Flawed but compelling epilogue

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2006)

Let's get this straight: The Godfather: Part III is not as good as the first two outings, and wasn't really necessary. But then again, neither was Terminator 3, which can't match James Cameron's original cyborg opuses, yet people think it's a good film if considered necessary to know how the whole story ends. It's the same for the third Godfather chapter. On its own, apart from one flaw, it could be a great picture, but compared to its much superior predecessors, it's just an interesting conclusion of the epic Corleone saga.
Many years have passed since Part II, and Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is getting tired: he decides to hand over the business to his nephew, Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), put an end to all illegal activities he's had a hand in, and seek reconciliation with his wife (Diane Keaton), who still fears him for what the mafioso patriarch did to his own brother. In fact, Fredo's death, shown in flashback at the beginning of the film, is probably the main reason Michael wants to retire: he has realized what a terrible man absolute power has turned him into, and he doesn't that to happen to his children. Unfortunately, though, he still has enemies, and they're going to strike pretty hard, maybe through Vincent, who has inherited his dad's quick temper (remember Sonny Corleone?), or Michael's daughter, Mary (Sofia Coppola), whose friendship with the new boss is blossoming into a passionate, and incestuous, love affair...
While the first two Godfathers dealt with power and its effects on people, Part III's main theme is redemption, which is desperately sought for by the aging Michael, a man so repulsed by his own crimes he even confesses his evil deeds to a priest. Al Pacino still makes a believable Corleone, although I have to say I preferred the determined, ambitious, ruthless Michael from the '70s. Nevertheless, his performance is respectable, a thing I can't say of Sofia Coppola. With all due respect, she's an excellent writer and director (Lost in Translation is one of my favorite movies), but her acting is very bad, and you notice it even more when she shares the screen with the show-stealing Garcia, who's having the time of his life as the Don's nephew. He's terrific, but his performance alone can't fill the huge charisma hole left open by Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall and James Caan. Still, he and Pacino make the third chapter of Francis Ford Coppola's Mafia epic worth a look.
So, ultimately, I must say I've seen better franchise conclusions, but I've also seen much, much worse.