"The Godfather 3" is a gangster movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Al Pacino, Andy Garcia, Sophia Coppola, etc., the movie was released in 1990 and is the last part of the "Godfather" series, telling the story of Mike Corleone, the godfather of the party, who tried to clear his sins in his later years, but encountered the conspiracy of the Holy See, ** and the gangsters, and finally lost his favorite daughter Mary. The ending of the movie has sparked a lot of controversy and questions among viewers, and one of the biggest questions is whether Mike deliberately let his daughter Mary die
To answer this question, we must first make it clear that Mike did not kill Mary directly, Mary's death was an accident, a trap designed by Mike's enemies to assassinate him, and Mary was only an innocent victim. At the end of the film, Mike and Mary attend an opera performance by his son Anthony, and his enemies send several hitmen to ambush at different locations in the opera house, ready to shoot Mike into a sieve at the same time at the end of the opera. However, Mike's nephew Vincent, Mary's lover, discovers the killer's trail and promptly informs Mike to be careful. Mike was at the door of the opera house and saw a killer with a gun, he immediately pushed Mary away, trying to dodge the bullet, but he didn't expect that after Mary was pushed away, she just stood in front of the muzzle of another killer, and was hit in the chest by a **, and fell to the ground on the spot, blood staining her white dress red. Mike saw this, grief-stricken, and he hugged Mary's corpse and let out a heart-rending wail.
Judging from this episode, Mike did not deliberately let Mary die, he just instinctively defended himself, not expecting Mary to be the target of bullets. His love for Mary was sincere, and he repeatedly stressed that he would protect Mary thoroughly, even at the cost of his own life. He disagrees with Mary and Vincent's romance, also because he is worried that Mary will be implicated and hurt by the ** party, and he hopes that Mary can live a normal life, away from darkness and sin. Mary's death, for Mike, was a great blow and punishment, a lifetime of regret and pain, and his inability to forgive his sins.
However, some viewers believe that Mike actually deliberately let Mary die, he is a cold-blooded ** party boss, and he does not hesitate to sacrifice his family and affection for his own interests. He pushes Mary away because he knows where the killer is, and he wants to use Mary as a shield to get Mary to take the bullet for him. His love for Mary is only a superficial illusion, and his real purpose is to control Mary and prevent her from having a relationship with Vincent, because he is afraid that Vincent will take his place as the new godfather. His death of Mary was just a show, and he wanted to cover up his sins and win sympathy and forgiveness.
This point of view, although there is some truth, ignores Mike's humanity and emotions, as well as the theme and moral of the film. Mike, although he is a ** party godfather, he is not an emotionless demon, he also has his own conscience and morality, and he also has his own love and hate. He used to be an ideal lawyer, he used to be a responsible husband and father, and he used to be a religious believer. The reason why he embarked on the road of the party was because he wanted to protect his family and honor, because he had to fight against his enemies and oppression, and because he had to adapt to his own environment and times. He is not a ruthless killer from the beginning, but gradually becomes cold and vicious after countless trials and tribulations. He killed his brother, betrayed his friends, lost his wife, and with it his heart died, and with it his soul fell. However, he has not completely lost his humanity, he still has a trace of warmth and conscience, and he still has a glimmer of hope and repentance. In his old age, he tried to mend his ways, tried to wash away his sins, tried to make up for his mistakes, tried to rebuild his family. He confessed to the Pope, he confessed to his ex-wife, he confessed to his son, he confessed to his daughter, he wanted to be forgiven, he wanted salvation. His love for Mary is his last concern, his last sustenance, and his last salvation. He couldn't have deliberately let Mary die, he couldn't have been so selfish, so cruel, so ruthless. He pushed Mary away, it was an instinctive reaction, an instinct to protect, an instinct to love.