The Godfather (1972)

*****
USA

It's not a perfect film. Women barely get a word in, the sound recording is paltry, and the whole thing reeks of the 70s when it's meant to be set in the 40s. It's a flawed film. But it's a great film. It boasts cracking dialogue, grand performances and several of the most creative depictions of violence committed to screen. It features so many intensely thrilling moments, it's practically made up of them. They blur into each other. The whole thing becomes one three-hour-long intensely thrilling moment.

Since its release in 1972, The Godfather has become forever burned into the collective consciousness of our culture. The movie is so engrained in our culture, that even those who haven’t seen it can click off something from the film: Like the horse’s head in the bed; Marlon Brando’s voice and cheeks; or the famous phrase, “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

Rarely does a movie become the archetypal film to forever define an entire genre. No one film has so defined a genre like The Godfather. All other gangster movies have since been judged by its standards (such as Goodfellas or Scarface).


Marlon Brando stars as Vito Corleone (a.k.a. the Godfather) who’s the head of one of the five New York City mafia families. Don Vito is fair, respected, but ruthless; and runs his criminal empire by doing favors and expecting favors in return – and if refused a favor, the consequences are dire.

The Godfather opens with Connie (Talia Shire), the daughter of Vito Corleone, getting married; and as Sicilian tradition dictates, the ‘Godfather’ can’t refuse any request asked of him on that day. Thus a parade of guests bearing requests is marched into Vito’s study. His youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) has recently returned from World War II as a decorated war hero and is enjoying the festivities with his new girlfriend Kay Adams (Diane Keaton). Unlike his older brothers Santino (James Caan), Fredo (John Cazale), and step-brother Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) Michael wants nothing to do with the family business.

The Corleone family is soon drawn into a bitter and violent war with other mafia families over the Godfather’s refusal to participate in the drug trade. As a result, Don Vito is shot but the attempt on his life fails – putting him in critical condition. While Don Vito is incapacitated, control of the family passes to his eldest son Sonny. Sonny is so hot-headed that the war continues to escalate under his leadership, making it impossible for the family to conduct business.

Concerned about any future attempts on his father’s life, Michael soon steps forward to help the family exact vengeance upon those who hurt his father. And following the assassination of his brother Sonny, Michael becomes the new Godfather. More ruthless than his father ever was, Michael ushers in a renaissance of power for the Corleone family, and loses his soul in the process.

Michael becomes the tragic hero of the story. His tragic flaw is his blind loyalty to family. His decent from celebrated war hero to ruthless crime boss echoes the fall of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The weight of this tragedy is fully realized in the film’s last scene do we feel the full impact of how far Michael has fallen.

These tragic themes continue in the sequels. The full impact of the film is only appreciated when seen in the context of the whole trilogy. After all, The Godfather is only the first chapter chronicling Michael Corleone’s fall from grace.

There’s no doubt about it; The Godfather (especially when set in the context of its two sequels) is the most revered “Guy Flick” in cinematic history. The Godfather beautifully combines the artistic qualities found in films like the Bicycle Thief with the universal appeal and action of a Spielberg film. The Godfather (as well as its two sequels) is a film that will forever stand the test of time. For that reason, I rank it as the greatest “Guy Flick” of all time.

Joshua Flaugher