The Godfather (1972) is a seminal mob movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on Mario Puzo’s crime novel, published a few years earlier in 1969. This movie deals with the rise to power of the Corleones, one of the most powerful American crime families of all time.

The film was a roaring success with audiences and critics. With Marlon Brando playing Vito Corleone and Al Pacino his son Michael, the film spawned two sequels in 1974 (The Godfather II) and 1990 (The Godfather III).

Did you know that this franchise was heavily inspired by real-life events and actual mobsters?

We’ll first highlight the events that helped shape these movies.

1. Michael’s Restaurant Shooting: inspired by an encounter between Joe Masseria and Lucky Luciano
2. Michael Testifying at a Senate Hearing: inspired by the court hearings of Joe Valachi, Vito Genovese, and Frank Costello
3. Michael Escaping to Italy Then Falling in Love: inspired by Luciano and Genovese

1) Michael’s Restaurant Shooting: inspired by an encounter between Joe Masseria and Lucky Luciano

One of the most iconic scenes in The Godfather sees Michael make a decisive move into the world of gangsters. He invites a couple of his father’s enemies for a sit-down at a restaurant with the intention of sorting out their differences. Heading to the bathroom to retrieve a planted gun, he returns down and executes both men in cold blood.

This event was inspired by the 1931 assassination of Giuseppe “Joe” Masseria, slaughtered in public at a Coney Island restaurant on the orders of Lucky Luciano.

2) Michael Testifying at a Senate Hearing: inspired by the court hearings of Joe Valachi, Vito Genovese, and Frank Costello

When Michael was forced to testify at the Senate hearings in The Godfather II, this mirrored real-life events during the Congressional Hearings of the 50s and 60s. During these hearings, Genovese and Costello came to the public eye.

The testimony of Joe Valachi was given not as a mobster, but instead as a government witness. This was the first time a member of the mafia had publicly acknowledged the existence of the organization. The ultimate downfall of La Cosa Nostra can be traced back to this real-life event.

3) Michael Escaping to Italy Then Falling in Love: inspired by Luciano and Genovese

When Michael avenges his father’s enemies, he flees to Sicily, falls in love, and marries Apollonia Vitelli, a local village girl.

This event in The Godfather was based on the escape of Genovese to Italy in the wake of a murder he committed. He only returned to the US when the coast was clear.

How about those characters, then?

Well, many of these were also based, at least partially, on figures from the entertainment industry.

5 Entertainers That Inspired Characters in The Godfather

1. Vito Corleone: Inspired by Frank Costello
2. Johnny Fontane: Inspired by Frank Sinatra
3. Moe Greene: Inspired by Bugsy Siegel
4. Michael Corleone: Inspired by Salvatore “Bill” Bonanno
5. Salvatore Tessio: Inspired by Gaspar DiGregorio

1) Vito Corleone: Inspired by Frank Costello

Vito Corleone, as portrayed by Marlon Brando, drew on many real-life mobsters.

Corleone’s olive oil business reminds you of Joe Profaci and served as a classic front for illegal activities. Just like Profaci, Corleone kept a small tight inner circle.

The low-key nature of Corleone was inspired by Carlo Gambino who was known as the Prime Minister for his diplomacy and strategic skills. Many of these elements are played out by the movie character, Corleone. He forges connections with influential politicians and businessmen. Like Gambino, Corleone also urges his underlings to steer clear of narcotics.

2) Johnny Fontane: Inspired by Frank Sinatra

Johnny Fontane is played by Al Martino in The Godfather. The many and glaring similarities between this character and Frank Sinatra enraged the famous crooner.

Fontane seeks Vito’s help to wriggle out of a contract in much the same way as Sinatra leaned on real-life mob connections to renege on a contract he was unhappy with.

Fontane in the movie pursues an acting career to revive his flagging fame just as Sinatra appeared in From Here to Eternity, successfully reinventing himself.

Director Coppola even considered casting Sinatra in the role of Vito but this never panned out.

3) Moe Greene: Inspired by Bugsy Siegel

Alex Rocco plays the larger-than-life character of Moe Greene, clearly inspired by Bugsy Siegel, a man responsible for reinvigorating Vegas.

Siegel headed west as a hitman for Murder Inc., the east coast mob organization. He was instrumental in building Vegas as we know it, starting with legendary luxury casino, the Flamingo. Just like Siegel, Greene mixed freely with celebrities on the scene.

Both men had Jewish roots, and both died in a hail of bullets.

4) Michael Corleone: Inspired by Salvatore “Bill” Bonanno

When Vito Corleone urges his son Michael to head to law school rather than getting involved in the family firm, this was based on Joseph Bonanno doing the same thing to his son.

In both cases, the son disobeyed his father’s wishes, although that’s where the similarity ends.

