Sixteen years had passed before Francis Ford Coppola made the third Godfather film, and his career had taken a beating in the interim. But although this one falls below the standard set by the first two, this installment feels right at home in the series. Years have passed since the events of the second film, and Michael Corleone is trying to conduct legitimate business. But the message of the film, and indeed the entire trilogy, is that it's tough if not impossible to leave a tainted past behind.

The story is weaker than in the first two films, and it's less lucidly told. The climactic events at the end, for example, bewilder when they should stun. But the acting and the atmosphere established here is every bit as rich.