Needless to say, The Godfather is one of the most must watch classic. It redefines and set how the crime movies in century to come going to be. Don't called yourself a movie-addict unless you watch it once!
The Godfather is a 1972 American drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and Robert Towne, who was not credited.[3] It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton, and features John Cazale and Abe Vigoda. The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. Two sequels followed: The Godfather Part II in 1974, and The Godfather Part III in 1990.
The Godfather received Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. In addition, it is ranked as the second greatest film in American cinematic history, behind Citizen Kane, on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) list by the American Film Institute[4], and is voted the second best movie of all time according to users at the Internet Movie Database.
Plot (Spoiler Warning!)
In late summer 1945, guests are gathered for the wedding reception of Don Vito Corleone's daughter Connie (Talia Shire) and Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo). Vito (Marlon Brando), the head of the Corleone Mafia family – who is known to friends and associates as "Godfather" – and Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), the Corleone family lawyer and consigliere (counselor), are hearing requests for favors. Meanwhile, the Don's youngest son Michael (Al Pacino), a decorated Marine war hero returning from World War II service, tells his girlfriend Kay Adams (Diane Keaton) anecdotes about his family, attempting to inform her about his father's criminal life; he reassures her that he is different from his family.
Among the guests at the celebration is the famous singer Johnny Fontane (Al Martino), Corleone's godson, who has come from Hollywood to petition Vito's help in landing a movie role that will revitalize his flagging career. Hagen is dispatched to California to fix the problem by convincing the head of the studio, Jack Woltz (John Marley) to give Fontane the part. Woltz refuses but is soon persuaded, when he finds the severed head of his prized $600,000 stud horse in bed with him, after waking up the next morning.
Upon Hagen's return, the family meets with Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo (Al Lettieri), who is being backed by the rival Tattaglia family. He asks Don Corleone for financing, and political and legal protection for importing and distributing heroin. Despite the huge profit to be made, Corleone doesn't agree and feels his political influence could be jeopardized. The Don's eldest son, Sonny questions Sollozzo's assurances along with the family's investment with the Tattaglia family. Don Corleone then sends Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) to infiltrate Sollozzo's organization and report back with information. During the meeting, Brasi is stabbed in his hand to prevent him from defending himself and garroted by an assassin.
Soon after his meeting with Sollozzo, Don Corleone is shot in an assassination attempt. Sollozzo abducts Tom Hagen and persuades him to offer Sonny a deal previously offered to the Don. Sonny instead issues an ultimatum to the Tattaglia family to turn over Sollozzo or face war. They send him "a Sicilian message," in the form of a fresh fish wrapped in Luca Brasi's bullet-proof vest, to tell the Corleones that Luca Brasi "sleeps with the fishes."
Michael, whom the other Mafia families consider a "civilian" uninvolved in mob business, visits his father at the small private hospital. Realizing that his father is again being set up to be killed, he calls Sonny for help, moves his father to another room, and goes outside to watch the entrance. Police cars soon appear with the corrupt Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden), who breaks Michael's jaw when he insinuates that Sollozzo paid McCluskey to set up his father. Just then, Hagen arrives with "private detectives" licensed to carry guns to protect Don Corleone, and he takes Michael home. Sonny responds by having Bruno Tattaglia, son and underboss of Don Phillip Tattaglia (Victor Rendina), killed.
Following the attempt on the Don's life at the hospital, Sollozzo requests a meeting with the Corleones, which Captain McCluskey will attend as Sollozzo's bodyguard. Michael volunteers to kill both men during the meeting. Although police officers are usually off limits for hits, Michael argues that since McCluskey is corrupt and has illegal dealings with Sollozzo, he is fair game. Before the meeting in an Italian restaurant, McCluskey frisks Michael for weapons and finds him clean. Michael excuses himself to go to the bathroom where he retrieves a planted revolver, and returning to the table, he fatally shoots Sollozzo, then McCluskey. Michael is sent to hide in Sicily while the Corleone family prepares for all-out warfare with the Five Families who are united against the Corleones, as well as a general clampdown on the mob by the police and government authorities.