5) Salvatore Tessio: Inspired by Gaspar DiGregorio

In The Godfather, the Corleones find out that one of their own family members is plotting to block Michael’s rise to power. After a wrong turn, the culprit is unmasked as Salvatore Tessio (Abe Vigoda plays this role in The Godfather.

The character of Tessio was inspired by Gaspar DiGregorio, a real-life gangster who was part of the Banana War. Although the motives were different, and both men died in different circumstances, the similarity is striking.

The Patriot is a wartime drama written by Robert Rodat, who wrote the screenplay for award-winning Saving Private Ryan.

Set against the backdrop of the American War of Independence, the film is about Benjamin Martin, a widowed Captain with seven children whose peaceful family life is disturbed by events that lead to the American Revolution.

Director Spike Lee slammed The Patriot and Mel Gibson for releasing a racist movie, for ignoring slavery with a “sanitized version of history which turns a discreet blind eye to slavery.”

The Plot

Having previously fought in the French and Indian War, widower Benjamin Martin enjoys a peaceful life on a plantation with his seven children. When South Carolina joins the uprising against the British he tries to resist, desiring to continue an untroubled existence. But his eldest son, Gabriel, eagerly signs up against his wishes.

Gabriel, played by Heath Ledger, joins the Continental army against the British as a dispatch rider, but fast-forward two years we see him return home with war wounds after the British gain control of Charleston.

While Benjamin and his family are nursing battle-wounded soldiers from both the British and American side, the British Dragoons ambush the home and kidnap Gabriel with the intention of hanging him for spy activities.

During the struggle, Colonel William Tavington, played by Jason Isaacs, shoots and kills Gabriel’s brother Thomas in a rescue attempt before ordering Martin’s home be burned.

Martin and two of his other sons (who he arms with muskets) rescue Gabriel from the British unit, brutally killing many British soldiers with his tomahawk.

Driven by revenge, Martin is forced to desert his pacifist principles and resolves to join his son and returns to the Continental army.

Having gained a ruthless reputation during the French-Indian War, Benjamin is made Colonel and leads the guerilla army and son into battle against the tyranny of the British.

Benjamin is assigned the task of constraining Lord Cornwallis’ troops in the South. His guerilla troops are successful in disrupting the British lines of supply, and seize Cornwallis’s personal property and his two Great Danes.

Gabriel catches wind of the rumors about his father’s involvement during the French-Indian war. When pressed, Benjamin eventually reveals the remorse he experiences about the French soldiers he butchered for committing a barbaric crime against the British, hence his desire for a quiet life on the plantation.

Cornwallis places the blame firmly on Tavington brutality, but grudgingly allows the tyrant to halt Benjamin’s advancements.

Tavington learns the identity of militia members, attacking their families and burning their homes. Benjamin’s family escape and seek refuge in a settlement of ex-slaves. It is here that Gabriel marries his love Anne.

Anne becomes one of the townspeople who Tavington orders inside a church to be interrogated on the whereabouts of the militia. Believing they would be freed for the information, all of them (including Anne) perish when Tavington sets the church alight.

When they learn of the atrocity, Gabriel and other soldiers launch an attack on Tavington’s camp. Gabriel sustains a fatal injury in a standoff with Tavington and dies in Benjamin’s arms.

Martin loses his desire to battle further until he his reminded of his deceased son’s sense of duty on rediscovering an American flag he repaired.

He and his militia, along with Continental troops storm Cornwallis at the Battle of Cowpens ending in a fierce head-to-head between Martin and Cornwallis.

Cornwallis inflicts a serious wound to Martin who manages to drive a stake through his opponent’s heart and kills him. Cornwallis retreats after declaring the Continental victory.

Cornwallis finally surrenders to the Continental army and Benjamin returns home with his late wife’s sister, who is pregnant with his child. Members of his militia help to rebuild his family home.

Spike Lee And Other Criticism of Mel Gibson’s Patriot Film

Spike Lee, the “pre-eminent chronicler of black life in America” was the most vocal critic of Mel Gibson and The Patriot. In his letter, Lee wrote that he traveled to see the film with his wife on its opening weekend. “We both came out of the theatre fuming,” he claims. “For three hours The Patriot dodged around, skirted about or completely ignored slavery. How convenient… to have Mel Gibson’s character not be a slaveholder… The Patriot is pure, blatant American Hollywood propaganda. A complete whitewashing of history.”

There were also suggestions that Mel Gibson’s character was based on a slave-owning serial rapist that killed Indians for fun.

Production

The protagonist role was originally offered to Harrison Ford, who declined because he found it “too violent” and that it simplified the American Revolution to one man’s grudge.

The movie was filmed in South Carolina and the unforms were designed with the assistance of the Smithsonian. Lots of attention was paid to detail with the exception of the truth. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Sound, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. If the movie were released today, I doubt it would have received any awards.

