The Godfather. What do I even say about this movie that hasn't been said a thousand times before? This is a film from what is in my opinion, the height of filmmaking. Coppola in his prime, New Hollywood, the emergence of the director as the real star.
Everything about this movie is pure brilliance. The score, the brilliant writing, the amazing directing and the mind-blowing acting. From the moment the camera pans out enough to see Marlon Brando, he ropes you in. I think he might be one of the best actors of the 20th century. He is such a genius without necessarily doing a lot. Every time he is on screen it feels special somehow. And Al Pacino, sometimes I forget how good he is. James Caan is a bit of a scene stealer here too. But what gets me most is the directing. The baptism cut with shots of assassinations? So genius.
Sometimes with movies that I have heard so much raving about they simply cannot live up the expectation. And sometimes they surpass it. The late 70s were such an amazing era in movie making. I love the grittiness and the violence. Sometimes seeing the shot to the head and the blood, the effect of violence, is necessary for it to hit home. Surpassing my expectations was no easy feat. Sometimes everything comes together to create brilliance.
Watching the evolution of the Michael character from outsider of the family business to running it is some brilliant acting. The way he delivers his lines is exactly what it should be. He starts out not wanting to be like his father, wanting something different from the previous generation, even his father wanted different for him. And he ends up not only in the business, but running it as almost a mirror image of his father. When he "settles family business" it is so cold yet so classic.
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