Movie: Godfather III (1990)

Movie: Godfather III
Original Release Date: 1990
Release Date on DVD: 5/24/2005
My review of this movie is two sided. Looked upon as a single entity, this is a great movie.
Al Pacino pays the aging Mafia Don, looking to give up his criminal ways, Sophia Coppola plays his daughter, Andy Garcia plays Vinny, his brother's son born out of wedlock and wanting to be his protege. The don's son , who knows about his uncle's murder is the handywork of his father, vows never to take up the latter's line of work.

The movie has great crowd scenes, great visuals of Sicily, an absolutely spectacular opera and ends in the style of a Greek tragedy. Al Pachino plays the part of Michael Corleone with finese, Andy Garcia plays his trigger happy nephew Vinny and there is Eli Wallach, Diane Keaton and Talia Shire. Only Sophia Coppola stood out as a sore thumb. Apparently the Godfather saga is something very dear to her dad and movie's director Francis Ford Coppola, that he decided to cast her as Michael's daughter. On the whole this was a good movie. Finally on Sophia, thank God she's taken to directing. The dialogs in this movie are crisp and well written, just as they were in its predecessors.

Now, if we look at it as the finishing touch in the Godfather series, it clearly lacked a purpose. The story had come to an end when Michael took over from Vito Corleone. Besides it came two decades after Godfather II, a long time gap between a movie and its sequel. Coppola had to remind us of this family and its characters. Though it was good, it pales in comparison from the other two that featured Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro ans James Cann besides Al Pachino.
Still worth watching.

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Movie:The Untouchables(1987)

This movie is easily Brian De Palma best directorial work to date. He is also aided by a stellar cast which includes(Some trivia):

Kevin Costner: Oscar nominated for best actor in Dances with Wolves(I am only looking for acting awards. I know he won two other Oscars for that movie)
Sean Connery who would win an Oscar for this very movie, Untouchables.
Andy Garcia, Oscar nominated for Godfather III
and of course Robert De Niro who has two Oscars and 4 nominations

The movie features a strong minded Federal Agent Eliot Ness(Costner), taking on the ruthless AlCapone(brilliantly played by De Niro). Helping Ness are a skilled sharpshooter(Garcia) and a veteran cop(an Oscar winning role by Connery.) De Niro as Capone is terrfic. He is on screen for only about 15 minutes in the whole movie but delivers an amazing impact.

One of the best action scenes ever filmed is a shootout between the Untouchables and the bad guys on the steps of Chicago's Grand Central Station. Yes. I know that De Palma stole the scene from a Russian film, Battleship Potemkin.

The original scene from the Russian classic lasted a minute. De Palma's gunfight lasts about 10 minutes and ends in a 'kickass' end.
This movie is a must see.

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