Sunday, January 30, 2005

Godfather III - 1990

And to close out 1990, we have the end of a trilogy. I should clarify some things for this review. It's been many years since I last saw the Godfather. I've only seen part two in bits and pieces. It's difficult to judge this movie as a stand alone, but I kind of think a Best Picture nominee must be good enough on it's own or it doesn't deserve the nomination. The same thing applies to the LOTR movies. Return of the King's Oscar was clearly in honor of the whole trilogy, not just on it's own merits. So it was with this movie. It must have been honored more for it's epic feel than for any storytelling effort.
The Good Stuff:
Andy Garcia is very good as a young hothead, trying not to fall in love with his cousin.
The cinematography in Sicilly is gorgeous.
And so are the shots in the Vatican. I've always wanted a big room with enormous maps on the wall and now I know where to get one.
The Bad Stuff:
This is Al Pacino's worst haircut ever.
The storyline involving mob ties with the highest level of the papacy is shockingly weird.
The movie also tries to build to a climax of groups trying to kill each other. The only problem is that you don't have anyone to root for or against. Let 'em all kill each other and leave the rest of us alone.
Also the lush pacing. Great directors should still have editors. Maybe especially great directors.

One other note, Sofia Coppola was (famously) given a plum role for this movie. Nepotism obviously, and everything I've heard about this movie suggested that she was terrible. She wasn't great, but she was far from terrible. Should they have gotten a regular actress to play the part? Sure, but she didn't sink this movie. Putting a 90 minute movie into a 165 minute shell did.

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