All good things must come to an end. And so is the case with the third and final GODFATHER film, a perfect story that continues years, almost decades after the second film took place. I went into this one a virgin, unlike the first two, this is my first time watching this film. It is the weaker of the trilogy, but is still a very well made film that holds it’s own.
THE GODFATHER PART 3 starts with Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) now in his late sixties. He is more of a business man now, than a mob boss, but still has the Godfather status. He is tired of all the crime boss business and is ready to actually run a clean and legit business now and get out of the family business and the problems and blood that come with it. But that’s not going to happen just yet. Michael just received a top honor from the Catholic church for his contributions to helping the church though a foundation that his daughter Mary ( Sofia Coppola) is the head of. The foundation is named after his father and helps people in need though the church. Michaels sister Connie (Talia Shire) brings his nephew Vinnie (Andy Garcia) to him with a problem that he is having with Joey Zaza (Joe Mantegna), the man who was put in charge of the family when the Corleone’s left New York. Michael makes the both of them make up and thinks he’s taken care of the problem, however Joey tries to have Vinnie killed, so Michael steps in and brings his men back to service and brings Vinnie into the family business. Vinnie is Sonny’s son, and he has the same fiery attitude his father did before he was killed off in the first film. Meanwhile Michael’s son Anthony ( Franc D’Ambrosio) does not want to be a lawyer and brings his mother Kay (Diane Keaton) into to let Michael know that Anthony wants to be a singer instead. Michael is at first upset by it, but lets him go and try his hand at music. Meanwhile Michael is trying to buy a business from the Catholic Church who is trying to pay off it’s dept of over seven hundred million dollars. Michael makes a deal with the men who is in charge of the Vatican banking, where they will sell him the business upon the pope and Vatican’s approval. This all leads Michael to Sicily, where his son is soon has just been cast in a lead role of an opera. But within the church there are dirty players, and some of Michael’s enemies team up with them and want Michael dead. With very few people to trust, Michael gives Vinny the go ahead and try to find out who is behind everything. The film then gets into the mob and business side of the story once again, and rounds out the story of Michael Corleone and his family.
The script for GODFATHER PART 3 is once again very well written by Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola. It is well rounded out and ties up all the loose ends about Michael Corleone and his family. The new characters introduced in the film are very well written and developed and the story is once again top notch and does not miss a beat when it comes to living up to the first two films. I do however think that this film is a lot more slow paced than the first two films. But all in all, it is still a great film.
The acting as always is top notch, although there have been many complaints about some of the performances, especially that of Sofia Coppola who won two Razzie awards for her performance. I for one thought her performance was decent. It was nothing great but she didn’t deserve a worst actress of the year award for it. Speaking of awards THE GODFATHER PART 3 was nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1991and did not win in any of the categories that it was nominated in. However despite the fact that it did not capture the awards and praise of the first two films it was a film that had good acting and some great production value.
THE GODFATHER PART 3 DVD comes in the box set or can be bought separately. Your best bet is to buy the box set. All three films are part of the Coppola Restoration box set. It comes with all three films with the original directors commentary, and a two disc supplements DVD, which includes all the goodies related to the making of all three GODFATHER films. The supplements discs come with all the original behind the scenes footage, additional scenes, Filming locations, Corleone Family Tree, The music of THE GODFATHER, Historical timeline, profiles on the filmmakers as well as Photos and storyboards. The second disc. is full of all new features such as The world of THE GODFATHER, a featurette titled The Masterpiece that Almost Wasn’t; When Shooting Stopped, Emulsional Rescue Revealing THE GODFATHER, THE GODFATHER on the red Carpet, and four short films on THE GODFATHER. This is a must own set for not only fans of the GODFATHER Films but for aspiring filmmakers.
Overall, THE GODFATHER PART 3 is a well rounded film that wraps up the story of Michael Corleone and the whole GODFATHER trilogy. It has a very shocking ending, and one that makes us think about the decisions we make when it comes to our own greed and our own families. If your a fan of the GODFATHER or are a filmmaker or are a young curious cinema seeking out the greats, then you must buy the DVD box set. It is arguably one of the best trilogies if not the best of all time.
– Horror Bob
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