In post-war New York City, Don Vito Corleone presides as the powerful patriarch of the Corleone crime family. When an assassination attempt leaves the Don incapacitated, his reluctant youngest son, Michael, is drawn into the violent world he once sought to escape. As rival families plot to seize power and internal betrayal threatens the family's foundation, Michael must transform from a war hero into a ruthless boss to protect his legacy, sparking a bloody cycle of vengeance and power struggles that will change the American underworld forever.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
March 24, 1972 |
Running time |
175 minutes |
Genre |
Crime Drama |
Budget |
$6,000,000 |
Box Office |
$250,341,816 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Francis Ford Coppola |
Produced by |
Albert S. Ruddy |
Written by |
Mario Puzo Francis Ford Coppola |
Music by |
Nino Rota |
Cinematography |
Gordon Willis |
Edited by |
William Reynolds Peter Zinner |
Production Co. |
Paramount Pictures Alfran Productions |
Distributed by |
Paramount Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in The Godfather Collection
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The Plot
A Wedding and the Burden of Favors
In the late summer of 1945, the sprawling Long Island estate of Don Vito Corleone is alive with the vibrant celebrations of his daughter Connie’s wedding to Carlo Rizzi. While the guests dance and feast, the "Godfather" remains sequestered in his dark office, adhering to a sacred Sicilian tradition: no Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day. Beside him stands Tom Hagen, the family lawyer and the Don’s informally adopted son, who serves as the family's Consigliere.
Among those seeking the Don's shadow-justice is Amerigo Bonasera, a mortician who had long avoided the Corleones' criminal world. He pleads for vengeance for his daughter, who was brutally assaulted by two men who escaped justice through the legitimate legal system. After a tense exchange where the Don rebukes Bonasera for showing a lack of respect and friendship, Vito agrees to "handle" the matter in exchange for a future, unspecified service. This exchange sets the tone for the Corleone code—a world where loyalty and personal debt outweigh the law of the land.
The Return of the Hero and the Family Dynamics
Amidst the festivities, the Don’s youngest son, Michael, arrives. A decorated Marine hero recently returned from World War II, Michael sits apart from the family business, accompanied by his girlfriend Kay Adams. He patiently explains the dark reality of his family to her, recounting stories of his father’s "enforcer," the terrifying Luca Brasi. Despite the grim details, Michael reassures Kay that he is not like them, famously stating, "That’s my family, Kay. It’s not me."
The wedding serves as a window into the Corleone hierarchy. We meet Santino "Sonny" Corleone, the eldest son and heir apparent, whose hot-headed nature is matched only by his infidelity; Fredo, the middle son, whose weakness and lack of focus are already apparent; and Johnny Fontane, the famous singer and the Don’s godson. Johnny has come from Hollywood, desperate for a role in a new film that could save his failing career—a role currently denied to him by studio head Jack Woltz. To reassure his godson, Vito promises a solution with a chilling promise: "I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse."
An Offer Refused and a Message in Blood
The Corleone influence soon reaches Hollywood. Tom Hagen is dispatched to Los Angeles to negotiate with Jack Woltz. The mogul is initially defiant, harboring a personal grudge against Fontane for "ruining" a young starlet. However, Woltz’s arrogance vanishes the following morning when he wakes to find his bed soaked in blood. At the foot of his bed lies the severed head of Khartoum, his prized $600,000 stud horse. The "offer" has been made, and Fontane secures the role.
Back in New York, the family faces a far more dangerous proposition. Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo, backed by the rival Tattaglia family, approaches the Don for financing and political protection for a massive heroin distribution operation. Despite the potential for immense profit, Vito refuses. He explains that his political allies and judges would never tolerate a move into the narcotics trade, fearing the "dirty" business would destroy his carefully built influence. During the meeting, Sonny impulsively shows interest, a lapse in discipline for which he is later sternly rebuked by his father: "Never tell anyone outside the family what you are thinking again."
The Assassination Attempt and the Shift in Power
Tensions explode when Don Vito is gunned down in the street while buying oranges, falling in a hail of bullets as a fumbling Fredo fails to protect him. Simultaneously, Sollozzo’s men eliminate Luca Brasi, garroting him in a bar after a failed attempt by Brasi to infiltrate their ranks. With the Don in critical condition, Sollozzo abducts Tom Hagen, trying to force a deal with Sonny. When the Tattaglias send a package containing two fish wrapped in Luca Brasi’s bulletproof vest, the message is clear: Luca Brasi "sleeps with the fishes."
