Despite the horrific miscasting of Mary the movie is as chilling as it's predecessors.

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2007)

The Godfather films were all morality tales but this chapter is by far the one rooted most in Michael Corleone's perception of good and evil. The Godfather III is more of a psychological thriller than the previous chapters. The story here isn't the Corleones fighting another gang to expand their criminal empire, It's Michael Corleone versus himself. Al Pacino is a master and he delivers a really underrated performance here. This Michael is a tragic character, a man who has felt his sins weigh him down throughout the years and he seeks redemption. Puzo and Coppola put together a brilliant screenplay. It's actually really clever that they tied corruption in the vatican with the mafia. And showing the Church the organization which should be the centerpiece of morality and ethics deal with the evil Mafia is brilliant satire on what the definition of being a good person is.
Andy Garcia is brilliant as Vincent Mancini, the bastard son of Sonny. The Godfather movies have great characters and Mancini is overlooked when compared to the colorful cast of characters from the previous chapters. Mancini like his father is violent and impulsive but when he is teamed with Michael he learns the lessons of deception Michael used to become the man who all most out shined his father.
I all most think Godfather III would have gotten the Best Picture Oscar hadn't Sofia Coppola been cast in it. She's ugly as sin and she reads dialouge like a first time actor. The scenes between her and the great cast are like putting Da Vinci next to a paint by numbers kit. Every cast member in III is excellent except for her. She takes away the fourth star from this movie for me. Winona Ryder wouldn't have been much better but she could at least hold her head above water with Pacino.