The Godfather, Coda an Offer Best Refused

THE GODFATHER: PART III was one of the earliest examples of when it's time to walk away from a franchise rather than sully it with lesser sequels. Rebranding and re-releasing it the film under a new name (albeit the original name submitted by Francis Ford Coppola) of THE GODFATHER, CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE doesn't make the story any less soporific and plodding -- never mind that the title character, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), does not die in the film (spoiler alert). 

Michael Corleone is hoping to settle into the quiet life of a fully legitimate businessman. However, he's having a hard time convincing the rest of his family and associates to chill out on all the whacking each other. What's more, the don finds himself engaged in contracts with an entity far more insidious and ruthless than any mafioso he's ever encountered: the financial system of the Catholic Church! Between that and his daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) falling into a love affair with Michael's underling (and nephew -- her first cousin) Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), and the only thing that might end up killing Michael Corleone is a heart attack from stress or the diabetes he battles throughout the film.

This isn't to say there aren't scenes of action in them -- at least one, anyway. The shot where Joe Zasa (Joe Mantegna, CRIMINAL MINDS) gets revenge on the entire business (because he didn't get a bonus check) by shooting out the entire upper story of a skyscraper with an attack helicopter was an over-the-top moment one might expect from THE DARK KNIGHT. But for the rest of the movie, I was left confused, trying to follow the plot, trying to figure out why anybody wanted to still kill Michael, and trying to not go insane with all the Italian musical numbers that permeate the film from beginning to end.

Ultimately, THE GODFATHER, CODA is an offer I would have been better off refusing.