Are you ready for an offer you can't refuse? Well how about - you set aside two hours and sit down and listen to us pour over one of the GOAT films, it's time to take on The Godfather... One of those films that realistically you could speak about all day so forgive us for the slightly longer running time on this one.

Slight disclaimer we've both been to the cinema this week! The film that we've been to see this week was Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, so first up there's a good old review of that, featuring the joy of Tom Cruise's commitment and just how special some of the incredible action on display is.

So let's give you the breakdown of some of the themes we absolutely have to get into in the pod... the first being the idea of loyalty in particular 'family loyalty'. How much of that loyalty do we see within the film? Well let's be honest there's backstabbing going on all over town but at the same time, there does appear to be an inner sanctum and a strange code of conduct that is adhered to. Regardless of the fact that Don Corleone seems to be a man involved in all kinds of crime, he does still live his life by a code of ethics - but are they really part of some sort of code? Is that code changeable at the drop of a hat?

Like all of us he seems afraid of the unknown and what the future might bring. In the Godfather the future and the unknown is the world of narcotics. We see the themes of tradition and modernity heavily juxtaposed and how the corrupting nature of power can make people lean toward one or the other. Through the film we also see the illusion of choice. So it's time to get real philosophical again as we ask the question - did anyone ever really have any free will throughout the film or was it deterministic? I.E. Was every single decision that anyone makes - made without their own agency?!

In terms of the MVP conversation... talk about the battle of the heavyweights. Al Pacino takes on Marlon Brando in a straight shootout for the title but how on earth do you split those two given how well they dominate the scenes they're in and how they both seem to lead the film in their own right. There's a good old tussle for the fine wine or war crime convo as well.

Some day and that day may never come, we may call upon you to do a service for BYOB... but in the meantime enjoy the podcast!! Bring Your Own Blockbuster isn’t just a film review podcast, we try our best each week to dive deep into the themes and discussions that make cinema so special - and we’d love to hear your feedback on the film. What did meet it mean to you? What did we miss? Get involved and tell us what you think on social media, you can find us everywhere at @byobpod

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Broadcast on:

17 Jul 2023