Not as brilliant as the first two films, but excellent nonetheless

Rating: 9/10 (24 May 2005)

The Godfather Part III was likely destined for failure for the simple fact that it had arguably the highest expectations to surpass. With the first two parts of the Godfather trilogy being defining moments in cinematic history, it would seem that anything less than perfection would ultimately doom this film in the public mind. As it would happen, this is exactly what came to pass.
The Godfather Part III received near universal praise for being the magnificent work it is. In fact, it went on to be nominated for seven Oscars including Best Director for Coppola and Best Picture. However, with it not equaling the previous critical success of Part I and II, it was uniformly dismissed as a "bad" film by the public. This is in fact unfortunate as Part III is so much better than most people give it credit for.
The only truly distracting element of this film would be the wooden performance of Sofia Coppola as Mary Corleone (a part originally offered to both Julia Roberts and Winona Ryder). Time of course has allowed film lovers the chance to forgive Sofia the actor as she has more than proved her value as a writer and director in her own right. But apart from this one fault, the remainder of the film's elements are above-par.
The Godfather Part III explores the wages of sin with great mastery and show that, aside from whatever appearance is given, we are all human and all suffer from our mistakes. Michael (Al Pacino) continues his quest to legitimize the family business with greater zeal, somewhat of an act of penitence for having ordered the execution of his own brother. However, it becomes more and more apparent that he simply cannot escape the darker nature of the life he has lived and is constantly dragged under the waves by his past actions. Things are further complicated by the fact that his children want nothing to do with the family business, while the actions of his extended family -- who have come to desire the darker nature of 'the family' -- only serve to undo the work Michael has done to clear his family name and his own conscience.
The transformation of Connie (Talia Shire) throughout this series comes to a perfect conclusion as we see the maternal instincts she hesitantly came to accept in Part II twist into a mothering of the darker side of the family's power and influence to violent conclusions. Andy Garcia's Supporting Actor Oscar nomination in playing the ever-volatile but brilliantly cunning Vincent is well earned and stands out as one of the best elements of the film overall. His ability to hold his own on screen with Pacino at all times speaks volumes to his talent and skill.
It is unfortunate that the Godfather Part III was unable to live up to the public expectations placed before it. But it remains a beautifully tragic finale to the Godfather saga that is still a must-see for all movie lovers.