The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone

Not enough has been changed to turn around anyone who already dislikes it, but in cutting out 13 minutes of runtime, the director has excised many of the small moments that made it uniquely memorable in the first place.

Much is tailored to the needs of drama in "Godfather, Coda." But one cannot manufacture urgency in a film that lacks the kind of cosmic conflict of its two predecessors.

It's often gripping, sometimes masterful, and almost never betrays its history as the work of a wayward giant scrambling back toward respectability after a long decade lost in the wilderness.

The film's tautly controlled turbulence guides the eye to salient details, its clarified lines of dramatic tension calmly burst into images of an explosive yet nearly static intensity.

I almost don't see a point for Godfather Part III. You've ended the story so beautifully with Godfather Part II, why would you go back and continue it? The story doesn't come together like it did [for the original], but I will say he's improved it.

It does improve the pacing, but otherwise it's very much the same movie. I've always been a sucker for movies about men looking back at their lives full of regret and guilt, so this one very much did it for me. I really enjoyed it.

The descent of Michael to different hells. Each one more tragic. Each one more profound. [Full review in Spanish]

For all its flashy flaws, perhaps we should be grateful Coppola scrabbled so close to a legitimate last act.

I'm reminded of Robert Evans objecting to a shortened version of The Godfather that removed all its texture. "Where's the sauce, Francis?" he asked.

Coppola explores some interesting ideas, even if they dont all work out... but aside from a notable change in the final shot, there will be little to win over the haters.