I like III as a stand-alone., but as previously opined, it is not in the same league as I and II. I still enjoy it, though.

I believe Michael's "It was not what I wanted" was more or less a "Not WHEN I wanted." I really do believe that he wanted Joey dead, but wanted to be the one that planned it out, and to do it in his own time. The plan that Vincent, Connie, and Neri contrived could have gone bad in so many ways; they got lucky that it didn't.