8 Of Al Pacino’s Best Performances Ever!

Al Pacino is slowly turning into someone who’s more timeless than ever and with more than 5 decades worth of experience, there’s nothing that can fall close to the man’s talent. During the initial years of his existence in movie scenes, he gave some of the most iconic films in Hollywood.

A young kid who was born into the family of Italian immigrants residing in East Harlem, New York City, saw a lot in his life. As famously told, Pacino didn’t care about what people would think about him and went on to work at a string of low-grade jobs like, janitor, postal clerk, busboy, in order to finance his acting studies. Al Pacino can be considered the god of method acting and did anything to bring justice to his roles and characters that he plays.

Every one of Al Pacino’s initial movies in the 70s earned him an Oscar nomination which is a dream come true, in itself, however, didn’t win any of those. He started his career from the theatre and visited the old friend in the 80s where he did some close-to-home projects. In the early 90s, Al Pacino resumed his movie acting career and gave some more career defining performances. Even after giving some of the most iconic performances in Hollywood’s history, he was never a man of awards and always found love in the theatre which he visits, from time to time. Al Pacino is said to be an actor who acts with his entire body and soul, which completely transforms with every new character that he plays.

Born on 25th April 1940, Al Pacino turns 77 today and we decided to list down some of the most iconic and profound roles by this “Great Actor”. Here are 8 of Al Pacino’s best performances, however, it’s too difficult to put a rating on his performances therefore, they’re in no particular order.

1. The Godfather – Michael Corleone

The Godfather is one of the most iconic films ever made, which opened the doors of Gangster and Mafia movies in Hollywood.

2. Serpico – Frank Serpico

Pacino plays an honest cop in the film, who single-handedly wants to end corruption in the police force department. However, things went on to not go his way. Al Pacino won a Golden Globe for this role and can be felt alarming in its intensity.

3. Scarface – Tony Montana

While playing Tony Montana in Scarface, Al Pacino transformed his accent into something that no one ever expected. His performance in Scarface is said to be a perfect combination of nuanced and over-the-top which makes this role, as one of Al Pacino’s best performances ever. Apart from this, Tony Montana went on to be one of the most iconic roles ever which were highly quotable by the audience.

4. Scent of a Woman – Frank Slade

Scent of a Woman gave Al Pacino his only oscar over the course of a very long career. He plays the character of a blind ex-military officer, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, and did it in the best way possible. Frank Slade is considered to be one of Al Pacino’s best performances and no one can deny the magic he performs in the film.

5. Dog Day Afternoon – Sonny Wortzik

Dog Day Afternoon touched on subjects which were not at all your usuals. Al Pacino plays the role of a loser bank robber who is sexually conflicted. The film is based on a real-life story and was brilliantly carried by Pacino. His Attica scene, outside the bank, is one of the most iconic moments of Al Pacino’s career.

6. …And Justice For All – Arthur Kirkland

…And Justice For All is a courtroom drama film which can easily be remembered by Al Pacino’s Courtroom Out Of Order Speech. The entire speech went on to become one of the classics, which is still quoted to this date. He steals the entire film with his performance and gave another one of Al Pacino’s best performances ever.

7. Devil’s Advocate – John Milton

Al Pacino was perfect as John Milton who is the Devil himself. He gave an award-worthy performance and nothing less than astonishing in playing yet another character in his over-the-top Pacino way. Many consider this devil to be one of the Al Pacino’s best performances too.

8. Heat – Vincent Hann

Heat is child produced by the great performances of Al Pacino and Robert Di Niro and loved by critics and fans, alike. Heat is considered to be a classic in the Crime genre and a lot of this has been possible because of both the actors. Al Pacino’s performance is considered to be obsessive and passionate that works well for his character.

25th April 2017
Jyotsna Amla