Al Pacino will go down in history as one of the greatest actors of all time. One hundred years from now, when the robots have won and screenplays are written by A.I., we will have a segment on the Oscars that looks back at the history of cinema over the last two centuries. Pacino's performances will be all over that presentation. He's an emotional roller coaster of an actor. He's a calm, observant Michael Corleone one moment, and the next moment he's Jimmy Hoffa screaming at his advisors.
The crazy thing about Pacino's career is that there's still a long list of memorable characters he's played that don't make this list. Tony Montana, Vincent Hanna in Heat, Carlito Brigante, and Tony D'Amato in Any Given Sunday. He's got a resume untouched and nine Academy Award nominations to his name, so let's rank them and see which one is the best.
9 Dick Tracy (1990)
Dick Tracy
- Release Date
- April 5, 1990
- Cast
- Warren Beatty , Charlie Korsmo , Michael Donovan O'Donnell , Jim Wilkey , Stig Eldred , Neil Summers
- Runtime
- 105
Warren Beatty stars and directs this adaptation of the old comic strip from the 1930s, Dick Tracy. With an ensemble cast that includes Madonna, Dick Van Dyke, Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, and James Caan, the film follows the detective who is in hot pursuit of crime lord Big Boy Caprice (Pacino), and if he can prove he's on top of the crime world. Tracy enlists the help of a ballroom singer who has seen Caprice's criminal acts take place.
Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice
There's no way around it; this is one of the most obscure performances of Pacino's career. Warren Beatty very easily called in some favors to get a lot of his friends in the film, if you take a look at this cast. Pacino thrives in crime films, playing over-the-top characters in realistic situations. He does that here in Dick Tracy, but it's not in an ultra-real setting. Dick Tracy looks like it was ripped from the pages of the comics, and Pacino, under all his make-up, fits right in. Hence, he got a nomination for Best Supporting Actor that year.
Rent on Apple TV
8 Scent of a Woman (1992)
Scent of a Woman
- Release Date
- December 23, 1992
- Director
- Martin Brest
- Runtime
- 156 min
Scent of a Woman has Al Pacino plays retired Lt. Colonel Frank Slade; he's blind and quite difficult to really connect with. Chris O'Donnell pays Charlie Simms, who is away at school and needs money to get home for Christmas. He agrees to watch Frank over Thanksgiving and tend to his needs for a hefty paycheck. The two end up forming a bond that pays off big in the long run for both.
Whoo-Ha!
Although we have plenty more of his career to cover on this list, Scent of a Woman is Al Pacino's only Oscar win to date. It's crazy to think that so many memorable performances have come prior to this film and after in terms of his career, but really, only one win? Let that not discredit anything about the film. Pacino and O'Donnell shine together. It's another great "one wild weekend" movie that we saw a lot of in the 1990s, and it's the last scene where Frank has to defend Charlie against the school board that convinces you why Pacino got his Oscar for the role.
Rent on Prime Video
7 ...And Justice For All (1979)
...And Justice for All is a criminally underrated satire of sorts mixed with great drama about a lawyer named Arthur Kirkland who is used to helping out clients who are trapped in a corrupt legal system. In an odd turn of events, he is brought on to defend a judge accused of sexual assault. The two have an immediate loathing for one another, as the judge believes he will find a way to get the case thrown out.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury...
Far underseen and underrated, even though Pacino would pick up an Oscar nod for his role in the lead. ...And Justice for All caps off a hell of a decade for him. It's a slow-burn legal drama that has Pacino doing what he does best; he's given monologues where he can get uber passionate. Pacino plays a character who is fighting a losing battle in this satire, and you still want to root for him.
Stream on Prime Video
6 Serpico (1973)
Based on a true story, Pacino plays NYPD police detective Frank Serpico in the movie Serpico. It follows an honest detective in a world of corruption. Serpico is well aware of his peers and superiors in the police force who take bribes off the street while he remains an honest detective. When he threatens to go public with his knowledge, things don't get better, as he knows he has a target on his back.
