(BTW, this is a review for both versions of the film i.e. Part Three and 'The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone'.)
When guys like me think about Francis Ford Coppola, you think the Godfather trilogy based on the book by Mario Puzo (who co-wrote all three screenplays for Coppola, appropriately). Most people love to praise the first two films for the original being the best film ever made and for Part Two for being the best sequel ever made as well as love to hate the finale, Part Three, for being such a poor sequel.
But is it really?
In my somewhat humble opinion, it is not.
When I first watched it on DVD back when I was a young teenager, true, I found it not as good as the first film and it was hard to follow the plot. Now it is 2022, and I am able to appreciate this film fully in both its forms.
PLOT SUMMARY: The film starts about ten years from the events of Part Two. Michael Corleone has become a respectable businessman back in New York, primarily helping run his family's foundation. At a lavish party to celebrate him receiving a major award from the Roman Catholic church, Michael reunites with the loyal yet illegitimate son of his older brother Santino: Vincent Mancini. As he personally educates young Vincent to be the potential new Don Corleone, Michael and his corporation attempt to make a big deal with the Roman Catholic Church's real estate company known as Immobiliare. Naturally, there are several forces opposed to Michael's attempt to take control of the Vatican company, but he steadily begins to uncover a conspiracy against him and is torn over taking direct action to protect himself and his family.
CAST REVIEW: Despite Robert Duvall, John Cazale, and James Caan not appearing, even in flashback form, this film's cast is quite impressive and gives other characters who were relegated to tertiary roles in the first two films finally time to shine like Al Neri, Calo, Connie Corleone, and Michael's now-adult kids.
Al Pacino does a great job, as usual, as an older and supposedly wiser Michael Corleone, who is trying to make amends with his family and friends, including Diane Keaton's Kay Adams. Speaking of whom, Diane Keaton gives a great performance also and the scenes with her and Michael in Sicily almost make you believe the two can reconcile.
I loved how Talia Shire had evolved from a spoiled rich kid to a much more competent, and quite frankly, ruthless character, in this film.
Vincent Mancini, the son of Lucy Mancini (the bridesmaid Sonny Corleone had an affair with in Part One), is played smoothly by a sexy Andy Garcia, whose character has inherited his father's temper but is able to control it better than Santino did. Garcia evokes imagery of Robert de Niro in Part Two's flashback storyline, basically acting as a Robin Hood-like mafioso who works hard to protect the various people of the neighborhood.
Eli Wallach's Don Oswaldo Altobello (who, interestingly, is Connie's godfather, but this is his first and only appearance in the whole trilogy), at first is portrayed as a slightly bumbling and shuffling character, but he soon reveals that he is quite a villain.
Sofia Coppola I actually loved as Mary Corleone and cannot find out any problems with her personally so I think she deserves more love for her performance. Her character is a little weird, since she is quite happy to have a physical relationship with her first cousin.
Franc D'Ambrosio as Anthony Corleone was a good performance. I enjoyed his operatic debut at the climax. If Francis had been able to make part IV of the Godfather, though, I bet there would have been some storylines with him and Vincent fighting for control of the family and maybe Anthony might have walked away as the new Don.
Joe Mantegna, who I really have only seen in the early episodes of Criminal Minds (which were good performances), shows how well he can play a slimey modern-day mafioso. If you know your Italian mob history, at least in terms of Cinematic Depictions, he's modeled after guys like Joe Gallo. His performance as Joey Zasa is pretty enjoyable.
George Hamilton, while he is able to command some scenes, is essentially a throwaway version of Tom Hagen as a background character. Kind of a bummer, since Robert Duvall's Tom Hagen has grown on me and I liked how one of the many screenplays would have had Hagen either working as an informant in the Corleone family or would have had him and Michael repairing their fractured relationship. I wouldn't have minded seeing that with Pacino and Duvall.
Other great minor performances include the Donal Donnelly as the sniveling Archbishop Gilday; Enzo Robutti as the sinister Licio Lucchesi; Al Martino returning as Johnny Fontane; Raf Vallone as the ill-fated Cardinal Lamberto (Loved him with the scene between him and Michael in Sicily); and Mario Donatone is brilliant as the master assassin known as Mosca.
STORY REVIEW: The focus is primarily on Michael Corleone's whole attempt to go legitimate. But the real hook is the whole the Vatican storyline, which heavily references the real-life event known as the 'Thirty-Day Pope Conspiracy' about John Paul the First's seemingly mysterious death. Also, much like Parts One and Two, there is a climatic sequence where simultaneous murders happen. However, I'd say it's much more well done than Part Two. With the whole opera sequence edited in with the deaths, it's pretty amazing, and almost holds a candle to the Baptism scene in Part One.
SCORE REVIEW: Some really great pieces all over and the whole Opera sequence is great. I don't know if it's a real opera or if it was made up for the movie, but it's great.
THE FINAL OPINION: It's a great film. You don't really need to watch both Part Three and The Death of Michael Corleone re-edit to enjoy the whole story, but if you have to choose, I'd take The Death of Michael Corleone re-edit, if only for the better picture.
