Godfather, Part III, The

By now it probably seems redundant to say so — after all, every national publication that covers movies has already said it: "The Godfather, Part III" is a good but not a great movie. Though certainly one of 1990's better films, it is seriously flawed and doesn't hold a candle to the two earlier "Godfather" movies, considered in most critical corners to be among the best, if not the best, films of the 1970s.

Still, Francis Ford Coppola, who again directed and co-scripted with Mario Puzo, has wrapped up the "Godfather" trilogy with a respectable, occasionally remarkable film that captures the texture and look, if not the heart and power, of the earlier films.

That alone seems an accomplishment; let's remember that it's been 16 years since "The Godfather, Part II."

Probably the weakest link here is Coppola and Puzo's script, which has its superior elements, but in places falters rather badly. There are also a few technical glitches here and there, which can be excused because the film was rushed through post-production so it could open before year's end. But a weak central performance is not so easily excused, especially since it comes from the director's daughter.

And occasionally Coppola seems to be meandering. There are characters — chiefly Father Andrew Hagan (John Savage) and a sexy reporter (Bridget Fonda) — who seem to have been left largely on the cutting-room floor, and transitions, especially before the film's final moment, that could use some explaining.

The story picks up in 1979 as a 60ish Michael Corleone (played very well by 50ish Al Pacino), now resembling "King Lear," accepts a prestigious award from the Catholic Church . . . having also made a multimillion-dollar endowment for the poor of Sicily.

Michael is attempting to find some retribution in his life by forsaking his less legitimate enterprises — he's given up interests in Las Vegas gambling and has kept his father's promise that the "family" would avoid any drug trafficking.

And it won't be long before he has aligned himself with the church in an attempt to completely break from his gangster image, while gaining a foothold in the Vatican bank. But he will also discover that his past life can't be swept away without some residual effect.

Doing a surprisingly literal spin on the conspiracy rumors that surrounded the death of Pope John Paul I, the story wraps Michael up in new murder plots that build to a climactic series of killings intercut with his son's debut as an opera singer in Sicily.