The Godfather
Part III should have been named The Fall of Michael Corleone, in my opinion,
because the movie focuses on Michael’s downfall—how he gained everything but
ultimately lost it all. While it’s a decent addition to the two classics that
came before it, it doesn’t deliver the same level of satisfaction.
Released 16
years after The
Godfather Part II (1974), this movie is widely known for starring Sofia
Coppola, whose father, Francis Ford Coppola, directed this film along with the
first two. Her performance was so memorably bad that it’s hard to ignore. The
good thing is, if you’re watching on DVD, you can just skip her
scenes—honestly, her presence and lines could have been cut, and the movie
would still work.
The film brings
back Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shire, reprising their roles as
Michael, Kay, and Connie. However, Robert Duvall declined to return due to a
salary dispute.
The story picks
up in 1979, about 20 years after Part
II, with Michael (Al Pacino) now older and preparing for retirement.
His children,
Anthony and Mary, grew up with Kay after she got custody following their
divorce. Tony, his son, wants nothing to do with the family business. This
leaves a gap in the Corleone legacy, forcing Michael to mentor his late brother
Sonny’s son, Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), for a role he would have preferred
to give Tony. Vincent, much like his father, is hot-tempered and reckless,
which leads to a conflict with Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna), who controls part of
the Corleone family’s business interests.
As Michael nears
the end of his reign, he trains Vincent to take over—but he isn’t prepared for
the tragic way his era as the Godfather comes to a close, leaving him alone and
with nothing.
The movie was a
commercial success but received mixed reviews. Unlike its predecessors, which
both won Best Picture and other major Academy Awards, Part III didn’t win any.
However, it did receive seven nominations, including Best Picture, Best
Director, Best Supporting Actor (Andy Garcia), and Best Cinematography.
Al Pacino
delivers a solid performance, but it doesn’t quite match the brilliance of his
work in The
Godfather (1972), where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, or Part
II (1974), where he earned a Best Actor nomination.
The Godfather trilogy is a great collection for any film lover. There were plans for a fourth installment focusing on Vincent Mancini’s reign as the new Godfather, but it never materialized.
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