Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Sofia Coppola
Have I Seen it Before: It just came out, so no... But then again, how different can it be from The Godfather, Part III (1990)?
Did I Like It: I approach this with the same uncertainty that I approached the multiple cuts of Apocalypse Now (1979), especially since the original films in both cases are ones I have certainly seen before, but don’t know as well as I do, say, the other Godfather films.
Do I rewatch the original cut first so I’m more aware of the contrast, or do I watch the film on its own?
I opted for the latter, and I think I’ve come to a conclusion that yes, this new cut is an improvement, but only in the ending.
That’s not dismissing the qualities of this new version. The ending of the original film was likely my biggest problem with the original film. The often flailing main story of the film concludes, and we cut to Michael Corleone (Pacino) as an old man, living in Sicily. And then he dies. Just tacked on there, completely divorced from the movie that preceded it.
In this new version, we do see Old Man Michael, but it cuts away before he dies, with a final title indicated that he would live for a while, and never be able to forget how he sold his soul and got the exact opposite of everything he wanted. It’s an even more tragic ending than what was offered, even if it means that the film is about many things, but the death of Michael Corleone is not one of them.
The rest of the film is ultimately just the same as its progenitor. The plot is fine, but Sofia Coppola—who would be the first to admit she had not ambition or desire to become an actor—is the weak link in the chain. The ultimate question becomes, do I recommend this new film? If you have never seen any version of the third Godfather film, then I would recommend this version over the original cut. If you are a fan of the series, then it’s worth a viewing, although now I have the movie twice on Blu Ray, when once would have done. If you’re familiar with the original, and interested to see how much the film has changed, I’ve done the hard work for you. Don’t buy the hype that the beginning is all that different—it isn’t. Just stop your Blu Ray of the original cut before Michael keels over, and you’ll get the idea.