The Godfather (DVD) Review
Winner of three Oscars including Best Picture, The Godfather was nominated for the next eight Oscars. The brainchild of celebrated author Mario Puzo, the film is considered the crowning achievement of Francis Ford Coppola's directing career. With intriguing depth, it offers audiences with a glimpse in to the notorious underworld of warring New York crime families. As a result, The Godfather transformed a number of relatively unknown actors into Hollywood legends, among them being James Caan, Al Pacino, and Robert Duvall (all three of whom were nominated for Best Supporting Actor). In addition, Marlon Brando turns in, arguably, the most memorable performance of his career. Certainly one of the top 5 films of all time, an excellent case might be made that The Godfather is the most perfect movie ever produced...
The film opens as "Don" Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) hosts his daughter's wedding, where he actively entertains his friends and work associates. Vito's favorite son Michael (Al Pacino) originates home in the war (World War II), and he's determined to do something different together with his life, and his ambitious plans don't include joining the household business. An idealist in mind, the young Michael seduces his girlfriend Kay (Diane Keaton) with inspiring tales from the fine and upstanding things he will do with his life. With the eyes of Michael, the crowd learns from the family's various business methods and the hierarchy of their system. Vito's eldest son Sonny (James Caan) is the heir apparent to his father's empire. Middle son Fredo (John Cazale) performs his part in the business, but few consider him a potential successor. Providing legal council to the family is Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), a long-time friend of the family who Michael treats like a brother.
Life is great for the Corleone family before the day Vito is approached by an opportunistic newcomer named Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo (Al Lettieri), an ambitious leader who aspires to become the main distributor of illegal narcotics in New York. He asks for the Don's blessing so he can expand his operations. But Vito sees an impact between the traditional mafia activities of gambling and prostitution and the less-than-noble profession of promoting drugs in schoolyards and family neighborhoods. The Don's preference for placing family most of all results in a direct conflict using the changing landscape of his business world.
When competing crime people are more accommodating to Sollozzo's business proposal, the enterprise sparks a deadly conflict between the crime families which quickly escalates into all-out war. Despite Vito's tries to stop the conflict continuing, his beloved firstborn, Sonny, becomes the target of gangland assassination. When an effort is made on Vito's life, Michael is drawn in to the family business despite his reservations, and the overriding theme of "family first" involves dominant his life in much the same way it's dominated that of his father...