d restaurants, fast cars, sleazy bars, and exotic locales often represent the milieu of the gangster genre, and from Sicily to the crowded streets of 1940s New York The Godfather is no different. The dialogue is often filled with gangster jargon, including things in this film like “Sleep with the fishes”, “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”, and “Are you trying to muscle me?” Yet, often underneath the violent, immoral, corrupt, and tough-guy persona lurk otherwise sensitive and caring individuals. We see this most clearly in the character of Michael, brilliantly played by Al Pacino. At one point Michael’s schoolteacher girlfriend, who is unaware of the extent of violence and corruption in “the family”, wants to know from Michael how his father was able to get Johnny Fontane out of a recording contract with his bandleader: “Luca Brasi held a gun to his head, and my father assured him that either his brains – or his signature – would be on the contract…That’s a true story…That’s my family, Kay. It’s not me.”
The attention to detail in the film helps recreate the splendor of the family compound, the crowded streets of New York, the lush fields of Sicily and the musty, dark, seedy pubs, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs where the real “business” occurs. The score adds an epic scope to the film, from the original Godfather Theme that is replayed throughout
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