excellent godfather movie, just in a different way

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2008)

I see that many people have posted comments admitting their dislike of this film, with the most common reason being the manner in which it derives from the former two. I too agree in part with this statement, for the story does differ in the way it is told, but I feel that this is for the better. In the previous two films, whilst fantastic in their storyline too, they were exactly that; a story being told to us, where we merely observe the series of events and part of the manipulation and thought process that goes into creating them. There is no deep emotional connection between audience and character, where sure, on occasion we may feel sorry for a character, but it is short lived, and in reality, we are not that deeply engaged, because our attention is stretched and focused upon the complexity of these events. The third Godfather admittedly strays from this; however I would argue that this is for the better, for that connection between character and audience is so much stronger, and if you are seriously watching it, you can do no more that empathise and feel for Michael, and the pain his life has caused to both him and the others around him. Yes, in part, the story is a little clichéd, and a little thinner, but this is not at the loss of the film, it merely changes the nature of the film, from one of action and thought, to one of an emotional exploration of the character of Michael Corleone. Furthermore, to the argument that it strays too far from the original two, overall, it does in fact fit in with the general story. It is a story about Michael's going legitimate, a goal that he has outlined and carried right from the earliest scenes of Connie's wedding, where he courts Kay. I ask, to close such a trilogy, where else should one go with the story? It needed closure, and this film achieves it.
I must further advocate the brilliance of the final scenes, in the montage of Michael's life, and death. I feel that these are the most powerful scenes of the entire trilogy, for they encapsulate the meaning of the story; 'that crime is wrong doesn't pay'. Although subtle in the first two films, it can be seen through the paradoxical transformation of Michael as a character, where he commits crime for good, not evil. His nobility in going into the criminal business, is maintained by his motivations, first in protecting his family, and secondly, in turning his family away from crime, into the legitimate world. In the final scenes of the third movie, the power shows where we can do nothing but feel for Michael, for he is a martyr. He does the right thing, in trying to protect and save his family, and yet, as shown in the montage, of his loss of Appolina, Kay, his daughter, his brothers, and nearly his father, crime, the one thing he has been forced into to do good, has cost him everything he has ever held dear to him. This price he has paid is further accentuated by his modest, sad and lonely death, where, despite being in Sicily, the country he loves, he is alone, and dies without any grandeur - which I guess in part is also symbolic of his character's nature; modest and quiet - I understand that this is somewhat open to interpretation, however, I myself, have not yet seen a scene or moment of such power and meaning in either of the two previous films, and I challenge those who argue that the third Godfather is a poor film compared to the other two, to find me a moment of such concentrated greatness and gravity, because not only do these final scenes encapsulate the entire meaning, motivation, and central idea of the Godfather trilogy, the clever writing of this scene also changes the entire contextual nature of this 9 hour journey, from one where we believe that we, as the audience are sitting in the present, watching the turn of events as they occur, to one where we realise that we were actually witnessing and privy to Michael's reminiscence, of his life, crime, what it has cost him, and subsequently the cruelty of the world before him. Again, I understand that this is somewhat opinion based, however, I feel that this shows the true value and power of the film, where it, in effect, despite being about 9 hours into the story, the scene actually changes the entire meaning of all that precedes it (i.e. both the Godfather part 1 and 2). To reiterate my point, I would argue that the third godfather is just as great if not greater than the former two, the only thing is that it is written differently, so that the greatness of it, is aimed at a more academic, and inquisitive audience, rather than the general populus, because lets face it, as fantastic as the movies are, the storyline of 1 and 2 is nothing overly spectacular; and it primarily gains its status as a 'modern classic' from the performances within it. This is because at least in my eyes, there is no underlying theme, or hidden message or motif; it is just a straightforward story, (and there is nothing wrong with that), but the third does have a little more of this intellectuality behind it, and so for the audiences that are, shall we say more accustomed to the simplistic structure, they find themselves unable to be stimulated by the subverted themes, thus I argue that the third Godfather is worth a 10, if not something very close to it, because it is an excellent Godfather movie, just in a different way.