Violent and brutal, is the impression I get before I even watch The Godfather (1972). That was also the reason I avoid watching it over the years. I forgot that movies in the Top 250 IMDB most definitely have an emotional engagement factor. This one isn’t just the things I said.
Violent and brutal, is two words that can indeed describe Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). But to judge him plain mean is just too presumptuous. Surprisingly, Don really love his kids and grandkids. He values family and friendship. A great father, a great leader. He never do things half-heartedly. He’ll help if it means putting a gun to someone’s head and kill him. He speaks quite tender but deep. He does his ‘business’ quite tidy, with lots of loyal confidants. He is both feared and loved. I think like most people in the world, you never get big without having enemies. Ones who will go after what you got.
“A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”Marlon Brando really lived Don as if Don exists in real world, flesh and blood. From A Streetcar Named Desire and Last Tango in Paris, I already got the chills seeing his violence. How does one can look so frightening even without pointing a gun and shoving a knife, without screaming and threatening? Brando was beyond excellent. Don is the root and the king of his own empire, a legend. Even more of a big threat than the police. A man with his strong values. But under his intimidating and authoritative skin, he is just as weak and a human.
His two sons have the advantage of his power looks a little the opposite. Sonny (James Caan) is an expressive and emotional man, which tend him to be short-minded. While Michael (Al Pacino) is calm and smart man. Sonny really enjoy his advantage and have occasional mistress, while Michael stays low profile and a monogamous man. Another interesting color in the family is Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), an orphan Don pick up now is a lawyer and his concierge. Tom’s existence proven to be big in the family as he always meet Don’s ‘clients’.
Above all and besides Brando, it was Al Pacino who stole the screen. This naturally good boy transforms to be a confident cold blood head of the family, after Don resigns. The transformation felt strongly by Kay (Diane Keaton), the woman who loves him over the years and heard him say he doesn’t want to be a part of his family business. Michael was smart and ruthless, and it was clear that his father’s blood run hard on him. Al Pacino seem to be born for the part. On his prime, he showed his potential and proven he’s got what it takes to be an actor.
There’s a lot of elements of this movie are so right on their place, perfect. People feel engaged because it’s also a story of a family, aside from the mob business. The two romance showed in Michael’s life surely one of the sweet flavor in the movie. The politics and tactics in the business were slick and twisty. The crime and the threatenings. The brother and sister, the violent husband to her wife. Also friendship and loyalty, and betrayal.
I think when it comes to power and money, people can just do anything. It will never stop until one realized it is exhausting to kill each other, and shockingly, one person did in this movie. It is too naive if we think we can always live in harmony and peace, and justice will always exist, because the world can be that unfair. The strong crushes the weak, while the weak can either lose or search for help. The help for some people, is The Godfather. Some people are just born to be like the Corleones.
Given that this movie was released in the 1970s, it must be quite a groundbreaking movie to show transparently how families like The Corleone runs and how law can be bought. It doesn’t really compliment the law and police.
There’s no flaw in The Godfather, aside from myself who hates violence. Maybe it’s only flaw was the too many names and characters, but maybe that’s just me watching before I go to bed. It’s a crime if it did not won an Oscar for Best Picture and Actor. Even the wardrobes were stylish, with all the men in suits and girls with their dresses and coats. The main theme music was both sad and grand, and memorable. Reminded me of The Great Beauty (2013) which also tells about an Italian man. Given that it’s from a novel, it’s natural to be 3 hours long, but it didn’t felt 3 hours long. In fact, I highly interested with the next two movies, to know how Michael built his own empire.
Final Score :