Chappaquiddick is a 2017 American drama that relives Ted Kennedy’s 1969 car accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne and changed the course of American history. The movie also deals with the crisis management response from the Kennedy family. Ted Kennedy would have likely been elected President of the United States if not for Chappaquiddick.

Chappaquiddick Plot

Senator Ted Kennedy is asked at an interview in June 1969 how he feels to live in the shadow of his late brothers John and Bobby. Kennedy calls Joe Gargan, his cousin, and instructs him to make some hotel reservation for the Boiler Room Girls – these women worked on Kennedy’s presidential campaign – on Martha’s Vineyard. When he travels out to Chappaquiddick Island, Kennedy meets Gargan and his friend Paul Markham for a boat race. Kennedy loses the sailboat race then heads to a party with five of his friends and six of the Boiler Room Girls.

When Kennedy leaves the party, he takes Mary Jo Kopechne along with him. They encounter a police officer on the road. He asks if they need some help. Kennedy backs up the car and drives off hurriedly.

Accidentally driving off the Dike Bridge, Kennedy’s car flips then sinks into a pond. When Kennedy exits the vehicle and calls out to Kopechne, there’s no response. Kennedy slumps and starts crying. He then walks back toward the cottage.

Summoning Markham and Gargan, they all drive down to the bridge. Despite multiple attempts to get Kopechne out of the overturned vehicle, they cannot open any doors or windows. When the pair insist that Kennedy reports the incident, he instead clambers into a rowboat. Gargan and Markham then row him to Edgartown and they all part company. Kennedy strolls past the phone booth right outside his hotel and goes up to his room. He takes a bath then gets dressed and prepared. Heading down to the phone, he calls his father for advice. Joseph P. Kennedy, partially-paralyzed, manages a single word: “Alibi.”

Heading back to his room, Kennedy asks the porter for the time (2.25 am). Kennedy says he is struggling to sleep, yet he goes to sleep without making any contact with the police. The following morning, a father and son, both fishermen, discover the overturned vehicle. The police and fire departments converge on the scene and retrieve Kopechne’s body from the wreckage. They discover the vehicle is registered to Kennedy.

Markham and Gargan then realize that Kennedy hasn’t reported the accident. They again insisted that he needs to do this. Kennedy heads to the Edgartown Police Department with Markham and waits in the Chief’s office until he returns.

Kennedy gives a statement to the Chief ­– this is written by Markham – and then he heads to the family compound in Hyannisport. Believing he has neatly contained the issue, Kennedy is shocked when his father tells him that he’s disgraced the family with his actions. Robin McNamara heads up a damage control team tasked with addressing the legal ramifications and a potential manslaughter charge.

This team first ensures that the body is not reexamined. They also make certain that the official record is changed as his driving license had expired. A Kennedy-friendly official performs this sleight of hand. The first moon landing was dominating the news cycle, so the team strategize and push the court hearing back. The only element of the plan that backfired was the reaction in the press to Kennedy wearing a neck brace when attending Kopechne’s funeral.

Kennedy make an appeal to the residents of Massachusetts on national TV. Pressing heavily on the influence of his family name, the case is resolved without trial. Pleading guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, Kennedy is awarded the minimum sentence, two months in jail. The judge suspends this sentence on the grounds of Kennedy’s good standing and character.

Gargan becomes increasingly angry with Kennedy for concealing the facts of the case and playing the victim. He tries to resign, but Kennedy tells him he plans to resign from the Senate, asking Gargan to draft him a resignation speech. He impresses upon Gargan that he should not tell anyone about this.

Kennedy readies himself with a speech prepared by Ted Sorensen, designed to elicit public sympathy instead. Kennedy throws away Gargan’s speech

The closing credits outline the death of Joseph Kennedy Sr. shortly after the incident. Gargan and the Kennedy clan became estranged. Kennedy lost the Democratic Party presidential primaries in 1980, but he stayed in the U.S. Senate for 40 years after the Chappaquiddick incident.

Chappaquiddick Cast

• Ted Kennedy: Jason Clarke
• Mary Jo Kopechne: Kate Mara
• Joe Gargan: Ed Helms
• Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.: Bruce Dern
• Paul F. Markham: Jim Gaffigan
• Ted Sorensen: Taylor Nichols
• Robert McNamara: Clancy Brown
• Rachel Schiff: Olivia Thirlby
• Nance Lyons: Lexie Roth
• Chief Arena: John Fiore
• David W. Burke: Vince Tycer
• Joan Bennett Kennedy: Andria Blackman
• Marilyn Richards: Tamara Hickey
• Liz Trotta: Alison Wachtler
• Stephen Edward Smith: Victor Warren
• Dr. Watt: Donald Watson
• Dun Gifford: Matthew Lawler
• Maryellen Lyons: Angela Hope Smith
• Sargent Shriver: David De Beck
• John V. Tunney: Patrick Sheehan
• James Reston: Bill Humphreys
• Joseph Kopechne: Tim Jackson
• Gwen Kopechne: Charlotte Ann Dore
• Eugene Frieh: Ed Peed

Production and Release

Sam Taylor-Johnson was initially slated to direct Chappaquiddick, but she dropped out. John Curran was announced as a director on April 25, 2016. Principal photography started on October 7, 2016, in Boston.

