REVIEW #70 The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola follows the Corleone crime family, led by Don Vito Corleone. After war breaks out between the crime families, Michael the youngest son inherits the roles and responsibilities that come with being the head of the family. 

CAST & THE ACTING 

The cast includes the iconic Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone and Al Pacino as his son Michael. Diane Keaton plays Kay, Michael’s wife and James Caan plays Sonny Corleone. The acting is great in The Godfather, it is what I’d imagine crime families to be like in that time period to a tee. It’s no surprise that Marlon Brando won an academy award for best actor and Al Pacino was nominated for best supporting actor. What I really enjoyed about Al Pacino’s performance was his transition from innocence to head of a crime family, a mind corrupted by violence and killings all around him. This was portrayed really well by Pacino and is one of the big highlights of the film. I think the performances capsulate what audiences imagine crime family life would look like, which is what makes the film so realistic and ultimately gets the audience so invested in the characters. 

PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

I think the plot was good, I must admit this was the first time watching The Godfather and I think I had my expectations set to high because of how highly people talk about the film. I went into it thinking it was going to be the perfect film but there were moments where it was a little slow and predictable. That being said, I believe this film paved the way for so many similar films being made following the same template which is why it probably felt so familiar. As I mentioned previously I enjoyed the focus on Michael’s transition from innocence to evil which showed the consequences of all the killings and violence he was exposed too. This character exploration elevates the film from being just another gangster movie and adds some real substance into the plot. Essentially we see Michael forced into being head of the family due to deaths in the family and as Don Vito Corleone mentions towards the end of the film, Michael was always meant for bigger things such as a career in politics but is corrupted by the family business. So overall I don’t think the storyline was perfect but it was still really good.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

I don’t often like watching really old films just because I do appreciate how far we’ve come in terms of the technology we now use to create visual masterpieces in modern cinema, so I tend to not venture to far back. However the cinematography was still pretty good, even for a film released in 1972. I don’t think there were any scenes that really took me back for being outstanding but they were good enough. There wasn’t any special effects used in the film but I wouldn’t expect any considering the genre and the time period it was set in. So there isn’t really much to mention for this category. 

OVERALL (8/10)

In summary I did enjoy the film but I think I went into it with far to high expectations and when that happens the film usually can’t live up to them. The acting was great and was very convincing, it’s exactly what I would imagine life would be like in a crime family during that time period. The plot allowed for some decent character exploration but I did find it quite slow and predictable at times. Although I’m sure The Godfather set the standard for many of the future gangster films that followed and I have to respect that. The cinematography was good enough, nothing really to moan about or specifically praise. I am really late to the party for this film as it was my first time watching it but for a film thats almost 50 years old, I did enjoy it!

Thanks for reading!

Callan