In 1979, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), now approaching his 60th year, stands as a man burdened by the weight of his past sins. Having secured his power at great personal cost, including the murder of his brother Fredo, Michael seeks redemption. He donates millions to charitable causes and aims to steer the Corleone family toward legitimacy. However, his estranged relationship with his ex-wife Kay (Diane Keaton) and their children, Anthony (Franc D’Ambrosio) and Mary (Sofia Coppola), casts a shadow over his efforts.
At a grand reception in Michael’s honor, following a ceremony at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral where he is inducted into a prestigious papal order, family tensions bubble beneath the surface. Anthony announces his decision to abandon law school to pursue a career as an opera singer, a choice Michael initially opposes but ultimately accepts. Kay, supportive of Anthony’s dreams, confronts Michael, revealing that she and their son know the truth about Fredo’s death. Michael’s guilt deepens.
The event is interrupted by the arrival of Vincent Mancini (Andy García), the fiery illegitimate son of Michael’s late brother Sonny. A dispute between Vincent and Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna), a rival mob boss, escalates when Zasa insults Vincent, who retaliates by biting off a piece of Zasa’s ear. Troubled by Vincent’s impulsive temper but recognizing his loyalty, Michael agrees to bring him into the family fold.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Gilday, head of the Vatican Bank, approaches Michael with a desperate proposition. The bank faces a $765 million deficit, and Michael offers $600 million in exchange for controlling shares in the powerful real estate company Internazionale Immobiliare. Though the deal appears promising, it requires ratification by Pope Paul VI, adding a layer of intrigue and uncertainty.
As Michael navigates this high-stakes business, Don Altobello (Eli Wallach), a longtime family ally and Connie’s godfather, warns him that the Mafia Commission wants a piece of the Immobiliare deal. Michael, determined to break free from crime, pays off the other bosses with profits from the sale of his Las Vegas holdings, leaving Zasa out of the arrangement. Furious at being excluded, Zasa declares Michael his enemy and storms out. Altobello assures Michael he will mediate, but treachery soon follows. During a meeting of the Commission, a helicopter ambush orchestrated by Zasa massacres many of the attendees. Michael, Vincent, and Michael’s loyal bodyguard, Al Neri, narrowly escape.
The attack leaves Michael shaken, and he suffers a diabetic stroke, forcing him to confront his mortality. During his recovery, Vincent and Mary’s budding romance becomes a concern. Michael, fearing the dangers their relationship could bring, orders Vincent to end it. Despite his love for Mary, Vincent obeys.
The family travels to Sicily for Anthony’s operatic debut at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. While there, Michael devises a plan to counteract Altobello’s betrayal. He instructs Vincent to feign allegiance to Altobello, who introduces him to Licio Lucchesi, the chairman of Immobiliare. Meanwhile, Michael confesses his sins to Cardinal Lamberto, a man destined to become the next pope. Michael admits to ordering Fredo’s death, breaking down under the weight of his guilt. Lamberto absolves him, offering a glimmer of hope for redemption.
Michael discovers that the Immobiliare deal is a web of deceit, orchestrated by Lucchesi, Gilday, and Vatican accountant Frederick Keinszig. As Vincent uncovers more treachery, he learns that Altobello has hired Mosca, a skilled assassin, to eliminate Michael. Mosca begins his deadly mission by killing Don Tommasino, Michael’s longtime ally and protector.
Amid these threats, Michael reconciles with Kay during a tour of Sicily, confessing his regrets and acknowledging his enduring love for her. Their fragile truce offers a moment of peace, but tragedy looms. Following the death of Pope Paul VI, Cardinal Lamberto ascends as Pope John Paul I, approving Michael’s Immobiliare deal. However, the new pope is soon murdered by Gilday, further unraveling the intricate conspiracy.
In a decisive move, Michael names Vincent as the new Don of the Corleone family, on the condition that he end his relationship with Mary. Vincent, now fully committed to the family’s survival, launches a coordinated assault on their enemies during Anthony’s opera performance. Keinszig is killed, with his death staged as a suicide. Connie, ever loyal, poisons Altobello during the opera with a cannoli. Calò, Tommasino’s bodyguard, assassinates Lucchesi by stabbing him in the neck with his own spectacles. Neri travels to the Vatican and kills Gilday with a single gunshot.
Despite Vincent’s careful planning, Mosca infiltrates the opera house. After evading Vincent’s men, Mosca strikes. On the opera house steps, as the family exits after Anthony’s triumphant performance, Mosca opens fire. Michael is wounded, but Mary is fatally shot. As her lifeless body falls into his arms, Michael lets out an anguished scream, the culmination of years of loss and sorrow.
Years later, an elderly Michael sits alone in the courtyard of Don Tommasino’s villa. The once-powerful Don Corleone, now frail and forgotten, slumps from his chair and collapses to the ground. His life ends in solitude, the echoes of his choices haunting him until his final breath.
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