What does creating three of the best films of all time afford Francis Ford Coppola? The Godfather and The Godfather Part II reign supreme over depictions of family strife, while Apocalypse Now bears the leading character’s inverted soul more bleakly than perhaps any other film. Even without counting The Conversation, Coppola proved long ago that he was a master of craft and form, with little else left to prove his deft hand.
So, 30 years after the creation of his last masterpiece, what does Coppola prove with Tetro, a film exploring a young man’s (Alden Ehrenreich, about to explode onto the mainstream scene) quest to reveal the mystery behind his brother, a failed writer (Vincent Gallo)?
He proves many things. Chiefly among them, he proves he can shoot the hell out of a movie, with a brilliant choice of framing and lighting — it’s one of the most beautiful looking films of Coppola’s career, and certainly one of the most elegant that I’ve ever seen. This film, shot digitally, encapsulates everything that Michael Mann failed to do with Public Enemies this year.
Secondly, he can evoke amazing performances. Vincent Gallo’s work as Tetro binds the entire film together with one of the most engaging and mysterious characters we’ve seen this year. Pan’s Labyrinth’s Maribel Verdu is excellent as well. We sit and dwell with these characters as we did with the Corleones long ago — the actors are the glue of the picture.
And 30 years and three classics have afforded Coppola the ability to dabble in a bit of operatic flair, a little bit of mystery, a glimpse into the ever-present familial themes of his catalog, and an Oedipal story as simple as anything ever told on film.
At this point, he doesn’t seem to be interested in bombast — if he were Vito Corleone, he would be the aged Marlon Brando to his former De Niro, reflecting with his son in a lawn chair upon a career of elegance. He’s not obligated to be profound; instead, he dabbles and dances around ideas, literally and metaphorically.
Tetro doesn’t blow the lid off of cinema, it’s not an extraordinary standout that remarks on violence or cinema-love as Inglourious Basterds has proven to be (although it is very snide toward criticism and its relation to fame). However, the film is enjoyable as another lyric in a long career that often resembles poetic verse more than straightforward filmmaking.
For that, it is a success.
Rating: 
This is a terrific film. It blows my mind that this strong of a movie from someone as respected as Coppola can be totally ignored.
Ian and John: I hate you both for having seen this.
John: The Conversation is clearly the best Coppola (Senior) film.
World: I am so glad to hear that this is good after that “Youth Without Youth” atrocity.
Can’t agree with you about The Conversation but I concur with Ian: you need to get out and see it. It’s as solid as anything he’s ever made.