New York in the 1970s
Serpico soaks up the atmosphere of the 1970s in New York City quite well. It tackles issues that plagued the city and will continue to plague it for years to come. The role of Serpico was instrumental in propelling his career forward between the first two Godfather movies. It's an Oscar-nominated performance that is low on this list per se, which goes to show you his longevity in delivering great performances throughout his career. It's also a character based on the truth, something he would do again later in his career. He would lose that night at the Oscars to Jack Lemmon for Save the Tiger.
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5 The Irishman (2019)
The Irishman
- Release Date
- November 1, 2019
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Runtime
- 210
The Irishman is the true story of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a truck driver who gets involved in organized crime in the 1950s and then finds himself high up in the world of gangsters. As he moves up the ranks, he befriends Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), the leader of the Teamsters Union, who is also a man who meets an alarming fate at the hands of Sheeran.
Pacino in His First Scorsese Film
It's crazy to think that after all these years, Al Pacino and Martin Scorsese doing a movie together took almost 50 years. 2019's The Irishman has all of Scorsese's crew of actors in front of the camera, and then some. Pacino would iconically play Jimmy Hoffa, and if what the film states is true, we finally know who killed him. Pacino would pick up a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the film, as he brought a lot of melancholyto the role. You knew he was a doomed character from the get-go, and seeing how he left this world put you on edge through the whole process of his notorious death scene.
Stream on Netflix
4 Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Based on a play by David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross follows a group of New York City real estate salesmen who learn that if they don't crack the top two in weekly sales for the firm, they will be fired. This situation boils up into a tense atmosphere when leads on deals get passed around without others' knowledge. A lot is at stake in the world of real estate.
A Big Night for Pacino
Al Pacino would pick up an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Richard Roma in the film. That same night, he would be nominated for Scent of a Woman in the Best Actor category and take home the prize. One night, two major nominations—incredible. What also makes him incredible is how he meshes with this ensemble cast. Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, and the ever-polarizing Kevin Spacey are all Pacino's co-stars. Pacino delivers incredibly as usual, but he also gives his scene partners springboards to have their moment on screen. That is what makes a great actor.
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3 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
In Dog Day Afternoon, Al Pacino plays an extremely inexperienced bank robber named Sonny Wortzik. His attempted robbery of a Brooklyn bank goes south and ends up turning into a hostage crisis. As the situation unfolds and the FBI and police all gather outside the bank, Sonny's motives behind the robbery are revealed, and they are very surprising.
Attica! Attica!
To understand Pacino's range, one must see his work from 1972 to 1975. This is a role that follows him playing mob boss Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II. The movie re-teams Pacino with Serpico director Sidney Lumet. The media circus that plays around this bank robbery-turned-hostage situation enhances the atmosphere of the film. Pacino is a tense, nervous wreck that's constantly screaming in and out of scenes, and you're right there feeling what he is. It's a role that would get him his fourth straight Oscar nomination.
Rent on Prime Video
2 The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather is hailed as one of the greatest films of all time. Based on Mario Puzo's novel and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the story follows an Italian-American crime family, the Corleones. Led by Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the mob boss has an attempt on his life, which thrusts his son Michael (Pacino) into the family business while his father's wounds heal.
Pacino's First Oscar Nomination
Although Brando has less screen time than Pacino, it was Brando who walked out with the Best Actor nod and won that year. Pacino's performance as Michael Corleone would earn him his first-ever Oscar nomination, along with his co-stars James Caan and Robert Duvall, for their respected work on the film in the Best Supporting Actor category. There is no cast like The Godfather. It's one of the best ensembles of all time, and Pacino would take the mantle of the franchise moving forward.
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1 The Godfather Part II (1974)
The Godfather Part II proved itself to be an even bigger force in cinematic language. It picks up the pieces from two years prior, with Michael Corleone now the head of his family. The film parallels his current dilemma of moving the family business out west, and through flashbacks, we see a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) who has immigrated to America. The odd paradox of father and son is at the heart of the sequel.
Don Michael Corleone
Pacino takes over as the lead role this time around. Earning him a Best Actor nomination for the role. Despite coming away empty-handed with a win, this is still the definitive role of his career. Disagree? What, do you think his work in 88 Minutes deserves more praise? Part II outdoes the original in terms of Pacino; he's an evolved character from when we first met him at the wedding scene in the first film. He's one of the most interesting characters in the history of American cinema.
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