The Godfather is impossible to exclude from any conversation about the greatest opening scenes in movie history, but said scene also serves to highlight the only real flaw with Francis Ford Coppola’s movie. Set within the dimly-lit oppression of Don Corleone’s office while his daughter’s wedding celebrations continue outside, Marlon Brando’s character is asked to commit an act of vengeance on behalf of Bonasera, the local undertaker.

From the gradual zoom out on Bonasera’s grief-stricken face to Don Corleone’s overbearing aura of power and authority, The Godfather‘s opening scene could hardly do a better job of setting up the epic gangster tale to come. And while The Godfather is regularly touted as the closest thing to a perfect movie Hollywood has ever produced, its biggest flaw is exposed within those famous opening minutes.

The Godfather’s Opening Scene Subtly Establishes The Corleone Family As Honorable

The worst criticism a person can level at The Godfather is that Coppola’s vision of a fictional mafia outfit is too flattering, sweeping many of the grim elements under a suspiciously crimson-colored rug, and instead painting the Corleone family as fighters of a noble cause. This is a process that begins before Don Corleone himself has even uttered a word.

Bonasera tells his story. Two boys attempted to rape his daughter, then physically ᴀssaulted her when she fought back. Despite being caught by the authorities, the perpetrators received suspended sentences and walked free. Now the distraught undertaker hopes Don Corleone can deliver the justice his daughter was denied in the courtroom.

Bonasera’s speech gives the audience a great deal of salient information about The Godfather‘s protagonists. Immediately, it becomes clear that the central family is powerful, well-respected within the community, works outside the law, and is not averse to using violence. More importantly, however, the Corleones are positioned as, for want of a better phrase, the good guys.

A young woman has been let down by the insтιтutions sworn to protect her, and the only force capable of righting that wrong is Don Vito Corleone. At this point, Brando’s character is inches away from being more vigilante than criminal – more Batman than the Penguin, fashion sense aside.

Corleone demanding a show of respect before granting Bonasera’s wishes brings The Godfather back to familiar territory, but the don’s introduction is steeped in ethical justice and social morals nonetheless.

This rose-tinted view of hardened criminals is one of very few holes that can be poked in The Godfather‘s rich tapestry. There’s an unwillingness to acknowledge how truly awful these protagonists are. Viewers are given permission to cheer them on without feeling guilty, but at the expense of The Godfather‘s ability to put its main characters fully under the microscope.

The great gangster movies that came after caught onto this problem and addressed it. Goodfellas has Joe Pesci’s Tommy killing an innocent young bartender, Donnie Brasco has Al Pacino cutting up bodies, etc. By comparison, The Godfather comes across as a touch idyllic.

How The Godfather Keeps The Corleone Family Honorable After The Opening Scene

The Corleones beating up criminals on behalf of Bonasera’s daughter sets the tone, but the family’s ethical values remain prominent as The Godfather progresses. Vito refuses to get involved in Sollozzo’s narcotics business on principle, and when later forced to relent, insists the product be kept away from schools.

The only characters the Corleones target directly are The Godfather‘s villains – crooked police captains, domestic abusers, mafia rivals, and the like. Even when Michael is trying to convince Kay that his family are evil in The Godfather‘s opening wedding sequence, he recounts the story of Luca Brasi and the band leader – a story which amounts to a threat instead of actual violence against an innocent man.

Michael’s entire arc thereafter is built around a valiant, if misguided, attempt to make the Corleone empire a legitimate operation. Coppola’s insistence on keeping Michael and his relatives on the right side of forgivable lasts right up until Fredo’s death in The Godfather Part II – a truly heinous act. But even then, all bloodshed is kept in-house – Fredo was a gangster who knew the rules and broke them.

It doesn’t send the same message as if, for example, Michael had sH๏τ the waiter to get rid of a key witness after ᴀssᴀssinating Sollozzo and McCluskey. Make no mistake, this is a deliberate storytelling choice on The Godfather‘s part, and it’s the very same choice made during the opening scene.

Bonasera could have easily been a Corleone employee asking Don Corleone to pressure some poor local business into paying protection money. Instead, he’s a father seeking justice for his daughter. From that point on, it’s impossible to ever truly see The Godfather‘s Corleone family in a completely negative light.