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Written by Sunil Dhokia We take a trip down memory lane, as we look at some of the iconic performances that made Al Pacino a household name in Hollywood. What can be said about this actor, that hasn't been said already? He's an Academy Award winner (that was long overdue by the way), has multiple Tony Awards and an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award to throw into the mix. However, what makes Al Pacino one of the greatest actors, not only of his generation but of all-time, is his ability to inhabit the characters he plays in each of his movies, always serving his character arcs in the most satisfying ways. This article will look at my top 5 greatest Al Pacino performances (in reverse order), as there were no easy decisions made in narrowing down over 5 decades worth of movies from the actor to just a handful. 5. Sonny Wortzik - Dog Day Afternoon (1975) By this point in Al Pacino's short career, where many actors of his generation were trying to find their feet in the movie industry, Pacino was fast becoming a name to be known in Hollywood. And this performance in one of the all-time great movies taking place on one location (for the most part) is a tour-de-force show from Pacino. Except for some other prominent characters in the movie such as Pacino's criminal partner, Sal (John Cazale) and Police Sergeant Moretti (Charles Durning), it's the unhinged, ever-constant tension in Pacino's performance as Sonny Wortzik, where he struggles to keep a lid on his hostages, whilst trying to get as many demands out of the police sergeant as part of his negotiation tactics, that keeps audiences invested a story that might otherwise be bland in the hands of a less capable actor. 4. Carlito Brigante - Carlito's Way (1993) In his second collaboration with Brian De Palma, Pacino's performance here is a step back from the flamboyance and extrovert nature of his Tony Montana character in Scarface (1983). By De Palma avoiding to retread the same territory, however, is precisely why I prefer this performance over their first collaboration. What makes this performance unique is Pacino's ability to infuse Carlito with a sense of loss and regret in his former life as a criminal. Even when Carlito is a freeman as he states at the beginning of the movie, Pacino conveys the sense of temptation in his character to go back to his old criminal ways. His back and forth with Sean Penn, playing the drug fiend lawyer of Kleinfeld, and Penelope Ann Miller as Carlito's girlfriend, Gail, provide the emotional backbone to Carlito's character arc, as we are all aware of the inevitable demise that is to come to a criminal we've somehow grown to be attached with. 3. Vincent Hanna - Heat (1995) At last, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are in a movie together. Wait a minute; they only share one scene (two if you count the final scene). That doesn't matter though, as Michael Mann's crime-opus defined a generation of filmmakers (such as Christopher Nolan) to hone their craft on creating authentic, on-location, suspenseful action set-pieces. More to the point, Pacino in the role of Lieutenant Vincent Hanna gives the full range of Pacinoisms here. This ranges from the loud and bravado (one of my favourite lines being "Don't waste my motherfucking time") to the quiet, more introspective moments in his character. The latter being beautifully explored in the iconic diner scene between Vincent and De Niro's criminal character, Neil McCauley. This scene and the movie as a whole allows Pacino to simultaneously convey his love and hatred of being a cop, as he's able to unpack the psychology of his character with aplomb. 2. Michael Corleone - The Godfather (1972) The movie that became the blueprint for every gangster movie that followed. Widely regarded by critics and audiences as one of the greatest movies of all time (no small feat by the way), a large part of that reason is due to the powerhouse acting on-display. Whilst many people would be compelled to put Marlon Brando's role as Vito Corleone as the star attraction of the movie, it's Al Pacino's performance as his son, Michael Corleone, is the reason why the story works as well as it does. The masterful direction from Francis Ford Coppola along with a compelling story, allows Pacino to showcase the full range of emotions that actors can only dream of having in a role. From the innocence at the beginning of the movie, where Michael avoids being apart of his family's mafia business, to the ruthlessness of his character, when he kills police captain McCluskey and rival crime boss Sollozzo, Pacino hits all the right emotional beats at just the right moments to craft one of the greatest characters in movie history. 1. Frank Serpico - Serpico (1973) You're probably wondering how on earth does one leave the first couple of Godfather movies (I try to ignore the existence of the third movie in the franchise) out of their number one choice of Al Pacino's greatest performances. However, if you stay with me, there is a method to the madness. My deciding factor in choosing Serpico as Al Pacino's best career performance is that the story and its execution rest solely on its lead actor. Even if you take Pacino's character out of the first two Godfather movies (an unthinkable action I know), you're still left with incredible performances from actors such as Marlon Brando, James Caan and Robert De Niro. However, take Frank Serpico out of his title movie (as daft as that sounds), and you're left with a hollow story, where corrupt cops freely roam the streets of New York City, and heroes like Serpico do not exist as characters in this world suffer in silence at the corruption from its lawmen. Pacino is fantastic at being able to show Frank Serpico's desire and frustration in trying to expose his corrupt police colleagues to the authorities. These emotions are thrown in with Serpico being unable to live a normal life outside of his work, such as struggling to maintain a healthy relationship with his girlfriend, and we see that good, honest men can suffer in more ways than one from corrupt individuals with the worst of intentions. Pacino perfectly portrays 'the whole world against me' persona of his character, as this one-man show type of a performance is one that few actors have achieved in the years and decades since this movie. Parting Musical Gift In keeping with the tradition of my blog articles, I leave you with one of my favourite pieces of music from my favourite Al Pacino performance in Serpico. This piece being the Theme from 'Serpico'. I hope you enjoy this wonderful theme from the composer, Mikis Theodorakis, which beautifully captures the themes of truth and justice that Frank Serpico seeks in the police force. Your Thoughts What are your thoughts on my top 5 Al Pacino performances? Do you agree with this list or are there other movies from Pacino that you would put on your list of his best performances? Comment below, as I would love to hear your thoughts. All images above and its copyright belong to The New Yorker, New York Times and Paramount Pictures respectively. All YouTube content below belongs to their respective owners. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
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About MeMy name is Sunil Dhokia, I'm a movie fanatic and love all things Hollywood. Blog Archives
June 2020
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