Fans have just days to watch ‘greatest ever’ crime thriller as it’s axed from Amazon Prime | Films | Entertainment

Fans only have a few days left to watch this legendary gangster film universally considered amongst the finest films ever made.

Released over half a century ago, The Godfather commands an enormous cult following.

Featuring Marlon Brando in one of his final roles and launching Al Pacino’s career, the film remains revered as the benchmark for crime and gangster cinema to this day.

Chronicling the saga of the Corleone crime family and helmed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather marks the opening chapter of a legendary trilogy.

The mob epic, adapted from Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, recounts the story of the Italian-American crime dynasty, led by Don Vito Corleone, portrayed by Brando.

The narrative traces his youngest son, Michael, brought to life by Pacino, as he evolves from a young man hesitant to enter his father’s footsteps into the family business to a merciless Mafia boss.

Diane Keaton portrays Michael’s faithful and long-suffering wife, who he attempts to maintain a normal and healthy relationship with while being drawn deeper into the savage and brutal life of a Mafia don.

Released in 1972, The Godfather garnered critical acclaim, securing three Oscars – for Best Actor (Brando), Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

It also received seven Golden Globe nominations and claimed Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor (Brando), Best Original Score, and Best Picture.

Even today it ranks as the second greatest American film ever produced, trailing only the iconic Citizen Kane.

Praise from both critics and fans has shown no sign of fading in the five decades since its release, with The Godfather boasting an impressive 98 percent approval rating on the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

One critic said: “Coppola was able to take a trashy pulp novel and turn it into something close to Shakespeare; a sweeping, epic tale of family, crime, corruption and the Immigrant experience in America.”

Another added: “The Godfather works like a masterfully conducted orchestra, whose immaculate symphony is a meticulously crafted and extraordinarily integral thread in the fabric of cinema history.”

While a third wrote: “The Godfather is the most memorable, most influential, most quoted, most beloved, most discussed, most imitated, most revered and most entertaining American movie ever made.”

Audiences were equally effusive in their admiration for the film.

One wrote: “The Godfather is not a movie. It is the Old Testament of cinema: a towering, operatic masterpiece that redefined what film could be, what family means, and how power actually works in the shadows. From the very first line (“I believe in America”) whispered in the darkness of Don Corleone’s office to the quiet, devastating door closing on Michael’s soul, every single frame is perfect.”

Another said: “The single greatest movie of all time. ive rewatched it over 20 times by now and it never gets old. a true timeless masterpiece. exquisite film making by Francis Ford Coppola. an absolutely legendary movie.”

A third added: “The Godfather is cinema’s holy scripture – flawless, hypnotic, and still whispering that chilling promise: it’s strictly business.”

The Godfather will leave Amazon on May 8.