Michael's transformation is completed in The Godfather's final act. A flurry of blood, stunning cinematography, violence, and iconic dialogue, The Godfather's ending delivers on every conceivable level and still sets the bar for climactic movie finales almost 50 years after debuting in theaters. As a testament to the subtlety of Coppola's directing and the depth of Puzo's script, The Godfather ending is still analyzed and picked apart decades after its 1972 release. Most importantly, the final moments fully establish Michael as the next Godfather and show he's fully embraced his new position as an uncompromising Mafia Don.

The Godfather ending begins after Vito Corleone passes away in the comfort of his own garden. Before his death, however, Vito and Michael — now the undisputed Don of the family — had concocted a grand plan to take all their enemies off the board and cement the Corleone legacy for years to come. The plan begins on the day Michael's nephew and godson is baptized.

Michael Corleone arranges for several of the family's rivals to be taken out on the same day, both securing the future prospects of the Corleone empire, and sending a clear message to their rivals. The first to die in The Godfather ending is Victor Stracci, head of the Stracci family, who Clemenza shoots in an elevatator. Although not the biggest threat to the Corleone family, Stracci is in league with Barzini, Vito's main rival. The figure trapped and shot in the revolving door is another less prominent head of the Five Families, Carmine Cueno.

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