20 Greatest Opening Movie Scenes Of All Time

5. The Godfather Part II

The debate over which of the first two Godfathers is better has been raging for decades. Both films represent near-perfect cinematic experiences, and while Marlon Brando's entrance as Don Vito Corleone in Part I is memorable, Coppola's depiction of the character's formative years in the sequel/prequel is perhaps more impressive.

Sicily was devastated by mob violence at the turn of the twentieth century, and that is where the Godfather's journey begins. Vito's father is murdered by the ruling Don Ciccio, his brother shortly follows, and he's left with the weight of the world on his shoulders at the tender age of nine.

These are the events that propel Vito Corleone to become one of the leading figures of the Five Families, and it's an origin made more devastating by his struggle to come to America.

Both of Coppola's crime epics never shied away from violence, but there's a harshness to the Godfather Part II's introduction that elevates Vito's character into one of cinema's greatest.