Michael, still a "civilian," visits his father at the hospital and finds the Don unguarded, the police having cleared his bodyguards to make way for a second hit. Displaying a cold, tactical brilliance, Michael moves his father to safety and bluffs away would-be assassins at the entrance with the help of Enzo the baker. His face is soon smashed by the corrupt Captain McCluskey, who is on Sollozzo's payroll, but Michael’s resolve is forged. He proposes a shocking plan: he will personally kill both Sollozzo and McCluskey at a neutral meeting, arguing that while killing a police captain is risky, McCluskey’s corruption makes him fair game.
Blood at the Restaurant and Exile in Sicily
In a small Italian restaurant in the Bronx, Michael meets Sollozzo and McCluskey. After a tense conversation in Italian, Michael retrieves a planted revolver from the restroom. With a steady hand and a cold gaze, he executes both men, shooting Sollozzo in the forehead and McCluskey in the neck and head. He drops the gun as instructed by Clemenza and flees the country. The Corleone family officially "goes to the mattresses," retreating into a fortified compound as an all-out mob war erupts between the Five Families.
While the war rages in New York, Michael hides in the rugged hills of Sicily under the protection of Don Tommasino. There, he falls in love with a local beauty named Apollonia Vitelli. They marry in a traditional ceremony, but the peace is short-lived. A car bomb intended for Michael kills Apollonia instead, proving that nowhere is safe. Michael realizes that even in his ancestral home, he is pursued by the consequences of his actions and the betrayal of his own bodyguard, Fabrizio.
The Fall of Sonny and a Forced Peace
In New York, the violence reaches a breaking point. Sonny’s explosive temper becomes his undoing. When he learns that his brother-in-law Carlo has beaten the pregnant Connie again, Sonny rushes off alone in a blind rage. He is lured into an ambush at a toll booth, where he is decimated by a barrage of sub-machine gun fire. The loss of his firstborn son breaks the recovering Don Vito.
To end the bloodshed and ensure Michael’s safe return, Vito calls a meeting of the Five Families. He realizes that it was Don Barzini, not Tattaglia, who was the true puppet master behind the war. Vito agrees to support the drug trade under certain conditions, sacrificing his principles to stop the killing. Michael returns to America, reuniting with Kay and promising her that the family business will be completely "legitimate" within five years. He assumes the role of acting Don, while Vito settles into the position of Consigliere.
The Baptism of Fire
Years pass, and the Corleone influence begins to shift toward Nevada. Michael travels to Las Vegas to buy out casino mogul Moe Greene, who has been looking after Fredo. When Greene mocks the Corleones and Fredo takes the outsider’s side, Michael coldly warns his brother: "Don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family again." Back home, a frail Vito dies of a heart attack while playing with his grandson in the tomato garden. At the funeral, Michael observes Salvatore Tessio, a long-time family loyalist, arranging a meeting with Barzini—revealing himself as the traitor Vito had predicted.
On the day Michael stands as godfather to Connie’s son, he orchestrates a calculated, simultaneous strike against all his enemies. As Michael renounces Satan in the church, his assassins strike across the city. Don Barzini, Don Tattaglia, Don Cuneo, Don Stracci, and Moe Greene are all brutally murdered. After the ceremony, Tessio is led away to his death, realizing too late that his "business" betrayal was anticipated. Michael then confronts Carlo, forcing him to confess to setting up Sonny’s murder before having him garroted in a car.
The New Don Corleone
The film concludes with the final consolidation of Michael's power. A hysterical Connie accuses Michael of Carlo's murder, but he remains unmoved. When Kay, deeply unsettled by the accusations, asks him if it's true, Michael looks her in the eye and tells a single, cold lie: "No."
Relieved, Kay leaves the room to fix a drink. As she looks back, she sees Peter Clemenza, Rocco Lampone, and Al Neri enter Michael's office. They bow to him, kissing his hand and addressing him as "Don Corleone." The door is slowly closed on Kay—and on Michael’s humanity—marking his final transformation into the new Godfather.
