1990 - THE GODFATHER PART III, dipping into the well one more time.

 Is The Godfather Part III a good film?  The answer is yes.  Did The Godfather Part III need to be made? Probably not.  Paramount once again dipping into their Godfather franchise persuaded Francis Ford Coppola to write and direct another sequel to the original film.  Coppola's last two films, Gardens of Stone (which nobody remembers) and Tucker: The Man and his Dream had been box office flops.  The Godfather Part III was Coppola's run for cover film, something that would be guaranteed to make money.

The film is actually not bad, Michael Corleone who has now turned his family's organized crime business legitimate, has to face down one more challenge as he attempts to figure out who is trying to kill him and take over the Corleone family business.  The film has Al Pacino back as Michael, Diane Keaton as his ex wife Kaye (still a nothing part) and Talia Shire as Michael's sister Connie.

New to the cast were Andy Garcia as Vincent, illegitimate son of his deceased brother Sonny and Coppola's own daughter Sophia as Mary Corleone, Michael's daughter and Vincent's love interest.  There was a lot of criticism of Coppola for hiring his own daughter for a major role in the film.  She was an untrained performer.  But she has an interesting look and she does fairly well in a challenging role for the most part.

 

The Godfather Part III carefully follows the outlines of the first two films.  Some intimate family time, moments of violence, lots of scheming and subterfuge and once again a cathartic mass killing at the end of the film.

 

As in the first two films, Al Pacino, and this can't be emphasized enough, really holds this film together.  He has been essential to the series since the first film.  Coppola's skill in directing large scale crowd scenes and intimate family moments is still superior film making.  If you are a fan of the first two films you will probably enjoy this look into the snake pit that has become Corleone family.

The screenplay is by Coppola and Mario Puzo agian, the running time is 162 minutes.