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Godfather, The

EMAILPRINTParamount Pictures

Godfather, The reviews
100
8.3 User Score:

Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Mario Puzo (also novel)
Francis Ford Coppola

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Release Date:
Theatrical: March 11, 1972
DVD: October 9, 2001

Running Time: 175 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: R

Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, John Cazale, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, and Abe Vigoda

Francis Ford Coppola's epic features Marlon Brando in his Oscar-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. Director Coppola paints a chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan's rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered ten Academy Award nominations, and won three including Best Picture of 1972. (Paramount Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

The New York Times Vincent Canby

One of the most brutal and moving chronicles of American life ever designed within the limits of popular entertainment. [16 Mar 1972]

100

Washington Post Desson Thomson

A great American picture, full of incredible images and lasting moments.

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100

LA Weekly F. X. Feeney

The Godfather traces the arc of this doomed idealism with a beauty that is still fresh.

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100

Chicago Reader Dave Kehr

Sharp, entertaining, and convincing--discursive, but with a sense of structure and control that Coppola hasn't achieved since.

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100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Overflowing with life, rich with all the grand emotions and vital juices of existence, up to and including blood. And its deaths, like that of Hotspur in "Henry IV, Part I," continue to shock no matter how often we've watched them coming. [16 Mar 1997, Calendar, p.7]

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Brando made Don Vito something we rarely see in movies: a tragicomic villain-hero, a vulnerable hood. The don is so close to a comic character -- the movie itself is so close to comedy -- that Brando's capacity to move us in the role is doubly impressive. At the end, it is the older Godfather's tenderness and sagacity we recall. [21 Mar 1997, Friday, p.A]

100

San Francisco Examiner Barbara Shulgasser

A handbook on cinematic lucidity. All events are described clearly. Motives of all the characters are set right there on the table next to the pasta for our consideration.

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100

TV Guide Staff (Non Credited)

The Godfather is a generational saga; it's also an action film; but above all, it catches the imagination of audiences because it suggests that the career of a gangster is not so very different from the career of a businessman or a politician.

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100

Film Threat Ron Wells

One warning however: James Caan's shoulder hair, when seen on this size screen, may frighten children considerably (you'll at least want to discuss it openly after the show, answering any questions your kids may have in an honest and direct manner).

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100

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Just about as great as a movie's ever gonna be... As for the storytellng, The Godfather is an intricately constructed gem that simultaneously kicks ass.

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100

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The picture is a series of mini-climaxes, all building to the devastating, definitive conclusion... It was carefully and painstakingly crafted. Every major character - and more than a few minor ones - is molded into a distinct, complex individual.

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100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The wedding sequence... is a virtuoso stretch of filmmaking: Coppola brings his large cast onstage so artfully that we are drawn at once into the Godfather's world.

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100

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

In scene after scene -- the long wedding sequence, John Marley's bloody discovery in his bed, Pacino nervously smoothing down his hair before a restaurant massacre, the godfather's collapse in a garden -- Coppola crafted an enduring, undisputed masterpiece. [21 Mar 1997, Daily Datebook, p.C3]

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80

Variety Staff (Not Credited)

Overlong at about 175 minutes (played without intermission), and occasionally confusing. While never so placid as to be boring, it is never so gripping as be superior screen drama.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 392 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Joe F gave it a4:
Hay Carl C, the movie sucks and prowess is a word used to describe abilities akin to bravery not something trivial as grammar or spelling. You can't just group 3 words together that aren't used common place and expect people to think your smart. BTW Should be acuity.

Joe F gave it a3:
Masterpiece of $&!%. The ratio of 10 ratings is a excellent example of how dependent peoples minds are on the status quo. If you were to watch this movie without ever hearing about it you would most likely find it to be a well scripted dull movie and nothing more.

William D. gave it a1:
Godfather isn't a terrible movie. On the contrary, its a movie with a ton of unrealized potential that executes with the grain.

Zack M. gave it a9:
While it is long i would consider it a classic. while it is brutal and violent and almost sadistic it has a well written story and amazing acting amplify a timeless crime drama

Pat R gave it a5:
It's funny. I just read Zach B's comment. And guess what buddy? I was born in 1994. So take that. Anyway, I thought this movie was okay. I'm sure it was good at the time, but should it really be considered the greatest film of all time? Films like Die Hard were good at the time, and are STILL good today, and yet no one considers THAT the greatest movie of all time. Godfather, in general, seems very tame compared to many modern films such as Changeling. I can understand why adults think it's the greatest film of all time, but it just isn't my cup of tea. I never did like classic films unless they have something good in them other then the fact that they're classic.

Eve Ill gave it a10:
Wow. The best movie I have ever seen. Period. If you have seen this movie you shouldn't be allowed to rate others, because it will influence your rating so much. Watch it.

C. G. gave it a10:
First time I have seen it, I wasn't impressed at all, not paying much attention. Years later, although I have just learned english in highschol, I have watched the trilogy online, also looking at the script, then I have read it (every fan should, a lot more in depth) and also all the other novels by Mario Puzo I could find online. It changed my life and I have to continue watching them once in a while to bring the feelings back.

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