The negative backlash heaped upon Godfather 3 could be traced to its deviance from the other two classics in the series, implementing a rigid moral message that punished the protagonist.
While Michael’s decision to murder Fredo was portrayed properly as gut wrenching, he is never really shown paying for his sins, aside from a haunting final shot merely suggesting at a harsh judgment to come. We, as the movie going public, often romanticize violence, celebrating fiction free from the constraints of common conscience. Coppola and Puzo crafted sinister Michael so perfectly his due fall became an insulting proposition, for some, anyway.
How could cold, calculating Michael end up totally alone? How could the Godfather be just another puppet, after all?
In GF 3, we see a human Michael, filled with remorse, besieged by regret, and ultimately ruined by his past. It was a dark story, the final chapter in a life led astray. Ultimately, the principal ideal manipulated by Michael to justify his actions is shattered, as he loses his daughter, who’d he walk through hell to protect.
The performance by Al Pacino on the opera house steps is perfect. His horrible scream is one of desperation. He subtly parts his hands behind his head, as if to say “no more”, a man defeated by destiny, cursed by the business he chose.
This movie is a masterpiece. It’s kind of sad that the most human “Godfather” is the most loathed.
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