Entertainment Studios won distribution rights to Chappaquiddick for $4 million. The movie premiered on October 10 at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival said Flotsam. Initially scheduled for release during awards season eventual release was pushed back to April 6, 2018.

Reception

Projected to gross $2 to $4 million, the film exceeded expectations, grossing $5.8 million and finishing 7th at the box office. Chappaquiddick is currently the eighth-highest grossing independent movie of 2018. On movie aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Chappaquiddick has an approval rating of 81% and an average rating of 7.1/10. Reviews on Metacritic show an average score of 67 out of 100, indicating “generally favorable reviews”. Critical response was mixed by generally favorable.

By contrast, The Godfather Part III is a more controversial film. Separated by both time and space from the original two, the third part continues the family history of the Corleones in all its gory details. Relative to its predecessors, critics widely regard Part III as somewhat of a disappointment. 

The Godfather Part III, The Story

The story begins with an older and wiser Michael Corleone, still played by Al Pacino. He now has diabetes and has spent the five years since the end of the last film trying to coax his family out of their life of crime. He sees a future in legitimate business, away from all the violence and immorality of the past. He’s tired of it.

Michael, however, is in a precarious familial predicament. On the one hand, he feels nothing but love for his daughter Mary, played by Sofia Coppola, and wants her to inherit his vast fortune when he dies. And on the other, he has to deal with Sonny’s son Vincent played by Andy Garcia, who appears hellbent on dealing death to all his enemies.

Michael wants to leave the past behind. He wants to move on from the violence and destruction. But the tentacle-like fingers of history are long, and Vincent is a thorn in his side. It presents a conundrum. Will he choose the future represented by his naive and innocent daughter, or will he return to his old ways? Is redemption possible?

Things come to a head when Vincent decides that he is going to marry Mary, and Michael’s planning starts to go wrong. Suddenly, he is in deep, and the future of his daughter is on the line.

Running parallel to this family problem is the story of Michael and the woman he loves, Kay Corleone, played by Diane Keaton. Kay probably does love Michael, but she also knows him too well. While he might be the man of her dreams, he’s also a person who stalks her nightmares too. Her skepticism is a warning for the audience. A leopard doesn’t change its spots.

The Godfather Part III is Different From Part I & II

The Godfather Part III is a very different film from the other two in a  philosophical sense. The story, concocted by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, is a departure from the traditional gangster setup. Here you have a central figure in the Corleone family questioning whether or not a life of crime is right. Is family worth the suffering and death of so many people? Michael isn’t so sure.

Over time, the evitable force of history catches up with Michael. The old entangled webs of relationships begin to unfurl, and you get the sense that the Corleones are being pushed, inexorably, towards their fate. Once an Italian mafioso, always an Italian mafioso.

Ford Coppolla and Puzo deftly weave the real-life Vatican scandal of the late 1970s into the story, including the untimely death of Pope John Paul I and the money laundering at the Vatican bank. The purpose of these historical interludes isn’t so much to highlight real-world wrongdoing, but point out that even the holiest of people can fall. It is an apt allegory for the life of the fictional Corleones. They might shoot for virtue, but everything in the universe eventually reverts to type.

The Godfather Part III, The Bottom Line

When you stand back and watch Godfather Part III in isolation, a lot of it doesn’t make sense. It appears somewhat disjointed from time to time, thanks to numerous rewritten sections and extensive editing. It is more of a smorgasbord of discrete American gangster movie scenes than a seamless piece of cinematography.

Inevitably, therefore, it relies heavily on the previous two films to fill in the gaps and give it credence. “Anyone watching Godfather Part III for the first time will struggle to make sense of what’s going on. It very much depends on the first two for tying up all the loose ends and character relationships.”

The film, however, remains seductive. For many film buffs, it was a walk down memory lane when released in 1990. The early parts of the film are optimistic. But then, like a giant sucking vortex, the mafia lifestyle returns, draining the morality from the characters. Michael is sad that people have to die. But perhaps not disappointed. 

MOVIE REVIEWS

The Godfather Part II holds an unusual place in the famous trilogy inspired by the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. Indeed, Part II acts as a sequel to the original and allows us to follow the complex path of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino). But the film wouldn’t have gained its iconic status by just being a great sequel. The Godfather Part II also introduces a prequel to the original story and presents a young Vito Corleone (Robert DeNiro), whose choice and path in life serve as a parallel to those of his son, Michael.