Sonny receives a telephone call indicating that Connie's husband Carlo has been physically abusive to her again. Enraged, he speeds off in his car to confront Carlo. However, he is ambushed at a tollbooth in his car and shot dead trying to escape. When news reaches the Don, he demands a meeting of the "five families" to end the violence between them. Michael waits in exile and is protected by Don Tommasino, an old family friend. In a small village, he meets and falls in love with Apollonia Vitelli (Simonetta Stefanelli), the beautiful young daughter of a bar owner. They quickly marry, but this is not long before Michael is informed of Sonny's death and needs to leave immediately. As the couple are about to be moved to a safer location, Apollonia is killed when their car is bombed; Michael, who barely escapes alive, spots his bodyguard, Fabrizio, hurriedly leaving the grounds mere seconds before the explosion, implicating him in the assassination plot.
With his safety guaranteed, Michael returns home. More than a year later, he reunites with his former girlfriend Kay after a total of four years, three in Italy, and one in America. He tells her he wants them to be married. Although Kay is hurt that he waited so long to contact her, she accepts his proposal. With the Don semi-retired, Sonny dead, and middle brother Fredo (John Cazale) considered incapable of running the family business, Michael is now in charge; he promises Kay he will make the family business completely legitimate within five years.
Peter Clemenza (Richard S. Castellano) and Salvatore Tessio (Abe Vigoda), two Corleone Family caporegimes (captains), complain that they are being pushed around by the Barzini Family and ask permission to strike back, but Michael denies the request. He plans to move the family operations to Nevada and after that, Clemenza and Tessio may break away to form their own families. Michael further promises Connie's husband, Carlo, that he will be his right hand man in Nevada. Tom Hagen has been removed as consigliere and is now merely the family's lawyer, with his father Vito serving as consigliere. Privately, Hagen complains about his change in status, and also questions Michael about a new "regime of soldiers" secretly being built under Rocco Lampone (Tom Rosqui). Don Vito explains to Hagen that Michael is acting on his advice.
In a private moment, Vito explains his expectation that the Family's enemies will attempt to murder Michael by using a trusted associate to arrange a meeting as a pretext for assassination. Vito also reveals that he had never really intended a life of crime for Michael, hoping that his youngest son would hold legitimate power as a senator or governor. Shortly after, Vito collapses and dies while playing with his young grandson Anthony in his tomato garden. At the burial, Tessio conveys a proposal for a meeting with Barzini, which identifies Tessio as the traitor that Vito was expecting.
Michael arranges for a series of murders to occur simultaneously while he is standing godfather to Connie's and Carlo's newborn son at the church. After the baptism, Tessio believes he and Hagen are on their way to the meeting between Michael and Barzini that he has arranged. Instead, Tessio is surrounded by Willi Cicci and other button men as Hagen steps away. Realizing that Michael has uncovered his betrayal, Tessio tells Hagen he has always had respect for Michael and asks if he would be willing to let this go. However, Hagen refuses his request. Michael confronts Carlo over Sonny's murder and forces him to admit his role in setting up the ambush. Carlo is handed a ticket for exile in Las Vegas on the condition that he is excluded from all family business. Upon entering the car, he is garroted to death by Clemenza, on Michael's orders.
A hysterical Connie accuses Michael of murdering Carlo. Kay questions Michael about Connie's accusation, but he refuses to answer on the terms of the family business. She presses for an answer, and Michael tells her that, this one time, he will let her ask him about his business dealings. Kay asks again if he had Carlo killed, and he lies and says no. A visibly relieved Kay goes to pour drinks for the two of them. Michael walks into his office. As Kay watches through the open door, Clemenza and new caporegimes Rocco Lampone and Al Neri enter the office to pay their respects to Michael. Clemenza kisses Michael's hand and greets him as "Don Corleone." Kay suddenly realizes that, despite his assurances of future legitimacy, Michael has now become his father's successor in every way. As she watches in evident horror, the door shuts.
The Verdict:
This movie is extremely complicated with many storylines interwined. The taste of itself, thouth it is a must-watch for every movie-addict, is only suitable for those amature movie goers. Since it is a classic, you MUST watch it before you die, or else, you never call yourslef that you have really watched a gangster movie.
Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
