Underrated, yet still lacking the force of its predecessors

Rating: 7/10 (23 February 2011)

I saw this film upon its release, and there was something missing. Throughout the years, I continued to watch The Godfather, Parts I and II relentlessly. Last week I saw the third installment again, and liked it better than before. It would be a masterpiece, if we didn't have to compare it to parts I and II.
What I realized is that the force of the original Godfather films came out of their understatement. You can hardly see a moment of excitement in Vito Andolini's face (Marlon Brando in the original Godfather). He plays it chillingly cool, and I think that's the secret ingredient. Al Pacino did the same in the first two parts, but the third installment got out of control somehow, and there is a lot of overacting. It's a pity, because the story is really good, but a tighter direction could have gone a long way further.
I still recommend The Godfather, Part III. It does work, with its music, with its emotions, with the final dagger in the evil heart of the beast we have loved for so long, for reasons unknown.