With friction building between the five crime families of New York, ageing don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) delegates power to Sonny (James Caan), his headstrong eldest son. When the hothead is lured out without protection and gunned down by his enemies, youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) who went to college, went to war and was never meant to enter the family business, steps into his place.
Where to start? The horse's head; the shooting of Sonny on the New Jersey turnpike; the restaurant assassination? In an age when The Sopranos picks up gong after gong at awards ceremonies, this Shakespearean Mob drama is still one of the finest Hollywood movies of all time. Nominated for 11 Oscars and winning three of them (including Best Picture and Best Actor for Brando), it maintains its position at the top of the family tree.
The Godfather is a Film programme that first aired in 1972 and has been classified a 18 certificate.
