Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Talia Shire

This review is part of the feature:

The 33 Gangster Films You Can’t Refuse

16 years after the outstanding second installment, director Francis Ford Coppola completed the series with this memorable, though not flawless film.

Part III was not nearly as well received as the first two movies. While it is true that Coppola slipped up once with the casting of his daughter Sofia in the crucial role of Michael’s daughter Mary Corleone, there is still no mistake about it: This is a Godfather movie. And it has plenty going for it.

The main focus of the film is on Michael trying to come to grips with his past, and finding some absolution before fate deals him one final blow. Coppola wanted to call it The Death of Michael Corleone, but the commercially thinking studio wouldn’t let him.

In 2020 they made it up to him and Coppola got to release a slightly altered version of the film called Mario Puzu’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. It is a slightly better version with a more suitable beginning and ending.

Michael is off even worse in this cut that, according to Coppola, is closer to the original vision he and Puzo had for the ending.

Whatever version you pick, it definitely feels like the conclusion of the Corleone family saga. After the dramatic and powerful final act at the Opera House, there can be no doubt about it.