As Al Pacino has said, "part III was a mistake".

Rating: Null/10 (10 May 2002)

Attention: if you have not seen the movie, do not read on. I don´t suppose I put spoilers in, but I might for this is such a classic.

I spent heavy bucks on the recent DVD box and I´m proud of it. But there´s no way to avoid noticing the gap between second and third parts. Not the time gap, because that was of course well taken care of by the brilliant producing and directing. The same cast is there, and with the great addition of 15 years. That makes Michael and Kay controversial, loveXhate relationship even more appealing and dramatic, for now they are mature and have all the wrinkles to prove.
But as Al Pacino said in a recent interview, the attempt for redemption doesn´t fit with Don Corleone. That is a fact. That may be a flaw in Mario Puzo´s story, but that is greatly expectable. As long as you have read "Omerttà" or "The Last Don" you do understand me: not all of his stories are as perfect as the Godfather.
Think of the cold stare Michael gave the Cop that punched him on part one just before and moments after killing him point blank. And also of the look in his face when he shows up unexpectedly at the house and finds Kay secretly visiting their children: he never says a word. Walks towards her, gets real close and, when she starts wondering "is this forgiving time?" he closes the door - we glance at the desperate look Diane Keaton throws at him for a second, but he doesn´t. To me this shot is specially revealing of how cold and stone hearted a Don has to be. The woman aborted his son on purpose. She is let to live, but to him she is dead.
And, as part three goes on, he befriends her again after what, fifteen years? Too human for a Don. Specially Michael, who got appointed by Vitto as the greatest Don ever. What about the scene beside the coffin? That is lame, and is the only part I don´t like in the whole series. Even Pacino did not pull that one off, and the extra disc on the DVD Edition shows it clearly: Coppola tries to guide him through the dialog and the sobbing. It just doesn´t work.
And on a final note, I stick with the majority regarding Sofia Coppola: she is terrible. The theater scene is the climax of the film and she could easily have made it flop. Still, as a director, she has proven herself worthy of the Coppola name. Good thing Nicholas Cage did not stick to it.