Right now I'm onto the final part of the Godfather trilogy posts, as this post will of course be about The Godfather Part III, the final act in the story of the Corleone crime family, so let's have a look at it.
So starting with the obligatory lengthy plot summary (well OK I will try and not make this one too long!) the film start in 1979, with Michael (Al Pacino) now an older man, nearing 60 years old, who he is now trying to put his life of crime behind him. Michael having sold his interests in the casinos, he has also put his criminal investments in the hands of local New York enforcer, Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna), and in to make amends for evil past, he now gives help to charities. Michael is also made a commander of the order of St Sebastian, at a cathedral in New York, after which he holds a party inviting guests, and we see the similar format of the first two films were the Don has to deal with requests on the same day. Michael meets with his son, Anthony (Franc D'Ambrosio) who tells him he has quit law school to become a musician, and Michael objects, who wishes he would finish law school or work for the family business, but Anthony refuses. Kay (Diane Keaton) also attends the party, who by now is divorced from Michael, and she still resents him for his evil past, but she backs her son's choice to become an opera singer and musician and she warns Michael that Anthony knows about Fredo's death.
In the meantime, a young man named Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia) attends the party, who is the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone, and he has become involved in a row with Joey Zasa, who has involved the family in major drug trafficking and turned Little Italy into a slum. Connie (Talia Shire), Michael's sister organises a sit down with Vincent and Saza, however Vincent having inherited his father's hotheaded nature, refuses to make peace with Saza and instead bites his ear, when Saza insults him by calling him a bastard. Later that night, Vincent has a one night stand with a journalist (Bridget Fonda) who grate crashed the Corleone party, who while at Vincent's apartment, she is surprised by two men who break in (wearing tights over their faces) and hold a knife to her throat. Vincent however manages to overpower one of the men, and grabbing the man's gun, he shoots him in the head, and asks the other who sent them, the other man reveals it was Joey Saza, after which Vincent shoots him dead as well. At a meeting the next day with Michael, Vincent tells him what happened, but Michael is worried about Vincent's temper, but he is impressed by his nephew's loyalty so he agrees to take him under his wing and learn about the family business.
Michael also is to set in play his biggest business deal yet, as he has bought large stocks of International Immobliare, which is a large international real estate company, to become its largest single shareholder. He then makes an offer to take the Vatican's 25% shares so he can be given controlling interest in the company, but in order to do this the deal must be ratified through the Pope, who is gravely ill at this point. And to complicate things further, Don Altobello (Eli Wallach) an old friend of the Corleone family, and also Godfather to Connie, tells Michael that he and his old partners want in on the Immobliarie deal as well. Michael refuses however as he doesn't want any Mafia involvement in the deal, but he does set up a meeting with the other Mafia bosses and arranges to pay them off with sales from his Las Vegas holdings. However Michael gives nothing to Joey Saza, who storms out angrily, and not too long after, a helicopter arrives overhead, and gunfire riddles the room, killing most of the bosses, but Michael escapes the room, with help of his former capo and bodyguard, Al Neri (Richard Bright) and Vincent.
Once back at his New york penthouse, Michael insists that Joey Saza had nothing to do with the attack, even Vincent is furious wants to take out Saza. Michael however at this point under stress, suffers a diabetic stroke, and is sent to hospital, where he is joined by Kay, his son Anthony, and his daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola). But while Michael recovers in hospital, this allows Vincent to take care of Joey Saza, whom he ambushes while at a street festival, as his men gun down Saza's men and Vincent shoots Saza dead, while posing as a mounted police officer. On hearing word of the hit, Michael is furious at Vincent and Connie, who gave the go ahead for it to happen. Also at this time Vincent also starts a relationship with Michael's daughter, Mary, much to the dislike of Michael himself, who warns him to break off the relationship as he could put his daughter in jeopardy.
Some time later, Michael, Kay and his family travel to Sicily to see Anthony make his debut performance in a production of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. On the trip Michael also has some time alone with Kay, who becomes emotional and admits that she still loves him. However Don Altobello in the meanmtime, also has travelled to Sicily, and it is revealed that he was behind the attempted murder on Michael and the other bosses. Altobello also hires a local Sicilian assassin, Mosca (Mario Donatone) to kill Michael, on the night of his son's debut performance at the opera. Mosca on his travels also kills Don Tomassinno, Michael's old friend (who gave him refuge when he fled America back in the first Godfather film). On hearing this Vincent asks for Michael to give him the power to take over the Corleone family, to which Michael agrees as he feels he can no longer do it anymore. And at the night of the opera, this is where the whole chain of events unfolds in its bloody and, yes operatic climax.
