What we flagged
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Our take
A long Italian-American crime-family drama about power, loyalty and revenge. Guns, murders and sudden ambushes run through it, with some bloody set pieces and a shocking animal corpse. Discreet bedroom sex, wine and smoking sit beside talk of heroin dealing and casinos. A wife is beaten by her husband. Language is mostly period swearing. Fine with a parent from 16.
Uplifting themes
It asks what loyalty costs when family and crime are the same world Family care appears, but most leads still choose power over honesty It is a landmark look at organised crime, immigrant family power and postwar America
Story (may spoil tone)
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
What we flagged
Details
Violence Mob shootings, strangling, ambushes and revenge killings run right thro…
Mob shootings, strangling, ambushes and revenge killings run right through the film
Language Hell, g-word, b-word and son-of-a-b-word show up in period swearing
Hell, g-word, b-word and son-of-a-b-word show up in period swearing
Sex / nudity Discreet bedroom sex and wedding-night intimacy, plus kissing and adult…
Discreet bedroom sex and wedding-night intimacy, plus kissing and adult romance
Drugs / alcohol Wine and smoking are common, and heroin dealing is a major business arg…
Wine and smoking are common, and heroin dealing is a major business argument
Frightening Slow-burn crime dread builds with sudden gun violence and a few shockin…
Slow-burn crime dread builds with sudden gun violence and a few shocking corpse images
Bullying / discrimination A husband beats his wife in a clear domestic-abuse stretch
A husband beats his wife in a clear domestic-abuse stretch
Gore / death / weapons Guns and bloody shootings, with a graphic animal-head shock and visible…
Guns and bloody shootings, with a graphic animal-head shock and visible wounds
Dangerous behaviour Crime power and gun threats look like a way of life, though the cost st…
Crime power and gun threats look like a way of life, though the cost stays clear too
Gambling Casino ownership and gambling money drive the later power plays
Casino ownership and gambling money drive the later power plays
Grief / bereavement Funerals and family deaths sit right at the centre of the story
Funerals and family deaths sit right at the centre of the story
Flashing lights We do not have enough information about flashing lights for this versio…
We do not have enough information about flashing lights for this version to confidently confirm.
Talk after watching
- When does protecting family turn into harming everyone around you?
- Does the film make crime look glamorous, or does it show the cost?
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The Godfather
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