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The Godfather Part III (1990)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 7/04, 7/05, 12/07, 12/12, 1/18, 2/25

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7/05: The Godfather Part III isn't as bad as the critics have made it out to be although it's still too long just like the previous two.

There are many great scenes such as the christening of Vincent as the next Don, the spat between him and Joey Zasa in Michael's study, the ballroom ambush at Atlantic City, and the assassination attempt on Michael Corleone's life.

As Michael Corleone's daughter, Sofia Coppola was heavily bashed, but I think she did fine. Al Pacino once again dominates and should've been given a special honorary Oscar for his overall work. Andy Garcia is perfect and captivating as Vincent Mancini who's a hybrid between Michael and Sonny Corleone.

All in all, The Godfather Part III is an underrated film that doesn't deserve the hate that it has received over the years.

12/07: I've read the reviews with nearly all of them blaming Sofia Coppola for turning The Godfather Part III into a total failure.

Guess what? She isn't the problem. Far from it. A lot of times, there are recycled subplots from the last two parts. Yet it has plenty of moments backed by outstanding cinematography and lavishly beautiful interior sets, being the reasons why I was able to put up with the running length of 170 minutes.

My favorite performance comes from Andy Garcia as Vincent Mancini. It's his finest hour in acting. Al Pacino plays himself more than Michael Corleone. His haircut looks ridiculous which breaks away from the tradition. He tries to reconcile with Kay Adams, but it's too late because they never had chemistry right from the outset. In fact, I hardly know who she is.

All in all, The Godfather Part III isn't as awful as people say, but it sums up all of the problems that have plagued the first two pictures.

12/12: It could've been worse.

Sofia Coppola's role almost went to Julia Roberts. Anyway, critics have unfairly bashed her for the failure of the film which seems like an excuse. Why the sequel failed is that they started to realize the glorification of the Mafia was a silly, stupid, and childish thing to do.

When Michael Corleone talked about how it had been for the family, he sounded like an idiot because it got rich at the expense of people's lives. By the time his daughter died, causing him to have an overdone cathartic moment, it's exactly how I felt which is relief that The Godfather trilogy is finally over. Andy Garcia is once again excellent and has a powerful scene when his character is christened as the Don. Gordon Willis' cinematography is still incredible as ever.

All in all, the disreputation of The Godfather Part III has been long undeserving.

1/18: Thankfully, this is the end of it.

After finishing The Godfather franchise, it's a good thing that they never made a fourth part, so there would be no further glorification of the Mafia. What an odd trip it has been in The Godfather Part III. Who the hell is Don Altobello? Where did he come from? Vincent Mancini, a bastardo, crashes the party, and all of a sudden, the entire Corleone empire is entrusted to him in a matter of weeks? Michael Corleone begs his ex-wife to reduce her dread of him, and why? She's just a stupid white American idiot. Connie takes the reins and gives orders to have people whacked. Where was she the whole time?

Michael Corleone lets out a long, silly-ass scream after his daughter is killed. Now, he can finally understand how other people felt. At the end, Michael finally dies and falls over from his chair (bad acting right there because I can see he broke his fall on purpose with his arm), indicating the end of sheer boredom in over nine hours of watching him play vague politics. To this day, I've never understood why Al Neri was selected as Michael Corleone's caporegime. On a side note, Richard Bright was killed in 2006 after being run over by a tour bus in New York City. Also, Vito Antuofermo, who plays Anthony "The Ant" Squigliaro, was a World Middleweight Champion in boxing during the 70's.

Many have dissed Sofia Coppola's performance. Once again, I think she did fine. Electrifying and charismatic, Andy Garcia gives the best performance of the show. I'm always motivated to watch the third part because of him.

All in all, I appreciate the acting, the storytelling, and the cinematography shown by the entire Godfather trilogy.

2/25: Vincent Mancini makes the biggest mistake of his life by becoming the next Godfather because he'll be part of the RICO roundup, which sent many to prison for a long time, resulting in the decimation of the Mafia.