Rent The Godfather Part III on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Talia Shire, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, Bridget Fonda, Sofia Coppola
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Michael Corleone, now in his 60s, seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire.
Verdict
The fact that Coppola refused to make a third movie until he needed money is a big indicator of what to expect. It doesn't help that this tries to make an unnecessary addition to two highly regarded movies; that alone is a lot to overcome. Bearing the Godfather name requires this to ascribe to a higher standard.
This feels like The Godfather in name only. Michael isn't the same character. This is '90s Pacino's take on the person when his characters were over the top. The movie wants to create plot lines for a successor and a love interest for his daughter, combining them into a first cousin romance. Instead of creating a meaningful sequel, it seems the writers opted for misguided fan service. For a completely unnecessary sequel, this frequently references the past movies. Without The Godfather name this still wouldn't be a good movie, but in this franchise it's an even greater blemish.
Skip it.
Review
Coppola refused the offer for a third film, but the financial failure of his 1982 musical fantasy One from the Heart (1981) led to Coppola accepting Paramount's long-standing offer to make the third movie.
The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is a re-edited version of Part III and not a different movie. Released in 2020 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Part III, Coppola oversaw the alterations featuring a different opening, story structure which alters the pacing, and some edited scenes which result in a shorter runtime. It's considered to be better than Part III.
Before this movie even begins, Part II concluded Michael's (Al Pacino) story. He gained dominance but lost his family. This is a soft reboot by default to add to his story. Every movie starts with a celebration, and in this one Michael gets an award from the church for his generous giving. After the ceremony the Don conducts business in his office. Vincent (Andy Garcia) wars with one of Michael's captains Zasa. Vincent is impulsive, rough around the edges. He's a young upstart, even attacking Zasa in front of Michael. Later Zasa stages an attack on Michael. That's the underpinning to the plot of the entire movie.
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| Al Pacino plays Michael Corleone |
Michael wants to sell shares of his casinos so he can buy shares from the Vatican in a real estate company. He may finally take the family legitimate.
This lacks the subtlety of the previous movies. Kay (Diane Keaton) tells Michael she knows about Fredo. She's never been that direct with him. Maybe things have changed over time, but it's quite the leap without a bridge. Mary (Sofia Coppola) later asks Vincent if her dad killed Fredo. This is the movie's way to reminding us of Michael's sins despite how he appears in this movie.
In another scene Michael has brought all of the crime families together. They're sitting around a conference table when a helicopter descends outside the window and shoots up the room. That seems like 90s action bloat. Zasa may be the culprit, but the act itself is blatant. While Michael disrespects Zasa during the meeting, Zasa would have had to plan the attack prior to that. Somehow Zasa, Michael, and Vincent are the only ones that make it out alive. It's quite convenient for our main characters.
Then there's the romance between Mary and Vincent... who are first cousins. None of the characters seem that alarmed. Michael's against it, calling her out for dating her cousin but he doesn't stop it. She runs away like she's twelve right into the arms of her cousin. Sonny's kid is a nice pull, and I get that. Mary doesn't even need to be in this movie, much less a love interest. The story wants a family member to take over and shoehorn a romance too. For whatever inexplicable reason this doesn't want to separate the two.
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| Sofia Coppola, Andy Garcia play Mary Corleone, Vincent Mancini |
Vincent carries out an execution on Al Neri and Connie's order, but are they really the ones in charge when Michael is incapacitated? When did Connie step into a power seat? She's always been a liability, spoiled, and dependent on Michael to fund her free wheeling lifestyle. While characters can change, this movie does nothing to insinuate she, or any of the characters, have changed.
Half way in this is adequate, not great. The problem is that it's a sequel to two of the greatest films in the medium. Even Coppola had enough sense to avoid a follow up until he needed a paycheck. That's all you really need to know about this movie. It's uninspiring. Michael is still trying to go legit. Bringing up plot points from the first movie is dangerous. Why remind me of a better movie? I always assumed Michael never told anyone about Apollonia. He was always so private. In this Mary looks at photos of Apollonia longingly. It's strange she doesn't have some resentment to the woman that represents a betrayal to her mom.
Michael in Part III doesn't seem like the same character in previous films. He goes on a Sicily tour with Kay, a woman that doesn't like him, and they have a long talk. She should be shocked, he probably says more to her in this movie than he did their entire marriage in the franchise on and off screen. While it could be Michael becoming nostalgic in his old age, how does he overcome Kay's abortion in Part II? He perceived it as a grave offense, and now he doesn't mind. I just don't buy it. Both should be more conflicted, but instead they're reconciling. Michael even in this movie is vindictive. How can he forgive Kay's betrayal? It just doesn't match. I can get the regret and some of the nostalgia, but it feels like fan service. There's no connection to Michael of the previous movies, and this needs some kind of link if it's going to pivot a main character. One scene where we see he's still got it or can still muster that icy stare would help. While Michael is different, even frail in a couple of scenes and a lot of time has passed, he might as well be a different character. Coppola is giving fans a misguided story he thinks they want instead of digging deep to create a meaningful addition to the series, by fundamentally changing characters. That's the root of the problem. This is The Godfather in name only. It feels like 90s Pacino playing Michael when Pacino's characters in the decade had an over the top quality, most notable in Scent of a Woman. This interpretation of Michael slides into that a bit too easily. To write off Michael as having changed as he's aged is too convenient of an excuse.
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