While it certainly isn't in the same league as the first two films, the Godfather Part III still has a fair bit going for it, and the fact that so many of the original cast came back to the film also makes it worth watching alone. It is also interesting how Coppola decided to humanise Michael as a character, and as a man who repented for his sins, and no longer wanted to go back to his old life of crime, and instead busied himself with good acts of charity. And one of the main strengths of the film is how Michael is potrayed in a more human light, as a man who can laugh and smile and shows he can be playful (as seen where he pretends to be a chauffer to Kay in a limo, when they are in Sicily), unlike he was back in the first two films, where he was so serious and straight laced. And its also interesting how they shift the criminal focus from Michael now onto Connie, who acts like she is the Godfather (or Godmother really, in fact they should really have renamed it!) and the boss of the family, as she orders Vincent to make the hit on Joey Saza and kills off Don Altobello at the end (by poisoning him).
And as for the performances well there is alot of good stuff here, starting with Al Pacino as Michael, who is again great in the lead role. And as I said he succeds in bringing a bit more warmth and humanity to Michael, which was very much asbent from the first two films. He has quite a few highlights in the film, and one of his best moments is where he confides in a priest, when he's in Sicily about his sins and how he ordered the death of his brother, Fredo. And that is another theme that runs through the film, as we clearly see how much Michael regretted ordering the death of his brother, as it was a cardinal sin, and one he could never forgive himself for. Pacino also get's the film's most memorable line as he laments about his old life of crime coming back to haunt him "just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in!". Diane Keaton takes a front seat for a change in the film, as she features more prominently as Kay here, and she does an excellent job with her character, although I have to say she does get one of the cheesiest lines in the film where she says to Michael, "I don't hate you, I dread you". And her scene with Michael in Sicily where she confesses she still loves him is nicely played out. Talia Shire is also great again as Connie, and she also takes the front seat and becomes the substitute "Don" figure as she plots with Vincent to kill Joey Saza. And I like the scene where she meets with Michael after Vincent has been established as his enforcer and she says "Now they will fear you", and Michael replies "maybe they should fear you!".
Andy Garcia of course can't go without mention here and he is also very good as the suave by hot tempered Vincent, who takes control of the Corleone crime family by the end of the film. Although my favourite has to be where he confronts Saza at the start of the film in Michael's office, who insists he make peace with Saza, who mocks him for being a "bastardo", and Vincent bites his ear. And then there is Sofia Coppola, who was a very controversial choice for the part of Michael's daughter, Mary. And while I have to say that Sofia isn't the best actress in the world, she does well enough with her role, although in her last scene, where she is shot by the assassin Mosca, the way she falls down and says "Dad" doesn't quite work that well. But she does have a nice relationship and chemistry with Andy Garcia in the film, especially when they sit in the kitchen making food, and also she looks great in the moment where the break up. And finally Eli Wallach is good as the seemingly charming, yet sinister mob boss, Don Altobello, although it is fairly transparent that he is the bad guy.
Flaw wise though the film has a few, and it definitely is not as good as the first two films, and under the weight of expectations, after nearly 20 years it would be a bit much to ask that this film would exceed that expectations. And in trying make the film appear as epic and lengthy as the first two films, it falls flat in that regard, as Coppola pads the film out with some rather dull scenes, which could easily have been trimmed, such as when he meets with the Archbishop and the board of directors. There is also a kind of almost cringeworthy moment when we see Johnny Fontane come back into the film, 20 years later, as an older man at Michael's part at the start, but he's longer the young guy he was, and he doesn't have the same audience as he did. So when we see him sing to Connie, she is the only one being wooed, unlike the first film where he has screaming fans around him. It also messes up the timeline of the death of Pope John Paul I, who actually died I think in 1981, and not in 1980 when I think the film was based (although I could be wrong!). And the whole idea of the corruption in the church is less than interesting here, as the film's main strengths really lie in the trials and drama within the family.
However regardless of that though, Francis Ford Coppola overall does a fine job with Part III, and it was never an easy to task to try and follow up two of the greatest films ever made. And the film still has the same great photography from Gordon Willis, as he maintains the same tones from the first two films. And also worthy of note is of course the music score, this time by Carmine Coppola, as Nino Rota had passed away by this time. Coppola's score maintains the similar themes of the first two films and Rota's score, but Coppola introduces some excellent passages himself.
So that's it for the Godfather Part III, which is a solid end to the trilogy and while it wasn't the classic that we all hoped for, its still worth watching alone to see the original cast do their stuff.
So that wraps it up for the Godfather posts, it was fun doing them, and more will follow of another variety anon.
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