After only seeing it once over 10 years ago when it first came out, I re-rented the Godfather Part III last night. I wanted to put my thoughts down and see what others think about this movie trilogy.
The Godfather: Brilliant.
A twisted version of the American dream and re-telling of a classic Greek tragedy about the fall of a good man who feels he cannot escape his destiny. Puzo’s potboiler novel is translated into a well-written, well-paced, masterfully shot film featuring bravura acting performances from the entire cast.
The Godfather Part II: Even better than the original.
Two complex stories, masterfully interwoven, that mirror each other and give incredible breadth and insight to each of the protagonists. Again, unbelievably well-written, paced, shot and great acting all around.
The Godfather Part III: A steaming cinematic turd.
The writing: Puzo and Coppola team up to produce a hackneyed story about Michael’s quest for forgiveness from his family and God while simultaneously vanquishing his American and Sicilian enemies and making a powerplay with the Vatican bank. Sheesh! The person who wrote the Ernest Goes to… movies could have come up with a better plot. Michael’s diabetic stroke and hospital stay palely mirroring Vito’s shooting and hospital time. Yuk.
The pacing: (A) Too fucking long and, (B) Who the fuck cares?
The cinematography: Bland. This was a film shot in NYC, Palermo and Rome and not a single shot remains in my memory. Oh, wait…there’s that over-the-top shot of the bishop falling toward camera down a round flight of stairs at the Vatican. After he’d already been shot TWICE by Neery. Who was able to just waltz right into the Vatican with a gun. Right.
The incredibly stupid scenes that just don’t fit: The helicopter bearing machine guns wipeout of the old dons in Atlantic City. Puh-leeze. Studio demanded some action shots, did they? Plus, Michael, Vincent, Neery and Don Altobello somehow manage to survive while everyone else is wiped out. You gotta be kidding me.
The bad acting. The really, really, really bad acting.
Andy Garcia: A guy who’s never going to remind anyone of Olivier, but usually capable - provided it’s a decent script. Apparently he was directed to channel the hot temper of Sonny by exploding at the END of every sentence as in, “(delivered in even tone)I say we should wipe him (delivered in a scream)OUT!!!”
Talia Shire: No wonder she’s never done anything besides the Godfather and Rocky series. If you don’t have a decent script, then she ain’t gonna save ya.
Pacino & Keaton: Despite Pacino’s “…they pull me back in!” scene being extensively parodied, his and Keaton’s performances aren’t necessarily that bad, they just don’t have anything to work with. These are two people whose love-hate relationship should be of epic proportions, but all they can seem to muster is bland weariness. And let’s not even talk about Pacino’s burr cut.
Sofia Coppola: 'Nuff said.
Okay, I’ve chewed up enough bandwidth here. If you’re a Godfather freak, share your thoughts!