Audi's Godfather Ad Powerful, Stellar, Captivating

Created by Venables Bell & Partners, Audi's much talked about Godfather-themed R8 Super Bowl commercial (preview) is worthy of the discussion it has created. The ad, which marks the automaker's return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 20 years, features Alex Rocco's Godfather character Moe Green in the famous scene during which the Jack Wolz character wakes up to find the bloody head of his prized stud horse in bed with him.

In the commercial, which is every bit as hauntingly captivating as the movie itself, Rocco wakes up not with a horse head in the bed but with the front end of an early model luxury vehicle and a pool of motor oil. Audi tells us the commercial is meant to be an illustration of Audi's resurgent attack on typical luxury vehicles such as BMW and Mercedes bed. In other words, there's a new boss in town and it'd be best not to fuck with it.

You can view a lengthy though quality-challenged version of the ad here for now. Like W+K's Coke work, this, to, will be atop the lists of Super Bowl ads discussed come Monday morning.