184 - The Godfather (1972)

DVD Box

The Don is soon to retire, but there seems to be no-one competent to take over the family business.

Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is a generous man; he grants wishes to those that have asked (nicely) on the day of his daughter's wedding, and expects only one favour in return - to be there when he needs them. Despite this generosity, as the head of the family of the New York Mafia he is a man under huge scrutiny, not least from the other four crime families in the city.

Corleone realises he is an aging man and wishes to hand over control of the family business. However, his son Michael (Al Pacino), freshly discharged from the army, has no interest, preferring to spend time with his girlfriend, Kay Adams (Diane Keaton).

Theatrical Poster
Source: Wikipedia

I guess a good way to start this review would be to admit this is the first time I've watched The Godfather. I know, I know, it's the second highest rated film on IMDb and it's a film I ought to have seen countless times, but I've never got around to it, OK?

That said, The Godfather has been parodied so many times that it did feel like I have previously seen many of its better bits. The horse's head, the Don wishing to treat his friends on the day of his daughter's wedding. There are so many moments that this movie is famous for, simply through other sources.

At times though, The Godfather can be infuriating. Marlon Brando's accent is stupidly difficult to follow because it is so heavily laced with an Italian underbelly. Before you switch off, however, please remember that it's a three hour long film, so you will pick it up at some point!

Despite Brando as The Don and clearly the leader of the movie, Al Pacino is the true star as the reluctant son. This is probably because he is given a bigger variety of scenes as his character develops into the big shot. We, as the audience, are forced to empathise with his despicable behaviour because of the feeling we've developed with him and this is simply storytelling at its best.

Finally now I can look down my nose at those that haven't been blessed at watching Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Mario Puzo's book.

If you have to ask for a favour on your friend's daughter's wedding, ask to watch this.

• Empire Review
• Internet Movie Database
• Wikipedia