Released: March 24th, 1972
Viewed: May 15th, 2017
The Godfather is one of the most renowned films in American cinema. This caused me to worry that it would not hold up to my expectations and the hype when I first started the film. This was especially so when I realized that the entire first half hour of the film is an extended wedding scene. The effectiveness of the wedding scene made sense to me upon reflection, but it does drag down the pacing of the first act because it is so ridiculously long. Thankfully the remainder of the film is as great as its almost immortal reputation. It is a methodically paced film that is primarily a character study of Al Pacino’s character and holy shit what an intense ride. The suspense is built expertly and the violence is grotesque and accented with extremely interesting shots and scenarios. The supporting cast is filled with interesting characters, but Al Pacino’s character is one of the most fascinating in all of the film. There’s very little left to say. It’s nearly a perfect film. There’s very little left to say. It’s nearly a perfect film. Just damn that intro.
Rating: 9/10
Arron's Film Journal 