Duvall as Tom Hagen in “The Godfather.”
(Bettmann Archive / Getty Images)
There are many reasons why “The Godfather Part III” didn’t work. The script was rushed, the plotting tangled and confusing. The supporting characters were forgettable. Poor Sofia Coppola, a last-minute replacement for Winona Ryder, flat-out couldn’t act.
But the biggest problem: There was no Duvall. Casting George Hamilton instead of making Duvall an offer he couldn’t refuse to reprise his role as Tom Hagen, the loyal, level-headed consigliere of the Corleone family, doomed “Part III” before the cameras even rolled. Duvall’s coiled intensity was a key element in the first two “Godfather” movies. He was the outsider, the Irish-German adopted son of Vito Corleone. No, he didn’t have Sicilian blood, but that allowed him to be the calm tactician while Sonny was out bada-binging his way through a full-scale war with the five families.
Every Duvall scene in these movies is perfect. The best involve Tom working to persuade someone that it’s in their best interest to go along with the family’s wishes. Sometimes it plays out smoothly, like when he talks Roman history with informant Frank Pentangeli in “Part II,” letting him know that his family would be taken care of should he die. Sometimes it doesn’t and there’s a horse’s head under your nice clean sheets. That’s the nature of diplomacy. As Tom famously says, “This is business, not personal.” And with Duvall stating it, how could you argue? — Glenn Whipp
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