The Godfather Reviews
Top CriticTo permit us a glimpse at The Mob, with all of its ethnic insularity, is like giving a chronic gambler a chance to wander above the false mirrors that overlook every casino.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/4
Brando's triumph and fascination is less that of an actor of parts than of a star galaxy of myths.
Brando made Don Vito something we rarely see in movies: a tragicomic villain-hero, a vulnerable hood.
In its blending of new depth with an old genre, it becomes that rarity, a mass entertainment that is also great movie art.
As filmmaking and storytelling, 'The Godfather' remains a bravura piece of work, its set pieces, dialogue and performances entrenched cinematic icons.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
There are volumes that could be written -- and have been -- about the movie's uniformly powerful performances; its precedent-setting editing by William Reynolds and Peter Zinner; Nino Rota's haunting score; and Dean Tavoularis's evocative set design.
The biggest achievement here is the establishment of mood and time.
An everyday story of Mafia folk, incorporating a severed horse's head in the bed and a number of heartwarming family occasions, as well as pointers on how not to behave in your local trattoria.
Francis Ford Coppola has made one of the most brutal and moving chronicles of American life ever designed within the limits of popular entertainment.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
We come to The Godfather like Kay Adams -- outsiders uncertain in our expectations - but it doesn't take long for us to be captivated by this intricate, violent world.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/4
With The Godfather, Coppola got everything right, balancing art with commerce -- and turning a big-studio project into something deeply personal and resonant.
The years have been kind to this timeless Mafia epic, which seems particularly rich now that studio blockbusters no longer demonstrate this kind of care with character, atmosphere and storytelling.
The story by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola is a brilliant conjuring act, inviting us to consider the Mafia entirely on its own terms.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/4
Corleone, the soft-spoken crimelord, is masterfully played by Brando in one of the most imitated performances of all time.
In scene after scene ... Coppola crafted an enduring, undisputed masterpiece.