The parallelism throughout Part II through the rise and fall of Michael Corleone gives The Godfather Part II its iconic status. It makes no doubt that the Sicilian New York mafia triptych painted by Francis Ford Coppola in the Godfather Part I, Part II, and Part III would have been diminished if it hadn’t explored the story of Vito Corleone, the first Don of the family. 

The Godfather Part II, a Historical Epic

The Godfather Part II takes us through Vito’s rise in 1917, who started the family crime business. A subtle and nuanced Robert DeNiro already reveals parts of Vito’s temperament that we have discovered in the original Godfather, as Marlon Brandon plays an old Vito who is at peace with himself and the gangster world.

At the same time, the screenplay from Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo manages a tour de force in using our knowledge of Vito against his son, Michael. The present time is 1958 and depicts the struggle of Michael Corleone in his role as the new Don. Coppola’s masterful narrative captures the emotional, psychological, and moral fall of Michael as a fantastic Al Pacino gives depth to the challenges that tear him apart.

The Godfather Part II, an Award-Winning Masterpiece

As such, it’s easy to understand why a crime film that paints such a violent gangster decor has won no less than 6 Oscars, including the best supporting actor for Robert DeNiro, best director for Francis Ford Coppola, and best screenplay for Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo. Let’s not forget as well that Al Pacino won the BAFTA award for best actor Michael Corleone. In short, the Godfather Part II is not only an iconic piece of cinematography. It is also one of the most influential gangster films of all time, and one that deserves its spot in the hall of best films. 

Francis Ford Coppola’s Most Brilliant Screenplay

The success of the original Godfather allows Francis Ford Coppola more freedom in the screenplay for the Godfather Part II, which helps to let the story of Michael Corleone unfolds in a narrative that exposes the ties and lives of each character. The once young hero we discovered in the original film, Michael, slowly loses his moral compass as he struggles to fill Vito’s shoes as the new Don. The story unfolds, showing how the young man who tried to stand apart from his family is losing the last shreds of his morality. Michael turns into a ruthless, insecure, paranoid, and feared Don Corleone, which is nothing like the role that Vito played in the family business. 

The Godfather Part II is a Mafia Family’s Emotional Journey

The Godfather Part II takes us through the journey of Michael Corleone and how he becomes an empty shell, using Nino Rota’s musical score to punctuate the emotional masterpiece. At its core, the film puts emotions along with guns, depicting on the one side the family gangster business, and on the other the challenges of one man who can’t follow in the steps of his father.

Rota’s score carefully sways the viewers’ feelings, stirring mournful emotions that we already know we shouldn’t experience for violent gangsters. But the combination of masterful shots, nostalgic scores, and brilliant actors transforms the life of a mafia gang into a family drama that evokes familiar sensations. We understand the difficult task that Michael Corleone has taken. His journey is the journey of every son who attempts to fill in the shoes of their father. It’s a fall into pain, paranoia, and loneliness.

A Paranoid Michael Corleone

We are not surprised when Michael suspects his closest confidant, consigliere Tom Hagen, played by the charismatic Robert Duvall, whose gentle presence acts as a soothing pillar throughout the original and Godfather Part II. A paranoid Michael feels betrayed by his business, his family, and his friends, and the circle around him becomes thinner as the story revolves around him. From the attack on his son’s first communion to his wife Kay (Diane Keaton) leaving him, we follow the once war hero losing his way and himself. 

A Story of a Father and Son

Acting as a parallel, Vito’s violent rise shows a Don who has learned to become sympathetic and wise, while his son is the lonely villain in the family. As the story progresses, we see the light in Michael’s eyes disappear as he fills with self-pity and paranoia. Godfather Part II is a sad film that echoes the child in each one of us; underneath the Mafia code, there’s a little boy still trying to outdo his father. A perfect emotional masterpiece to watch and rewatch endlessly. 

The Godfather Is One Of A Kind

Most film critics would point towards The Godfather as one of the most important films ever made. It was met by global acclaim after its release and is still one of the best-loved movies of any genre to this day. While Coppola has worked on many noteworthy films, such as The Rain People (1969r), Patton (1970, co-writer), The Great Gatsby (1974), and Captain EO (1986), it is the Godfather trilogy – and, in particular, part I – that defies Coppola’s career and shaped the gangster genre on the big screen for decades to come. The film’s cultural significance cannot be emphasized enough.

A Critical, Commercial, and Cultural Phenomenon

Upon its release, The Godfather was an instant classic, winning a plethora of accolades and scooping a then-record five Golden Globes as well as three Academy Awards and one Grammy. Commercially, the film’s box office returns were over 40x the budget spent on making the movie. In addition to widespread applause for direction, storytelling, and cinematography, the film provided some of the biggest roles for huge stars like Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and James Caan.

