Head Topics Ireland 25 February 2022
As The Godfather turns 50, it’s time to give the unfairly ridiculed Part III another chance

The Godfather: Part III, the poor relation of the franchise?
Godfather III has never been loved, but has perhaps been unfairly treated

I [author of the article - Source Independent.ie] watched it recently, for the hell of it, and for all its shark-jumping and papal assassinations, there are wonderful set pieces, deep moral undercurrents and some fine performances too.

The idea to make Michael Corleone’s guilt over the killing of his brother Fredo a central theme of the film was a good one, as were his efforts to gain redemption by splashing his cash in the Vatican.

It’s densely, even audaciously plotted, full of baroque references to the earlier films, and if it hadn’t had the word ‘Godfather’ in the title might have been better received.

It’s worth watching, if you never have, and Sofia Coppola is not at all as bad as some critics have suggested. But when it was rereleased in 2020, nobody went to see it

When Coppola rereleased it two years ago to mark its 30th anniversary, the reaction was very different. The director had renamed it The Godfather Coda included new edits, and cut it back to a relatively trim 158 minutes.

But all for naught, as commentators lined up to explain why they’d never particularly cared for the film in the first place. The plot was grandiose, the pacing funereal, Al Pacino’s ageing make-up ropey, and Sofia Coppola’s acting egregious.