Considered the peak of Hollywood’s take on the mafia, The Godfather still stands as one of the greatest movies the world has ever witnessed. Revolving around Michael Corleone (portrayed by Al Pacino), the film takes us through his journey as he transforms from a wartime hero to a fierce mafia boss that hopes to carry on the legacy of his father.
The film was first released in cinemas on March 14th, 1972, and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Francis teamed up with Mario Puzo to adapt his book into a film, and despite having doubts about its success, The Godfather managed to become the highest-earning film of its time. The movie stars skilled actors such as Marlon Brando, James Caan, Diane Keaton, John Marley, and Robert Duvall, all of whom received widespread attention after the premiere of the film.
The Godfather has received countless awards for its plot, acting, costumes, setup, and much more. It ended up collecting almost $250-291 million through the box office, showing just how popular it became back in the 70s. As influential as it was, the movie was not only able to glorify the mafia lifestyle but also the importance of family and trust. Throughout the film, we see both Vito and Michael willing to sacrifice relationships if their trust has been toyed with.
The Godfather: What Happens In The Movie?
The movie begins with Vito Corleone helping out a man who seeks revenge. His youngest son, Michael, returns after the war for his sister’s wedding with Carlos. He brings along Kay Adams and introduces her to the family. Time and time again, we see Vito making friends who are just as dangerous as enemies. Despite this, he tries to help out whenever he can, as we see in the case of Johnny Fontane, who requests Vito to help him get a role in a Hollywood film.
Things start to get messy for the Corleone family when Vito refuses to get into the narcotics business at Sollozzo’s request. He sends Luca Brasi to check out what Sollozzo’s up to, but they end up killing him. At the same time, Vito is separately gunned down but somehow manages to survive the multiple shots.
Sonny, his eldest son, takes charge of the family while Vito recovers at the hospital. Michael comes up with a strategic plan to get rid of Sollozzo and McClusky, a corrupt police officer. After completing the task, he heads over to Sicily for a year while Sonny tries to make things better back home.
With the recent deaths caused by the Corleone family, the rest of the five families that rule NYC start a war. This ends up killing Sonny, while Fredo stays alive as he is sent to Las Vegas to work with Moe Greene. Not wanting things to take a much worse turn, Vito organizes a meeting to talk with the families. He agrees to help with the narcotics business, but only if they arrive at a peaceful conclusion to the war. With that said, the Corleone family experiences peace for a while until Vito passes away while playing with his grandson.
Michael is made the head of the family, and he makes sure to take charge against the enemies of the family. Just as his father predicted, one of their men turns out to be a traitor working with Don Barzini. By the end of the film, he ends up killing everyone, which threatens the power of the Corleones.
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The Godfather 1972: Ending Explained
Once he discovers that Tessio is the traitor his father had warned him about, he agrees to listen to his request, which involves Michael meeting up with Don Barzini. The meeting happens to coincide with the day of his niece’s baptism. As he steps in to be the Godfather for Connie’s baby, the cascade of murders begins at another place. Michael’s men kill all of the five families’ Dons, which includes Barzini, Tattaglia, and the others. They even confront Tessio and kill him.
As for Carlos, Michael waits till he admits he was complying with Barzini’s orders, and as soon as that happens, he is murdered by Clemenza. When Connie is informed about her husband’s death, she is hysterical at Michael for killing his brother-in-law, but he is unfazed by her words. Kay asks if the accusations are true, to which Michael replies with a no. She leaves the room but later sees Clemenza and the others greeting Michael and calling him Don Corleone.
The ending scene, especially the horrific spontaneous killings, is proof of Michael’s new power that allows him to get rid of his enemies without dirtying his own hands. As the baptism completes, he becomes both a godfather as well as a cold-hearted leader who knows what his next move’s going to be. Neither Vito nor Michael had envisioned himself being the one to carry on the family business, but now that he has already become deeply involved, he is dead set on expanding their power and influence. There’s nothing Kay can do but watch as her husband turns into someone else entirely.
At present, Godfather is available to watch on Prime Video and Netflix.
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