The film’s immediate appeal has been followed by sustained adulation. A Rotten Tomatoes score of 98% based on over 730,000 user ratings tells a story of its own while a Metascore of 100% landed it a ‘must-see’ badge. The Godfather’s list of accolades and positive reviews is supported further still by the fact that the film has been adapted into video games (decades after its initial release) while the music score, famous quotes, and characters have been emulated, parodied, and celebrated time and time again.

A Story of the Most Famous Fictional Gangster Family

The Godfather, which is adapted from the novel, centers around the fictional Corleone family and is set in the post-WWII New York. While several subplots occur, Vito Corleone (played by Marlon Brando) is stepping down as the mob boss and wants to hand the reins over to son Michael (Al Pacino). 

The performances of the genre’s most famous actors bring Coppola’s vision to life, while the Corleone name is synonymous with the gangster film genre. While the cinematography and editing are ahead of their time, it’s the storytelling that focuses on the themes of family and loyalty as well as crime and violence that truly makes it one of the greatest films of all time.

An Insight into The Godfather

A fascinating story starts, as is the case with many subsequent films in the genre, around a family wedding. Internal conflicts between sons and father threaten to tear the Corleone family apart as the threat of mob war looms large due to underworld activities. The struggle between power and family values is another central theme that, albeit in the same violent context, is something most people can relate to. The humanization and audience empathy is very much a key feature of the movie’s widespread and lasting appeal.

The Godfather: The Bottom Line

Ultimately, there’s not a lot to say about The Godfather that hasn’t already been said. It is a film of epic cultural significance and you’ve almost certainly encountered references to it in pop culture, even if you didn’t realize where they come from. The story of the New York underworld in a post-war era might be fictional, but the gripping narrative and believable characters provide an insight into a world that is fascinating and frightening in equal measures.

The film’s many levels have made it a multigenerational classic that can be rewatched time and time again. Besides, if you ever watch crime and gangster films made in subsequent years, The Godfather’s influence will be noticeable. “Many have tried to emulate The Godfather’s ability to capture an audience, but no other film has surpassed it.”

So, there you go; our insight into the70s classic that is The Godfather. It is truly one of the best things you can do with 177 minutes of your life – although you should be prepared for the fact you’ll probably want to watch The Godfather Part II and Godfather Part III immediately after.

Miami Vice: Cocaine Action On Steroids

Before we give you our take on Miami Vice, let’s take a look at the plot in further detail. This film follows two detectives – Ricardo Tubbs and Sonny Crockett – while they work undercover in Florida investigating narcotics smuggling. However, things take a turn for the worse when Crockett falls for the stunning wife of one of the powerful drugs and arms trafficker. There are consequences for everyone, as Tubbs’ family comes under threat. 

Intimate, Confident, and Sexy

These are three words that most definitely sum up this film! As we have come to expect from Michael Mann movies, you can expect masculine rage, sheer broiling temperatures, and plenty of masculine sweat in this one! It is an ultraviolent and brash film, which simply could not have been made by anyone else. The authorial mastery of the director is laid down like hammer blows from the very first few frames. Only Michael Mann would have the ability to contrive those male egos slamming into each other like Sumo wrestlers. You can expect his signature monumental asymmetrical compositions on screen, with helicopters sweeping over huge nighttime cityscapes, rooftop confrontations, and faces looming intently into the camera. What more would you expect?

Not A Buddy Cop Movie

One thing that is immediately and emphatically stated is that this is not a buddy cop film. In fact, Foxx and Farrell barely exchange a dozen lines throughout the movie. They have that sort of trust whereby any words are simply redundant. They do not make wisecracks about each other’s driving, date each other’s sisters, or go to the bar together after work. They are subverted fully to the job, making them stone-cold professionals. This is what makes this film different from all of the other movies out there that focus on the partnership between two professional cops. So, if you are looking for a film where you have two cops who make jokes at each other throughout the movie, this is not the film! Miami Vice has a serious tone, rather than a comedic one. 

Miami Vice Soundtrack is Full of Hits

In an attempt to pull the film away from the television series, Michael Mann did not want to use the television series’ theme song nor did he want to use Jan Hammer, who was the composer of the original television series. The film opens with Numb/Encore by Linkin Park and Jay-Z, and this song also featured in adverts for the film. However, it is not part of the soundtrack for Miami Vice. The soundtrack features 17 songs, with hits from the likes of John Murphy, Freaky Chakra, Moby, Goldfrapp, and Nina Simone. 

