The Offer episode 7 review: Al Pacino becomes the don; Bluhdorn is finally impressed

3.5/5

Story: The filming is in full flow after a lot of hurdles but people at Paramount are unhappy with an underperforming Al Pacino. As he soon turns into the Michael Corleone, we get to see things go down in the mafia.

Review: Hardcore The Godfather fans have always dug into the details of the movie’s making and there are a lot of stories that we have heard. The seventh episode of The Offer gives us a look into many such stories, confirming their authenticity in many ways. We finally get to see production move at full pace as Francis Ford Coppola shortlists his cast and crew. 

Firstly, we get to see Coppola have a big argument with cinematographer Gordon Willis. Al Ruddy has to step in to save the situation, as they conclude their arguments over lighting of the iconic scenes from the movie. We also get to see Lenny Montana get ready to become Luca Brasi from The Godfather. We have heard that Coppola shot the scene where Luca Brasi practises his lines before meeting the don secretly, before putting it into the final edit, and we get proof for this. We get to see the enforcer to the Colombo family try to learn his lines as well. 

More details about the movie's making include the story of how an actual horse’s severed head was used in an iconic shot in the movie. The Offer confirms this, after production finds an actual horse head because Coppola was not impressed with any prop. It is said that Marlon Brando randomly picks up a stray cat from the streets before filming the opening scene of the movie, and this is also addressed in this episode, including how the cat’s purring would cause disturbance. It is funny how both Ruddy and Coppola come to agreement that neither of them wants to disagree with the great Brando. 

Behind the scenes of production, a team is trying to get Charlie Bluhdorn to fire Al Pacino and try to gain power over the movie’s production. They show some raw footage of Pacino and try to make the point that he just does not fit the role of Michael Corleone. Learning about this, Ruddy, Coppola and Robert Evans divide to shoot the diner shooting scene first. We get to see a worried and nervous Pacino approach Coppola to express his fears. Like the great director he is, Coppola tells the young actor to show his nervousness in the bathroom stall where he looks for the hidden gun, but to hide all that when he comes out. He points out that the don is born inside the bathroom stall and Al Pacino understands it all too well. While the don is born inside that stall, we understand that Al Pacino, the mercurial film actor, was also born in that stall and through that scene. We also get a subtle hint at Pacino’s method acting technique, pointed out by Evans.

With regards to the mafia, everything that was happening boils down, and we see Joe Colombo shot down in public. This happens right after Ruddy is invited to Colombo’s house for a nice dinner. As far as history goes, Colombo miraculously survives getting shot thrice, and does not die for a few more years to come. While the episode did end at Colombo dripping in blood, we will have to wait and see how this plays out in the mini series.

After a few episodes where relatively nothing really happens, the seventh episode breathes a certain life into the series. It has the power to draw in the viewers once again, who have wanted to see more about how The Godfather was made. This episode gives a ton of information from behind the scenes of the movie. It also gives us clarity over how Evans finds out about Ali MacGraw and Steve McQueen, while also showing us Ruddy finding another love interest. 

This episode comes as raindrops in the hot desert, and viewers can expect to see a lot more. While we will still get to see what is happening in the crime world, we could also see more about the film’s making and get more information about how everything unfolded. 

Verdict: The episode will work really well with viewers who want to see more about what happened during the film’s production. It was entertaining to watch Brando and Pacino at work. Episode seven also perhaps finds the perfect balance in showing us what happens between The Godfather and everything that is happening in the outside world.