There isn’t much I can say about The Godfather that hasn’t already been said, or that you probably don’t already know from seeing Francis Ford Coppola’s masterful crime film adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name (about the leaders of a fictional New York mob family), or watching any other mob-oriented films and shows that followed (Goodfellas, The Sopranos), or even being exposed to prevalent pop-culture references to it or one-liners drawn from it ( “Leave the gun, take the cannoli,” “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”), or impressions of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone (my favorite is still Dom DeLuise in Robin Hood: Men in Tights). What you need to know is that it’s such a big part of the fabric of cinema for a reason, and it’s one of the few movies that I’ll admit, despite its nearly three-hour run time, needs no editing. by Leilani Polk