1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- The Godfather

#569- The Godfather (1972)
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola


Plot Summary: Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather, is the head of a New York crime family. When Vito will not do business with drug dealer Virgil Sollozzo, he is targeted by Sollozzo and his gang, the Tattaglias. When Vito is put in the hospital after an attempted assassination, his sons Sonny and Michael have their chances to take over for the Don in his absence. After igniting a feud with the Five Families, Sonny stays to run the "family business" while Michael is sent to Sicily and their other brother, Fredo, is sent to Las Vegas. After numerous threats and challenges posed on the Corleone family, Michael returns home to settle the score with the Five Families and assume the role of the new Don Corleone.


After spending a month reviewing musicals, I wanted to spend this month looking at another genre that was unfamiliar to me. Unlike the lighthearted, fun environment of the musical genre, this month's genre will be the exact opposite with Mobster March (technically the gangster genre, but it makes for nice alliteration). To understand the bare bones of the genre, I knew there was only one film to start off with. The Godfather has one of the biggest reputations in film history, and a film that all gangster films aspire to be like. The first and second installments of The Godfather trilogy are so intertwined that this will feel more like a two-part review, so certain important characters will be left out of this part, but will appear in the next part (for anybody who thinks I "forgot" to talk about Michael here).

When people think of The Godfather, they usually think of Don Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando. Brando creates a mafia leader with a heart full of honor. Don Corleone values family and tradition and offers many views on what he perceives a true man to be like. Subtle lines of dialogue like that really shape a persona for Don Corleone upon his introduction. The way Brando speaks, looks, and what he says commands the attention of the characters and audience and creates one of cinema's greatest characters. This description of Don Corleone might seem vague, but it's a performance that NEEDS to be seen by everyone and not worth receiving the "spark notes" version on here.

James Caan plays Don Corleone's oldest son, Santino "Sonny" Corleone. Sonny is a hothead with a fast mouth, which, at first, brings shame and embarrassment to Don Corleone which he berates Sonny for. Sonny feels the shame that he has brought to his father and the family, and knows that he must redeem himself, and has the opportunity to when his father is in the hospital. While Sonny is not the greatest mafia leader, he is a great older brother, as he comes to the aid of his pregnant sister Connie, played by Talia Shire, when her husband Carlo, played by Gianni Russo, starts physically abusing her. Caan gives Sonny a natural charisma that allows the audience to be captivated by his character, and in many circumstances, such as how he defends his sister, the audience can really root for a character like Sonny to protect the family name.

Where Sonny lacks in making good business deals, Tom Hagen, played by Robert Duvall, makes up for it tenfold. Hagen is a close friend to the Corleone family, so much so that he is treated like an adoptive son to Don Corleone. Hagen is a lawyer, but not the kind of cheesy, over-the-top stereotypical film lawyer like Billy Flynn in Chicago, but is actually how a real lawyer would be. Duvall plays Hagen as a man of logic and confidence, symbolically being a conscience for the Corleone family during Don Corleone's absence. Going into the film, it's obvious that actors like Marlon Brando and Al Pacino will be able to entertain based on reputation of the impact their characters had on film history. Tom Hagen is one of those nice surprises from experiencing the film for the first time, thanks especially to the level of Duvall's performance.

The film's score, composed by Nino Rota, accompanies the film's Sicilian atmosphere and helps set a tone and sound for an authentic environment. I'll keep this one brief (in fear of offending any Sicilians who disagree with my claim that the music sounds authentic), so the main thing to note on the music is that it feels welcomed in the film and doesn't seem out of place for a film like The Godfather, which you could consider as a success towards the film's score.

The Godfather will forever hold a legacy on the gangster genre. Director Francis Ford Coppola modernized the gangster genre and helped pave the way for actors and directors to add their own twist to the genre. The film's themes of family and loyalty add dimension to the mafia movie, instead of a film full of just crime and violence. There's an element of anti-heroes, or protagonists with a twisted sense of morality, presented in the film thanks to the ideals of its characters. While the world does not usually label the mafia as something "good," the Corleone family are made more likable because of what they value, and that's what makes the film compelling. Much like Don Corleone, The Godfather has a reputation that demands the respect of its peers and is one of the most celebrated movies in history.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Godfather is probably a little slower for some viewers, but the acting performances are so great and the dialogue is so well-written, that the film becomes engaging through a natural progression. This is one film that should be watched by everyone for the sake of its reputation, and one I can comfortably say is worth owning in every moviegoer's DVD collection.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

The Godfather and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures