave me a dirty look when I said that I liked this movie!)

Although I do have this really funny memory, (do you know, one of those stories where you honestly can't remember if you've told it a hundred times, or if you only think that you have?), about how my friend and I randomly tuned in to this movie at some random point in the middle, and he said something like, Isn't this supposed to be one of the greatest movies of all time?

But, anyway.

And-- "speak softly love so none can hear us but the sky"? Is *that* the theme for *Teh Godfadda*? *crazy face*

I mean, at least the Dropkick Murpheys song from "The Departed" fucking fits into the theme, right.

So....

Just go, slowly, kids, go slow-- andante. Andante, no, slower-- adagio.

Adagio.

Take it easy.

....

And, you know, if Juan Magan forgets what his last name is, he has it tattooed on his forearm. *respect*

Leave the gun, take the tickets.

(rather loud) Electro Latino.

~ Ay ay ay, ay ay ay. Ven bailar conmigo; tu no bailes sola.

{Oh. Reto. 'El reto latino'. *nods* Right.... Is that it?}

"If I had any idea who Will.i.am is, I would be really psyched right now."

"It's one way, man! It's always been one way."

And you have to respect a man with a name like Don Omar....

But, you know, once I was watching this thing, and the guy was describing all the romantic chivalry crap of the air war in WWI, so he said-- Basically, it was about sneaking up behind someone, and shooting him in the back.

But where's the respect in that?

Ay ay ay, ay ay ay.

....

I mean-- George W. Bush: great president, or greatest president?

Because the whole thing is basically just a fancy way of saying, 'I don't believe in America.' (Or restaurants.)

And, you know, what movies were there, before 1980, at least, anyway? "Broken Blossoms" (1919, 1936)?

.... All that I can say is that Tony Tanner looks pretty damn good compared to Gerry Adams or Marlon Brando.

(6/10)