When you're making a list of the best gangster movies ever, it literally cannot be complete without The Godfather – a movie so beloved and critically adored that it's almost in a tier of its own.
Together with its sequel, it's widely viewed as one of the very best the genre has ever produced, if not the single best example of it, with historic performances from some acting greats. Now for the good news – it's on Amazon Prime Video here in the UK after arriving earlier this month.
The version that's been added has the suffix of the "Coppola Restoration", a process that was indeed overseen by director Francis Ford Coppola himself, and ensures that you're watching the best possible version of the movie, which looks simply gorgeous on a modern display.
With Marlon Brando putting in a true all-timer of a performance as the menacing Don Vito Corleone, now aged but no less terrifying in his ability to own a room the moment he enters it, it tells the story of his family business through the lens of his sons.
Al Pacino is Michael, the most mild-mannered and reluctant of them, but he finds himself drawn to the life of the mob fixer over time, despite the threat it poses to the possibility of a simple family life. What unfolds shouldn't be spoiled if you've never seen it, and comprises one of the greatest dramas ever put to film.
One of the great surprises here is that The Godfather doesn't have a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes – its 97% score underlines the fact that the site's rating system isn't the be-all-and-end-all, since this is a no-debate masterpiece.
Now, though, you can watch it for yourself if you're a Prime Video member, at no extra cost (just make sure you search for the Coppola Restoration if you're having trouble finding it). The best streaming service might sometimes feel like the one that puts out the most new shows and movies, but including classics like this is always a massive bonus – and Prime Video might well reap that benefit in the coming weeks.
