The Original Gangster Squad

With the Oscars just a few weeks away, I thought I'd celebrate a movie that won an Oscar, in fact many Oscars. I'm talking about Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather." This movie snagged the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Director in 1973, along with some other important awards since its debut. 

 The American Film Institute considers this movie, starring the infamous Marlon Brando, as the third best movie of all time.

Now why is this movie so good? Here is my opinion...

Gangster films are timeless. They spark so must interest and captivate audiences. Just look at all the movies  about famous mob bosses, gangs and organized crime. "The Godfather" was made 40 years ago, and gangster movies are still going strong today. 

"The Godfather" is not just any gangster film though. It is extremely well done. The story, in all honesty is nothing too noteworthy, but the details, the camera, the script, the acting and every other aspect is done superbly. 

  As Time Magazine critic Jay Cocks wrote “In its blending of new depth with an old genre, it becomes that rarity, a mass entertainment that is also great movie art.” 

And now a look at "Gangster Squad,"Which opened in January.  It was popular at the box office, but not so much with reviewers. 

"In spite of heavy gun fire, Gangster Squad misses," said Robert Denerstein of Movie Habit. 

You would think that a movie whose plot and genre is similar to the third best movie of all time would be more critically acclaimed. So what's the difference? "Gangster Squad" certainly does not lack a strong leading actor or drama. 
 

In fact while the bulk of gangster Mickey Cohen (played by Sean Penn) in “Gangster Squad” is action based, the bulk of Corleone's actions are talking and negotiating. 

It looks like actions do not always speak louder than words. 

 "The Godfather" is not just a source of entertainment, it's a cinematic masterpiece. 

As critic Roger Ebert said "The screenplay of `The Godfather' follows no formulas except for the classic structure in which power passes between the generations.”

While other wise guys movies like "Gangster Squad" fall back on violence to allegedly  entertain and engage, "The Godfather" turns such scenes into them art. That is the core difference.