Miami Vice Reviews Were Mixed

As is the case with most movies nowadays, Miami Vice received a max bag of comments. However, on the whole, it is very much considered a cult favorite, and you will see positive read-ups about it all over the web. In fact, in a Time Out poll, it was deemed the 95th best action film of all time. This was a poll of actors, directors, film critics, and stunt actors. So, to appear on this list is very high praise indeed. The film also received positive comments from a number of major publications, including The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice, New York, Newsweek, Variety, Empire, and Rolling Stone. 

So there you have it: everything that you need to know about Miami Vice. If you are a fan of anything to do with action and crime, you are going to love this film. Not only does it have a great plot but it has an outstanding cast to back it up as well. Prepare to be entertained!

Cocaine Cowboys is Arguably Billy Corben and Rakontur’s Greatest Documentary

Rakontur, the Miami Beach-based media studio, founded by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben, released Cocaine Cowboys in 2006. “Rakontur” is a French word for one who is skilled in relating stories. The name is appropriate as Rakontur has an impressive body of work.

Corben made his directorial debut in 2001 with the release of Raw Deal: A Question of Consent. Since then, he directed Cocaine Cowboys 2 in 2008, 30 for 30 in 2009, Square Grouper and Limelight in 2011, Broke in 2012, Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded in 2014, Dawg Fight in 2015, Screwball in 2018, and Magic City Hustle in 2019. In 2020, plans have been announced to release Savage and Cocaine Cowboys: Los Muchachos.

The Reviews Were Good

Cocaine Cowboys went on to be Showtime’s highest-rated documentary. For better or worse, it has become a part of Miami’s history. The film documentary had such a profound effect on pop culture that the term “cocaine cowboys” become synonymous with the Miami drug trade.

Honestly, I was confused by the good (but not great reviews). It seemed that a film documentary that did such a great job of chronicling an important sphere of pop culture could have been received better. The most popular movie review site, IMDB, collected 12,000 user reviews on Cocaine Cowboys resulting in a 7.8 / 10 score.

It didn’t seem right until I checked the reviews of the 1983 film, Scarface, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Al Pacino. It then started to make sense. Scarface, arguably one of the greatest crime dramas ever created, scored 8.3 out of 10 based on close to 700,000 reviews. So it seems Cocaine Cowboys is in good company and scored correctly.

A First-Person Account

Cocaine Cowboys gives us a first-person account of how the drug trade really went down in Miami. We learned how cocaine quickly overtook marijuana as the drug import of choice in the 70s and 80s. We heard how cocaine swept through Miami and the effect it had on the banking and real estate sectors. And we didn’t hear it from actors or through the twisted angle of a biased producer. We watched Jon Roberts, Mickey Munday, Jorge “Rivi” Ayala, and Al Singleton tell their stories. They were hitmen and narco-traffickers that turned government informants on Colombia’s most famous drug kingpins: Pablo Escobar and Griselda Blanco. It was the real thing.

Cocaine Cowboys: The Bottom Line

A film documentary serves its own purpose in cinema and society at large. It is meant to educate, inform and maintain a historical record. Generally, it is not able to compete with traditional movies that celebrate reality and are designed solely for the purpose of entertainment and profit. Once you watch it, you will begin to achieve a greater cinema experience when watching future crime/drama films. You will encourage greater brain connectivity. You will develop a theory of mind that will allow you to attribute mental states to the characters and situations.

The simple fact that Cocaine Cowboys has achieved such popularity or notoriety (take your pick) is a testament to its prominence and place in cinema and documentary film making. I highly recommend Cocaine Cowboys. See it. You won’t regret it.

When a well-known nightclub owner and former rock star, Johnny Boz, is found murdered in his own bed, reformed Detective Nick Curran and his partner are put on the case.  

His investigation leads him to Boz’s lover, Catherine Tramell (Stone), an heiress and a writer whose novels the killer seems to be imitating. As Tramell becomes a prime suspect, Curran’s ex-girlfriend and police psychiatrist Beth Gardner (Tripplehorn) is brought in to consult on the case, complicating the situation even further. 

As Curran investigates. He is drawn deeper and deeper into the case, he begins an intense sexual relationship with the seductive and manipulative Trammel. The case and Curran begin to unravel as he begins to suspect everyone.

• Directed by: Paul Verhoeven 
• Run time: 2 hr 07 min
• Release date: 8th May 1992
• 18 Certificate
• Starring:  Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Did you know? Thirteen other actresses turned down the role of Catherine Tramell before it was finally offered to Sharon Stone, a relative unknown.  

Editing and Sound Design

The glorious neo-noir tone of Basic Instinct is reflected in all elements of the production.  The movie received Academy Award nominations for both editing and the original score by Jerry Goldsmith. 

It also has one of the most carefully edited scenes in movie history, the ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ interrogation scene in which Sharon Stone’s Tramell, very carefully crosses and uncrosses her legs. It’s a scene that has gone down in cinematic legend and has spawned countless imitations and parodies.  

