Highs and Lows

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2019)

I enjoyed this movie the first time and every time I've watched it. There are some negatives, which I will get ride of first- Tom Hagen/Robert Duvall is missing, and George Hamilton is no Robert Duvall. Not greedy, but feeling underpaid, he chose to skip this one, and it hurts the finished product.And second- Sofia Coppola is awful.
That said- I loved Garcia as Sonny's son and the heir to the mafia throne. I liked Talia Shire's growth as a character into a true "Corleone". And I like how Michael Corleone's life of crime didn't end with a happy retirement. While I disagree with the cardinal's assessment (or at least, his blaming God) there are certainly consequences for actions, and Michael is certainly reaping his criminal harvest. It is dark and depressing, as his life of crime should be, and that is when he should seek redemption. But this shows that redemption isn't something you can earn, but is a gift from God. The scenery is beautiful, the interplays of the characters (minus Sofia) are well done, and though not up to the first 2 installments, very few movies are.