3. The Godfather (1972)
There is no doubt that The Godfather is one of the greatest films ever made. Director Francis Ford Coppola's classic film is one of the most celebrated American films of all time and ushered in a new generation of film-makers and a most exciting decade of films. The nearly 3 hour epic of a Mafia family's rise and fall kept audiences planted in their seats and at the time was one of the biggest box-office draws of all time. There isn't much that hasn't already been said about the film, either how close the film came to never being made to how Marlon Brando gave one of his finest screen performances of his career as the titular Don Corleone. One element of the Godfather that gets overlooked in the shadow of all the praise is the memorable final shot in the film. At the film's climax, young Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)-who was always considered the black sheep in the family for not accepting the Mafia life-takes a stand and rises up to the occasion to lead the family after his Father, The Don, dies. In a surprising twist he accepts the hand he is dealt, and we see his dissension into this dark life unfold. In the film's final scene, Micheal's wife Kay (Diane Keaton) uncertain of her husband's new way of life looks on from across the hall as he meets and greets Mafia Capos in his office. They embrace his power and call him "Don Corleone". Just before Kay has a moment to take this in, the door of the office closes on her confused and troubled face. This ultimately gave the film that much more power at the outset, and also set up the even superior sequel, The Godfather Part II, with a wonderful bridge.