Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 2, 2020

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone arrives in theaters and at home only weeks away from the 30th anniversary of its original theatrical debut on Christmas day 1990. Newly edited and returning the original title Director Francis Ford Coppola and Author Mario Puzo first envisioned for the film, Coda represents a more focused and complete vision for the film. Coppola says that "Coda" better defines the film's purpose as an “epilogue, a summing up” of the first two films in the series. This new edit rearranges the film with a new beginning pulled from a scene that was, in the 1990 film, placed later in the story. There's a new ending, too, and a number of "repositioned" scenes in the middle. Coppola says that with Coda the story has been “given new life” that yields a “new experience.” It's a superior edit to be sure, though still a film that suffers from a few shortcomings. Nevertheless, it's now a more approachable film and more fluidly connected to and in-line with The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.

The film's core plot -- Michael's (Al Pacino) efforts to steer the Corleone family straight, using the amassed fortune for good and legitimate business dealings and not to further the criminal empire -- is unchanged, as are subplots centering on Michael's loving daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola), her ambitious cousin Vincent (Andy García), and the vengeful Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna). The film's reworked structure simply brings greater focus to the story, particularly at it new starting point, emphasizing Michael's turn of direction. The middle stretches are less dramatically reconfigured, but the film's bulk now flows more tightly and with a greater feel for gripping family narrative. The end is where the biggest change takes place, redefining Michael, the family, the film, and the series, all for the better.

Through the film garnered a number of Academy award nominations -- including Best Picture and Best Director -- it was met with widespread criticism, in part for its stuttering flow and the absence of the narrative excellence that made the two films that preceded it classics. That has been repaired to the best case scenario here. The movie is gripping from the beginning and plays quickly despite its two-and-one-half-hour runtime (still shorter than the other two films). One cannot help but to find new life for and new meaning in the film, particularly as it leads into the redefining finale.

The film earned further criticism for Sofia Coppola's performance as Mary. As a reworked edit and not a new creation the performance beats remain but thirty years removed, and with a new structure and legacy for the rest of the film surrounding the performance, it's difficult to hold onto any ill feelings towards it. The then-young daughter of the film's director, thrust into the part on a moment's notice, certainly gives it her all. As it is, the film better supports her work and the character's fate with enough pull to the point to carry the work in spite of any shortcomings (which, frankly, are not so horrid as many might suggest). This new cut cannot fix every flaw or elevate the film to the same plane as its predecessors, but it now stands as an even finer piece of narrative work and filmmaking excellence to serve as a fit and proper finish to one of the cinema's most legendary series.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone makes its Blu-ray debut with an extraordinary 1080p transfer presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The picture is gorgeously filmic, retaining a natural, pleasant grain structure which is ever-present and exquisitely pure. Clarity is exceptional and fine details are intimately revealing, with hair and clothes and the plush environments delivering unparalleled accuracy. The image is intoxicatingly filmic, a picture-perfect representation of both the source material and the Blu-ray format's peak capabilities. Colors are likewise stout and perfectly balanced. The image paints each scene with exacting contrast and tonal accuracy, whether the warmth in Michael's office or the urban tones on city streets. It's the former where the transfer finds some of its best moments in a scene when Michael works to sort out the differences between Vincent and Joey relatively early in the film, the scene ultimately ending with the former taking a bite out of the latter. Here, the rich, deep warm reds blend perfectly with exacting blacks and shadow detail, the latter offering just enough depth to sometimes shade eyes and perhaps mask intentions. It's one of the best looking scenes in the film and some of Cinematographer Gordon Willis' best work in the movie. Colors throughout are faithful, with skin tones in particular full of health and vitality. The image varies greatly from the Part III presentation found in theprevious releases. It's significantly sharper, more attuned to its filmic roots, and color timing has been adjusted to make both subtle and bold alterations, giving the picture a more natural tonal flow. This one stands well ahead of the previous effort, which pales (literally and figuratively) in comparison.

There will likely be a Godfather UHD release in the future which will hopefully include both The Godfather Part III as well as Coda. Until then, this is a wonderful Blu-ray presentation that pushes the format to its limits. It's sublime and not to be missed.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation proves both as powerful and subtle as necessary, blending its elements and delivering faultless audio in every scene. The film now opens with Michael meeting with the archbishop on the subject of bailout money; the dialogue cavernously reverberates through the room. The scene is followed by a festive, springy party with music and chatter amiably filling the stage. The two are exercises in the track's diversity, with reach in both scenes wide and immersion precise, even as they're two entirely unique audio scenarios. Likewise, the gunship attack partway through the film offers dense spinning rotors and heavy gunfire that yields prominent depth to impacts, shattering glass, and other sounds of chaos with clarity, expert balance, and prioritization within the chaotic din, as well as a terrifying feeling for immersion. Music is rich and detailed as the track explores every note of Carmine Coppola's score. Light ambient effects blend in well, too, and the subwoofer is utilized to balanced and detailed effect. Dialogue is clear and precise, whether tightly married to the center during hushed whispers or in those aforementioned examples of reverb.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone contains no supplements beyond an optional introduction to the new edit with Francis Ford Coppola (1080p, 1:31). This release ships with both a digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone stands not only a new cut of the third installment in the Godfather saga but also as the new definitive version of the film. The flow is smoother, the narrative is tighter, and the blend into and with the other films is superior. Paramount's brand new Blu-ray is featureless beyond a director intro but the 1080p picture quality is leaps-and-bounds better than the old release. The 5.1 lossless soundtrack is quite good, too. This release earns my highest recommendation.