Part III was not just great- it was necessary.

Rating: Null/10 (27 September 2004)

People really rip on The Godfather III, but I really thought it was an excellent movie. The ending was great. You have to think about it a while, but the lesson told by the story is profound and well stated. People say it wasn't a necessary part, but I think it was- we have to see how miserable Michael Corleone's life has become- his pursuit of money and greed got him misery and the worst kind of suffering and loneliness. He killed his own brother! It could be argued that he killed his own daughter too! Andy Garcia is excellent. We also realize that, essentially, Michael Corleone was a respected and feared coward. 'Vinnie' Mancini-Corleone, Vito Corleone, and Sonny Corleone could confront people. Michael had trouble with this. Vito rose to power on his own accord; Michael rose to power through inheritance and fueled by anger. He tells his understudy, Vinnie, never to hate his enemies, but this is exactly what Michael was guilty of- the major turning point in Michaels life came from hatred of his father's enemies.
Its fitting that Michael's greed should lead to the misery that is so profoundly communicated in the final see (collapsing dead as an old man) in The Godfather III. In a few seconds we learn the lesson: Greed and hatred can only lead to sorrow and loneliness. Alone in a chair, Michael collapses. We see that he lived the rest of his days (after his daughter's murder) wasting away in Italy, probably unable to gather himself and head back to the United States. We feel sorry for him, but when you think about it, this is the fate that he unwittingly chose. He dies a pathetic shadow of the powerful man that he once was. Despite all his former power and prestige, he dies alone- did he ever truly have any friends, or did he simply surround himself by loyal servants who feared him?