The first must-see film of the year.

Blistering performances.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

There are some generous reviewers on here who claim that if not compared to the two "Godfather" movies that came before, this movie is not so bad. Nothing could be further from the truth.Although the begining of the movie is promising, with Michael Corleone now a much older man with fully grown kids, the introduction of Vincent quickly brings the film downhill into a structureless plot full of nonsense conspiracies and assassinations, which unfortunately have very little connection to anything that made the first two "Godfather" movies great (and that's not even the main reason why it's bad).As mentioned by numerous reviewers--even by those who gave this a high score--the acting is truly horrendous. But it's not just Sofia Coppola. Even though her scenes really stand as some of the most amateurish, even Al Pacino isn't good in this. Take the scene where he's repenting for all of his murders in the first two movies. There's really no indication in this scene that the real Al Pacino is thinking about anything else except his paycheck. I didn't believe for a second that this was the real Michael Corleone feeling bad for killing his brother. What's even more horrific is that I couldn't even believe that this was an actor trying to play Michael Corleone. I had no idea what was going through Pacino's head when he was doing this movie.Coppola clearly needed the money, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to make a third 'Godfather.' I think the historical context on which this was based would have made for a very interesting Vatican movie outside of the "Godfather" timeline. Coppola probably could have released this film with the same title, "The Godfather: Part III," without Al Pacino, but then almost nobody would have went to see it.The only reason this gets three stars is because we at least get a small insight into what could have happened to Michael Corleone years after the events of the second movie. Unfortunately, when he does finally tip over as an old man and dies, it's figuratively not the first time we see his death.

I watched it completely for the first time today. Simply outstanding movie. High on emotions. It's sad some movie goers like to see the same thing every time and can't manage to see logical ending. It can't be nothing less than a 9 out of 10. I gave it a 10. Al Pacino is outstanding.

RELEASED IN 1990 and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, "The Godfather: Part III" stars Al Pacino as aging Mafia don Michael Corleone in 1979, who seeks to legitimize his work in New York and Italy and avow for his sins. He mentors his bastard nephew, Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), while trying to steer his teenage daughter, Mary, away from him (Sofia Coppola).MAIN CAST: Diane Keaton returns as Michael's ex-wife, Kay, while Talia Shire reprises the role of sister, Connie. Franc D'Ambrosio is on hand as Michael's son, Antonio, who wants to leave law school and become an opera singer. George Hamilton co-stars as B.J. Harrison, essentially taking the place of Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) as Michael's chief financial adviser and attorney. Eli Wallach plays an aged don and Joe Mantegna the gangster Michael put in charge of Little Italy after semi-retiring. Raf Vallone plays a dubious Cardinal and Bridget Fonda a fornicating reporter in a small role.Part III is on par with Part II in tone and quality, but I give this one the edge in overall entertainment value. Michael (Pacino) has much more human dimension here as opposed to his one-note grim depiction in Part II. His scenes confessing his sins to a priest in a Vatican City garden and, later, with Kay in Sicily are good examples. There are several other highlights amidst the drama, like the break-in scene at Vincent's abode, the Atlantic City massacre, the street festival hit, the entire closing opera sequence that juxtaposes the performances of the play with various violent attacks and the aftermath.Andy Garcia brings fresh blood and vitality to the trilogy in a pretty significant role, as does Sofia in a relatively small part. Winona Ryder was originally cast for the part, but she was too sick to perform and so Francis chose his daughter at the last minute and she's fine in the role. Does anyone seriously think Winona Ryder would have taken this peripheral part and done it any better? I heard all the ridiculous criticism over Sofia's performance before viewing the film and therefore kept waiting for a serious train wreck, but it never happened. She did a fine job for a side character who's an unseasoned, slightly self-conscious (i.e. wooden), flirty teen. To those sheeple who have joined the idiotic critical feeding frenzy: Shut the fudge up and get a life! The moral of the story rings loud and clear: Choosing the life of organized crime will result in a grim life of constant heartache and premature death all around you. Needless to say, Life's hard enough without taking that foolish route.Bottom line: This is a worthwhile crime drama with several highlights, but it doesn't rank up there with the first movie, which stands alone. If you're a fan of the first two films it's almost mandatory that you watch this one. It lacks the thrilling greatness of the first film, but it's about equal to the second, although I favor this one a little.THE FILM RUNS 2 hours & 42 minutes (or 2 hours 50 minutes, the longer version) and was shot in Sicily and numerous places on mainland Italy, including Vatican City; the New York City area; Atlantic City, NJ; and Lake Tahoe, California. WRITERS: Coppola & Mario Puzo.GRADE: B+

The Godfather Part III was a huge disappointment. The film has major flaws. The story is very convoluted. There is a comic vibe to some of the mafia names. Joey Zaza sounds like a stand-up. As for other problems.Kay becoming friendly with Michael was very stupid. Michael was a monster by the time "The Godfather II" was over. Connie becoming "Michael's Protector" and somewhat a low lever boss. Andy Garcia and Al Pacino are too over the top. I think the film could have been better had the film focused on Michael not trying to redeem himself but how everyone (Connie Kay and his Children) are doing everything they can to bring him to justice. The final scene if the film would have been Connie killing Michael. After all Michael had her husband and brother killed. Connie finally getting revenge would have been a much better angle to pursue. As for the casting of Sofia Coppola! She was so bad that she never recovered as an actress! She has gone on to write and direct films. However I have a feeling that the Oscar she won for Best Screenplay for "Lost in Translation" should have been given to her husband (at the time) Spike Jonze. The films she has made since "Lost" have been as good as her actingThe plot of this is Michael get roped into becoming the owner of the Vatican bank. Other mobsters are mad because they think they should be part owners as well. That's the story! And it takes 3 hours to get through it. Time not well spent. If you want never seen the film you can fast forward any scene Sophia is in (Beyond the opening party scene and the final 10 minutes) because they add nothing to the story. Her scenes will give you a headache.