Nine Stars out of Ten.
When guys like me think about Francis Ford Coppola, you think the Godfather trilogy based on the book by Mario Puzo (who co-wrote all three screenplays for Coppola, appropriately). Most people love to praise the first two films for the original being the best film ever made and for Part Two for being the best sequel ever made as well as love to hate the finale, Part Three, for being such a poor sequel.
But is it really?
In my somewhat humble opinion, it is not.
When I first watched it on DVD back when I was a young teenager, true, I found it not as good as the first film and it was hard to follow the plot. Now it is 2022, and I am able to appreciate this film fully in both its forms.
PLOT SUMMARY: The film starts about ten years from the events of Part Two. Michael Corleone has become a respectable businessman back in New York, primarily helping run his family's foundation. At a lavish party to celebrate him receiving a major award from the Roman Catholic church, Michael reunites with the loyal yet illegitimate son of his older brother Santino: Vincent Mancini. As he personally educates young Vincent to be the potential new Don Corleone, Michael and his corporation attempt to make a big deal with the Roman Catholic Church's real estate company known as Immobiliare. Naturally, there are several forces opposed to Michael's attempt to take control of the Vatican company, but he steadily begins to uncover a conspiracy against him and is torn over taking direct action to protect himself and his family.
CAST REVIEW: Despite Robert Duvall, John Cazale, and James Caan not appearing, even in flashback form, this film's cast is quite impressive and gives other characters who were relegated to tertiary roles in the first two films finally time to shine like Al Neri, Calo, Connie Corleone, and Michael's now-adult kids.
Al Pacino does a great job, as usual, as an older and supposedly wiser Michael Corleone, who is trying to make amends with his family and friends, including Diane Keaton's Kay Adams. Speaking of whom, Diane Keaton gives a great performance also and the scenes with her and Michael in Sicily almost make you believe the two can reconcile.
I loved how Talia Shire had evolved from a spoiled rich kid to a much more competent, and quite frankly, ruthless character, in this film.
Vincent Mancini, the son of Lucy Mancini (the bridesmaid Sonny Corleone had an affair with in Part One), is played smoothly by a sexy Andy Garcia, whose character has inherited his father's temper but is able to control it better than Santino did. Garcia evokes imagery of Robert de Niro in Part Two's flashback storyline, basically acting as a Robin Hood-like mafioso who works hard to protect the various people of the neighborhood.
Eli Wallach's Don Oswaldo Altobello (who, interestingly, is Connie's godfather, but this is his first and only appearance in the whole trilogy), at first is portrayed as a slightly bumbling and shuffling character, but he soon reveals that he is quite a villain.
Sofia Coppola I actually loved as Mary Corleone and cannot find out any problems with her personally so I think she deserves more love for her performance. Her character is a little weird, since she is quite happy to have a physical relationship with her first cousin.
Franc D'Ambrosio as Anthony Corleone was a good performance. I enjoyed his operatic debut at the climax. If Francis had been able to make part IV of the Godfather, though, I bet there would have been some storylines with him and Vincent fighting for control of the family and maybe Anthony might have walked away as the new Don.
Joe Mantegna, who I really have only seen in the early episodes of Criminal Minds (which were good performances), shows how well he can play a slimey modern-day mafioso. If you know your Italian mob history, at least in terms of Cinematic Depictions, he's modeled after guys like Joe Gallo. His performance as Joey Zasa is pretty enjoyable.
George Hamilton, while he is able to command some scenes, is essentially a throwaway version of Tom Hagen as a background character. Kind of a bummer, since Robert Duvall's Tom Hagen has grown on me and I liked how one of the many screenplays would have had Hagen either working as an informant in the Corleone family or would have had him and Michael repairing their fractured relationship. I wouldn't have minded seeing that with Pacino and Duvall.
Other great minor performances include the Donal Donnelly as the sniveling Archbishop Gilday; Enzo Robutti as the sinister Licio Lucchesi; Al Martino returning as Johnny Fontane; Raf Vallone as the ill-fated Cardinal Lamberto (Loved him with the scene between him and Michael in Sicily); and Mario Donatone is brilliant as the master assassin known as Mosca.
STORY REVIEW: The focus is primarily on Michael Corleone's whole attempt to go legitimate. But the real hook is the whole the Vatican storyline, which heavily references the real-life event known as the 'Thirty-Day Pope Conspiracy' about John Paul the First's seemingly mysterious death. Also, much like Parts One and Two, there is a climatic sequence where simultaneous murders happen. However, I'd say it's much more well done than Part Two. With the whole opera sequence edited in with the deaths, it's pretty amazing, and almost holds a candle to the Baptism scene in Part One.
SCORE REVIEW: Some really great pieces all over and the whole Opera sequence is great. I don't know if it's a real opera or if it was made up for the movie, but it's great.
THE FINAL OPINION: It's a great film. You don't really need to watch both Part Three and The Death of Michael Corleone re-edit to enjoy the whole story, but if you have to choose, I'd take The Death of Michael Corleone re-edit, if only for the better picture.
Nine Stars out of Ten.