Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

"The Godfather Trilogy" is possibly the greatest trilogy of films ever made. The sweeping themes of family, the American Dream, redemption, loyalty, and honor are wrapped up inside an amazingly compelling story of the Corleone crime family, highlighted by possibly the greatest cast ever assembled. The first two are regarded as the tops of film, both Best Picture winners and showing no signs of losing prestige due to age.

And so the reputation bestowed on their later third installment has always troubled me. Released in Christmas 1990 the reviews were mixed, and the film, though successful, was not the runaway blockbuster many hoped. While nominated in many categories at awards shows, the film went home empty handed at both the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Much less information is available about it in film books and internet sites, and the general feeling seems to be that it was a disappointment. This could not be farther from the truth.

"The Godfather Part III" suffers from extremely high expectations, and the fact that it doesn't give the viewer more of the same that they expect. It is an imminently fitting end to the trilogy, one that matches and at times surpasses the dramatic power of the first two.

The plot starts in 1978, as Michael Corleone (Pacino) is being given an honor by the Catholic Church for good deeds. The large donation given to the church later, of course, doesn't factor in at all. But the Corleone family is now completely legitimate. The territory that they once ruled is now being run by Joey Zsa Zsa (Joe Montegna), a slimy hood. Michael's son Anthony wants to be an opera singer, but his daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) is adoring and loyal. At a reception after the award we meet all the key players, most notably Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), Sonny's illegitimate son and Michael's nephew. He's a magnetic presence, full of swagger and confidence, but hotheaded like his father.

The film ties very cleverly together the real life events of the time involving the Vatican and the new Pope, as well as corruption within the Vatican bank. Like an Italian Forest Gump, Michael and the family are right in the middle of it. The deal is this- Michael will bail out the Vatican by paying off their debt, and in return he will gain their controlling share in Immobiliare, multi-billion dollar real estate company that would make the family eternally rich and wipe away their past history.

The film twists and turns, and is very confusing at times, which may account for some of the negative reaction. After all, people would rather criticize a film as being "convoluted" than to admit that they simply didn't understand it all. But everything weaves together in a fascinating and intriguing mix of family power plays and religious fate.

The film is played on a much grander scale than the previous films. Some have found this to be a criticism, rather than see it as the conscious artistic decision that it is. Thusly, dialogue is more tragic and lofty than before, sounding more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a gritty mob drama. The action fits a framework of an Italian opera tragedy, so all of the film's big ups and downs are played with a seriousness and dramatic punch greater than one might expect. Characters are more grand and broadly drawn, such as the conspiring and more formidable Connie Corleone (Talia Shire) or the malicious drug-dealing hood Joey Zsa Zsa. Indeed, the bulk of the action involves Pacino's elderly Michael, and Garcia's brilliantly played Vincent.

Indeed, Pacino is great again as Michael. Coppola and co-writer Pario Puzo wisely didn't ignore the events of the previous films, which is why Michael is still brooding and tortured by the fact that he is feared whereas his father was loved. Why is he considered so evil when all he tried to do was preserve his family? Yet Michael is coming to realize with age that he overcompensated, that he let his ambition and stonefaced professionalism erase his humanity, most obviously in the murder of his brother Fredo. The way this past event lingers over everything puts a tension in the air that is really well done. Mary asks Vincent apprehensively "Is it true what they say? Did he kill his own brother?" Kay tells Michael that his son wants nothing to do with him because "He knows about Fredo". Yet Connie is unaware, telling Michael that they all took it hard when Fredo "died in that boating accident". In one of the film's greatest moments, Michael confesses to the future Pope, breaking down in tears in one of the first moments of emotion that he had shown to us since his father's wounds in "The Godfather". The priest tells him "You're sins are terrible, it is just that you suffer."

One of the biggest faults put on the film is the casting of Coppola's daughter Sofia as Mary Corleone. A completely inexperienced actress, she has to play opposite the best in the world, like a high school standout playing basketball with the Dream Team. Many attacks were made against her, as though this casting undercut the credibility of the picture. However, that is not the case. The attacks have more relevance against Coppola himself, but they hurt the film very little. True, she is not a very commanding presence, but she is adequate. In a recent biography, Coppola admits that his first choice was Julia Roberts (who was unavailable both times) and then Winona Ryder who dropped out due to exhaustion. Many on the set speculated though that had a replacement in Sofia not been found quickly, the production might have been doomed due to Coppola's rocky psyche and the pressures from the studio. In the end, the choice is not the greatest, but it doesn't detract from the film.

And its because of the two stars of the film, Pacino and Garcia. It's hard to believe now that Al Pacino still looked like a young man back in 1990 when the film was made. Because with make-up and very technical details, this Pacino looks like the Pacino of today, ten years later. He plays Michael perfectly, and the final two minutes are some of the most heart-wrenching and amazing scenes of his career.

Yet its Garcia who completely shocks and amazes as Vincent Mancini. Many competed for the coveted role such as Val Kilmer, Vincent Spano, Alec Baldwin, Billy Zane, Charlie Sheen, and even Robert Deniro. Yet now, one would be hard pressed to envision anyone else in the role. His Vincent is a crazy mix of lethal and charming. He has the demeanor here of someone who could happily kill a man, or play with your kids when you need a babysitter. That mix makes for a very likeable and compelling character. His complicated relationship with Mary, and his uneasy place within the Corleone family is a wonderful balance.

In one subtle scene, Michael steps out of the family picture to grab Vincent so that he too can be in the picture, similar to what he did with Kay in the first film. To Michael, its a way of pulling someone into his world, and the look of joy and surprise is wonderfully done by Garcia. In another, he picks up a weakened Michael and puts him to bed, in another he shaves him. The way the two bounce off one another is great to see, like Michael is teaching the son he never had. But the greatest scene of all comes at the end as Michael passes the torch of leadership to Vincent when the time comes for more bloodshed "because I can't do it anymore". Vincent says "I want to preserve the family". The catch? He must stop seeing his cousin Mary, which he tearily accepts as he becomes Vincenzo Corleone, and reminiscent of the first film, he sits as Al Neri kisses his hand and the door closes, only this time, on Michael.

The film is beautiful to watch. It has the warmth of, as Coppola called it, "the biggest home movie ever". The intrigue and plot is well done and well-written, though the character action is thankfully in the foreground. Michael must pay for his sins, and that dread and waiting all through the film, and the theme of retribution and redemption is perfectly done. The film is a different monster than the first two, yet no less extraordinary. It is a fitting and wonderful conclusion to the greatest trilogy ever made.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older