Review of The Godfather Part III (1990) by Cody U — 05 Dec 2010

Well, as everyone who has seen The Godfather films well-knows, this final installment doesn't quite have the gravitas of the first two, but it isn't completely horrible. Seeing Al Pacino playing an aged Michael Corleone was kind of interesting, although it is a little hard to see the Michael Corleone from parts I and II growing into to Michael Corleone in this film.

This older Michael is missing his dark-side it would appear, thus making him just a light-hearted old man filled with regret and not as interesting a character. The addition of Andy Garcia as a hot-headed protege to Michael was decent, but he didn't necessarily bring the same dimension as the younger Michael in parts I and II.

He just seems to relish in the violence with no conscience. Robert Duvall is sorely missing here, and the film suffers for it. I think the main thing that makes this film pale in comparison to its counter-parts is the ending.

It just leaves you unsatisfied. Unlike in parts I and II, where the endings were pitch-perfect. All-in-all, I think it was nearly impossible for Francis Ford Coppola to make a third Godfather film that could stand up to the genius of the first two.

I think he, as a filmmaker, unfortunately lost his fire, as it were, in the '70s, and this film is just a testament to that. But, as my rating suggests, this is still a decent film. It just doesn't stand up to the first two.