The Godfather Part III is an artistic work.
The Godfather Part III . The film also includes fictionalized accounts of two real-life events : the 1978 death of Pope John Paul I and the Papal banking scandal of 1981 -- 82 , both linked to Michael Corleone 's business affairs . The film stars Al Pacino , Diane Keaton , Talia Shire , and Andy García , and features Eli Wallach , Joe Mantegna , George Hamilton , Bridget Fonda , and Sofia Coppola . Part III received mixed reviews compared to the critical acclaim that the first two films received .