The Godfather Part III

One of the greatest joys of  "catching up" with my Retro Reviews has been experiencing Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy for the first time. 

For those that need a reminder, I found Part I to be an absolute classic; full of iconic scenes, characters, deaths, and dialogue. It was dripping with some of the best of American cinema. 

Part II I found highly enjoyable and give it high marks for further forwarding the story and doing some "world building". Though I felt it was too ambitious and overly long. It slogged here and there where its predecessor made something of each and every scene. 

Interestingly, I feel like that goes against what most people's opinions of the trilogy are. Many hold Part II highest, followed closely by Part I, then a few pegs down is Part III. Even with this knowledge entering Part III, I was still excited to see the conclusion of it all and round out a story that I had now become invested in. 

Against "popular" opinion, I actually ended up adoring this final installment and think it features some of the strongest content of the entire trilogy. It rounds out our Corleone Family story in a logical fashion, but also one that is Shakespearean in its approach. 

The basic premise of the plot is one where Michael Corleone, aged considerably since the last time we've seen him, has really filled the gap left behind by Don Corleone in Part I. But he wants something more for his life and his business dealings. He wants to legitimize his operations in an effort of atonement. As we all know with any film where a character is trying to "get out" of a shady criminal underworld, it's never that easy and Godfather Part III is no different. I found the clash of these two sides of Michael Corleone to be highly intriguing and interesting to watch. On one hand, he's prepping his nephew for some of the family's less "legit" business propositions, while also working with the church (and others) to create something of actual, recognizable worth to society as a whole. Given the tragic events of Godfather Part II, you can tell that Michael has spent the last many years attempting to repent in grief, while also successfully elevating the family and raising new members of it. I obviously don't want to spoil anything, but it does play a bit like a "reunion" episode where Michael's interactions with Kay are painful and his new ones with Vincent (Garcia) and Mary (Coppola) are watchable because we haven't often seen the mentor side of Michael yet.

Don't mind the...ahem..."ketchup" on the mirror behind him

"Hey gurllll, you the director's daughter?"

The story is satisfying in a way that most trilogies are not -- or at least it was to me. As I stated, this doesn't seem so much like a cash grab as it was an attempt to bring a story full circle on a main character and his family. Obviously, that ending is tragic (don't worry I'll remain spoiler free), but it does fit with what this entire franchise has delivered before. In its heartbreak, it's also somewhat fulfilling an event that Michael deserves to experience (and the Corleone family as a whole for that matter) after all the violence and death they have wrought themselves.

Performances are largely great across the board with Pacino and Garcia being the standouts. Pacino seems to know this will be his last time as Michael Corleone and there's a sense of gravitas and belief that was present in his earlier performances, but more matured here. Similarly, Garcia feels like the "Michael" of the future: ambitious, suffering from a lack of hubris, but also compelling. From what I can tell, Sophia Coppola's performance is often criticized, but I sincerely didn't have much of a problem with it. Is she the world's best actress? No, certainly not. But I also thought it was highly interesting, if not a little provocative, to have the director's daughter play such a critical aspect in the film and I think she more than looks the part. You'll find no complaints about her from me. 

Across the film as a whole, there are lots of memorable scenes woven in and out, though not nearly the frame-for-frame classic as the first film. As the film was shot a fair amount of time later, it's clear that technology has advanced and the movie looks better. From a technical perspective, it's still a powerhouse (for the time) too with powerful cinematography, generally great editing, and another awesome original score. The final scene at the opera is a tense one and, despite a few editing issues, had me on the edge of my seat. It plays a few tricks on the viewer but at the end of it all, results in a scene that I won't soon forget and I'm guessing has stood the test of time in cinema. And there are a handful of those throughout.

When did Michael's hair look like it came out of a boy band?

Part of me wonders if the universal views of the third film are something that are a product of their era? Maybe people weren't wanting a Godfather sequel in the early 90s or maybe it wasn't as violent of a film as they wanted? Clearly, it's still a revered movie in an iconic franchise, but as an amateur critic who just watched all three in somewhat close succession, I was more than happy with this follow up not only for the film it was alone, but for how it speaks to the rest of the trilogy. Either way you look at it, the entirety of the Godfather trilogy is so phenomenal, that discussions of which one is "best" or "worst" really comes down to splitting hairs. 

Like I began my review, it truly has been a pleasure reviewing this Godfather series and experiencing it for the first time. I can now see why it's been so important in the history of cinema.

CONS

• Normally Diane Keaton being Diane Keaton is a good thing, but she feels somewhat out of place here, despite having been a character in this world before. Maybe just me?
• Some editing issues here and there and this third film is probably a little longer than it needs to be
• The cousin romance took me a while to come around to/believe

PROS

• Strong performances across the board. Pacino gives another awesome turn in his career's best role and Garcia reminds us of a young Pacino. Oh, and Coppola does fine
• Feels like a very natural extension of the story and evolution of Michal and the Corleone family. I was very intrigued in his quest to become a legitimate business man while also being involved with the less-than-savory aspects of the career that brought him so much power and wealth in the first place
• Has a very Shakespearean vibe to it. The ending only reaffirms that, but feels like an appropriate ending to everything that has happened in this series
• Still technically amazing. Cinematography and original score are the highlights for me
• Memorable, iconic scenes throughout that are great as an individual film, but also speak back to what has happened before
• Wraps up one of the best trilogies ever in an engrossing, albeit tragic way

Retro Rath's Review Score | 9.5/10