A more personal "Godfather" movie

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2002)

As with "Star Wars - The Phantom Menace", this film took a lot of hits for not being a worthy successor to the original series, but in both cases I disagree. I'm certainly not going to argue that G-III is the best, but it is nonetheless a worthwhile film in its own right.
For starters, it is different from the first two, and not just because of the time difference. Just as the real life actors had aged nearly two decades since G-II, so does the setting of the film, which takes place in 1979. I think one aspect that hardcore fans really missed was the lack of a stellar supporting cast, it's interesting to note in both earlier films the large number of nominations for Best Supporting Actor & Actress Awards, whereas in this film the only nomination was Andy Garcia (who, incidentally, did not win). For the most part, this is Al Pacino's movie, and it is also the first time we really get to see him (or the rest of the Family, for that matter) as real human beings. In the first two films, the Family is almost like a machine  ruthless, ambitious, and able to crush anyone who gets in the way. Vito Corleone and his sons and lieutenants operate in a world of cold rationality, when the Godfather wants to put the squeeze on someone he `reasons' with them and if that fails to persuade he makes `an offer they can't refuse'. In the first film Mike decides to kill the Turk and the crooked cop because it's the logical, rational solution to the problem of protecting his father from a rival. Later, Mike has his brother-in-law, and later still, his actual brother, killed, all in the name of protecting the Family.
This film is quite different. The point where this hit me was about halfway through when Mike, back in Sicily, is making his confession to a priest. Initially, I thought, it's just a scam, he's only doing it to set someone up or get valuable information. That's what we'd expect of a Corleone, the sort of ruthless cynicism that allows you to manipulate anything, even a solemn religious ritual, for nefarious ends. But it's not that at all, Michael is genuinely remorseful for much of what he's done, most notably Fredo's murder. In another scene, he addresses the corpse of Don Tommasino (the guy who protected him when he was a fugitive in Sicily years earlier) and asks, `Why were you so loved, when I was so feared?' He's also trying to heal rifts with both his kids and his ex-wife. The whole tone of the movie is much more up to date. The women are much more prominent. Kay, his ex, still has feelings for Mike, but she's also managed to run her own life with the kids separate from him. This would have been unthinkable to a Mafia wife a generation earlier. And Connie, who in the original was little more than a whiny human punching bag for her husband, is now as cold and dangerous as her brother. In short, their lives are a far cry from that of Mama Corleone, whose job it was to shut up, take care of the kids, and keep food on the table for the boys. It must be noted, however, that none of the feminism or `touchy-feely' stuff gets in the way of some good old fashioned Corleone style violence, most notably at the end, when, in a move that is reminiscent of the end of G-1, Mike arranges to wrap up all the `loose ends' in the span of just a few hours.
Anyway, the plot is somewhat convoluted. There's a big business deal going between the Corleone family and the Vatican and of course the usual corruption and payoffs. Trying to keep track of the various characters and their machinations was difficult at times, but that's really not all that important. What this movie really is about is Michael Corleone having to finally come to terms with the life he's lead and what it's done to his family. It is less a story than a look at the personal side of both him and his family and, most importantly, what all the power, money, and `respect' has cost all of them.
8/10