A perfect final for a perfect story. Totally underrated

Rating: 9/10 (10 February 2007)

I heard and read lots of comments about this movie and how it was awful compared to the first two of the trilogy. Many people seemed not to like it because it completely destroyed the line in which the first two moved. But that was until I saw it.
I didn't expect too much from it, because of all the things that people used to say. But as I was watching it I realised how wrong all those people were. This movie reflects the end of one of the most tragical stories ever told, it shows another vision from the main character, Michael Corleone, who is wonderfully performed by Al Pacino. His life has been all full of something he never wanted. But he carried on with it until the end because it was kind of his responsibility after his father and brother death. But in this film, He appears to really want redemption for all what he has done.
This is one of the things that people like the least from the Godfather III. And I can't understand it. Of course, it would have been easier for Francis Ford Coppola to film another movie with the remaining bad acts from Michael, full of violence and similar to the other two. But this movie gets into the mind of Michael, and shows his inner feelings, that have stayed there forever, ever since he killed his brother. It is one of the most powerful films ever psychologically speaking.
If The Godfather part III had been a continuation of the other two, the trilogy would have been open for more, and it wouldn't have been as perfect as it is, as the three are, all together.
And to talk about the performances, this may be one of the best performed movies ever. Al Pacino offers a masterwork in a grown up moment of his career, with solid speeches, and powerful acting full of emotion and expression, totally one of the best in his career. He amazed me in the final scenes, with the killing of his daughter, he really showed a Shakespearean dramatical performance. Awesome. And Diane Keaton gives the perfect answer to him as the unforgiving ex-wife of Michael Corleone, Kay. Then there is the young actors, such as Andy Garcia, in his early career, sums up with this movie the essence of the Corleone family in just one character, and Sofia Coppola acts really well too, despite all the people who say the opposite.
The story of this movie is so touching that it could make you cry, because it's about a person who has suffered a degeneration because of some external circumstances and after all his life, he apologises for everything, because he wants to die in peace.
Maybe it's not the best one of the trilogy, and maybe the two first were more impacting, specially for that time, and of course I think that The Godfather I or II is the best movie ever, but let's not think that's a good reason to say this isn't a great one too. It's the closing to the story of Michael Corleone.
So, to sum up, I can understand that it didn't won any Oscar and all that stuff, but no one should think this is a bad movie, cause it's a must-see for everyone interested and it's probably one of the most underrated films in history (obviously it had a hard work to do, due to the quality of the first ones). It's unthinkable from my point of view, to see the two first parts of the Godfather without seeing this one, just to complete them, as totally perfect as they are.