The Set

Basic Instinct moves between the glamorous lifestyle of Tramell to the seedy clubs of downtown San Francisco. By turns awash with sunlight or the hazy luminescence of San Francisco’s nightlife. 

Basic Instinct Casting

Michael Douglas was firmly established as an A-list actor after a string of hits in the 80s including Fatal Attraction and an Academy Award-winning turn as yuppie demi-god, Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. 

Douglas, who had a brilliant track record as a producer,  knew that he was taking a huge career risk with Basic Instinct. The explicit sex scenes, sexual violence, and problematic portrayal of its LGBT characters were likely to provoke a backlash from a number of areas.  He wanted to share this risk with an equally famous actress.  People such as Kim Basinger, Julia Roberts, Greta Scacchi, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfieffer, Gina Davis, Kathleen Turner, and Ellen Barkin we all considered for the role of Catherine Tramell.  They didn’t want to take the risk and the frequent nudity put a lot of actresses off the role.  

Douglas was right too.  Basic instinct provoked protests from LGBT groups and those outraged at the sexual content. 

Eventually, the role was offered to Sharon Stone, who was a relative unknown but had worked with Verhoeven previously on Total Recall.   

Basic Instinct would launch Stone’s career almost overnight and she would remain somewhat of a Hollywood bombshell for the rest of the 90s, before finally branching out into more diverse roles. 

Action Sequences

A car chase between Tramell’s lover Roxy and Curran through the streets of San Francisco is the extent of the obvious action in the movie, Verhoeven choosing to build suspense through other means.  The violence is the movie is both sexual and visceral and but was heavily edited for its cinematic release. 

The Finale

Basic Instinct never quite reaches beyond its risky sex scenes and whodunnit gimmickry.  The plot twists and turns, leading the audience through a series of red herrings and misdirections, closing in on the killer as Curran’s sexual obsession starts taking its toll on his reasoning and judgment.  

The film took a lot of risks, whether gratuitously or artistically is still up for debate, but it certainly sparked strong reactions from audiences and critics alike. 

Sharon Stone’s performance is a star turn as the sultry Tramell, fully aware of her sexuality and how to use it to manipulate men (and women) into doing what she wants. Douglas is entirely believable as the detective in her thrall.  

Basic Instinct owes a debt of gratitude to Hitchcock and similar movies such as Fatal Attraction and Sea Of Love.  Yet despite Basic Instinct being, at its core, a murder mystery,  you’re left with the overall feeling that you don’t particularly care if Tramell is the killer or not. 

When people initially saw the name Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone lined up together back in 1994 for the film The Specialist, it was expected that people got excited over the prospect. For some, these two top actors of their day were surely going to be a match made in movie heaven. The reality is a mediocre action thriller that has little depth in plot and acting ability.

Ray Quick (Sylvester Stallone) plays the role of an explosives expert who is haunted by his troubled past as a covert assassin. He is troubled but more than willing to step back into the game if the cause right. May Munro (Sharon Stone) is determined for revenge for her murdered parents, wanting the killers to be bought to swift justice. Munro witnessed the murder of her parents which has left a more than a traumatic scar for the character.  

Munro seeks the help of Ray Quick to find the best possible way to get her revenge. Both take part in extensive telephone calls together to discuss the detonation and disposal methods they could use to get rid of the killers.

Little does Munro know that Quick is following her to try to understand her life and need for revenge more closely.  Little does Quick know that Munro is up to much more than he knows and is involved in a messy web of deceit and betrayal. Enter James Woods (Ned Trent), a clinical psychopath, who just so happens to be Quick’s ex-colleague. However, Trent who is the current advisor to the Cuban Miami crime boss Rod Steiger (Joe Leon) has a son who just so happens to be on the top of Munro’s hit list.

The film is a crossover of thriller and film noir which includes a lot of explosions. The action is fun and exhilarating throughout. There is everything you would expect from a 90’s thriller from moody night clubs, fast cars, cigarettes, and sexual bravado. Buildings are blown to pieces, cars end up in the ocean and even a guy who is murdered by a pot of boiling crabs. The music supports the moody thriller-esque cinematography and is enough to build the tension before each action scene. 

Sharon Stone is Sexy As Ever

In between all the action, we get to witness a sexy Sharon Stone who often revels her flesh which will be enough to keep most people glued to the screen. Like most action thrillers, scenes are started with a heavy ominous timer and big digital readouts that help build a sense of tension and urgency. Stallone plays a silent and lonely character and spends most of the time intently listening to recordings of Stone’s telephone conversations on his portable walkman.

James Woods goes mostly unscathed during all the action. He is mysterious, quick and cunning with a very special scene in which he walks towards a police bomb squad with nothing but a ballpoint pen to lay down his wrath upon them. It’s quite fascinating.