The Death of Michael Cordileone

Rating: 7/10 (11 May 2009)

I have an advantage here of watching the official restoration in 2008 by the director. He states in his comments that he wanted to title this film the death of Michael. It is more than that in the restoration. It is the tragic death of Michael Cordileone.
Acting in this is not outstanding with the exception of Copola's daughter and Michael's daughter, Mary. She steals the show from the other women in the cast even though she is not a professional actress. This isn't easy but she does it.
The film is over long at well over 3 hours and it does end with Michaels death which happens briefly in the end sequence. His end is not as well staged/framed or told as Brando was in the first film. In fact it is pitifully short of the rich details. The main problem with this film is besides being late, it really does not break any new ground in telling the story. This is a shame as this classic series deserves a better conclusion.
The restoration is visually very exciting. It is the story that is a strange vacuum.