Al Pacino

The Godfather Part II. No contest in my mind, should have won the oscar.

In my opinion, OP? Were you expecting me to give the opinion of somebody else?

Angels in America should be on the list (OP didn’t specify film roles), and I might fill out the poll with either The Insider or Glengarry Glen Ross, two rare movies where he doesn’t have the showiest part.

Raging Bull

Nevermind wrong Italian

No Dick Tracy?

My favorite was when he did “the smell of a woman.”

Didn't he play Roy Cohn in Angels in America?

Another role I always thought was fantastic acting was Paterno. I know it was made for HBO but it was some amazing acting.

I'm mad at Al right now. I had a dream he was my neighbor and I caught him abusing his dog.

Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. Did not see the Godfathers.

His best acting was when he pretended to be pounding Star Jones’ pussy seven nights a week as her husband.

All the controversy about "Cruising" when it first came out is kind of quaint now. And of course it was SO homophobic.

Why Al Pacino’s career is a lot more queer-coded than many people think:

Today I learned that Al Pacino has never been married. I don't know why I'm so surprised by that, but I am.

He's had several long term relationships, Beverly DeAngelo with whom he has kids, and Diane Keaton. They were together for a while. I think there were others but those two come to mind. I know he has two more kids from two different women.

I love Beverly D'Angelo!

Ascent of a Woman 👩—Hello, his Oscar winning roll, though frankly, I think he was at the peak of his powers with And Justice for All.

It's a tie between Godfather Part II and Dog Day Afternoon.

It's not "Ascent of a Woman"...it's "SCENT of a Woman"

You're always getting names and titles wrong.

R19, I like your choices and would add "Angels in America" in which I thought he and Streep were brilliant.

Totally agree with you about "Angles in America," R21. I watched that again recently and he was very convincing as the self-loathing Roy Cohn. Streep did some of her best work in that series.

Godfather Part II

In the minority, but I think his Godfather 1 performance was superior to Godfather 2.

In GF2 we only see the ruthless monomaniac, while in GF1 we see him go from a happy-go-lucky college kid in love with no respect for his father's business; to his assertion of role as father's keeper in the hospital scene where we see his surprise that unlike Enzo the Baker he was not at all nervous confronting the The Turk, the corrupt cop and his men, where he tells his father "I'm with you now"; to his planning murder of The Turk, and fleeing the country after; his sweet, innocent courtship of the Sicilian girl and the dark turn he took after her murder; to his return to America and takeover of his father's family, planning the executions of all his and his father's enemies; then in the final scene having his ring kissed by his henchmen and *literal* shut-out of the Diane Keaton character. What a metamorphosis.

Simply brilliant.

The Phil Spector movie he did was crappy. The wigs were the star.

My brother and I often debate about this (was Pacino better in Godfather I or II), and he usually makes all the same points, R24. It's hard to disagree. But I felt Pacino had many moments in Part II that stood out more than in Part I. Many of the actors in Part I were overshadowed by Brando.

Totally agree R24! The transformation is convincing and the murder scene in the restaurant brilliant.

My favorites aren't listed: Cruising, Panic In Needle Park, Scarface and I loved him in Devils Advocate. He was great in everything he did, DDA is a classic, the Godfather is the gold standard of movies, and Scent of a Woman is another great, totally different role.

^Scarface is mentioned, that was supposed to be listed fourth.

When Scarface is mentioned I immediately think of him calling the Michelle Pfeiffer character "white bread". For some unexplainable reason, it cracks me up.

And Justice for All is enjoyable. Who didn't love it when he said to the judge "You're out of order, the whole court is out of order." Loved the helicopter ride with the crazy Judge.

R30 my favorite exchange is when he tells Michelle to get a job as he sits in his marble bathtub with the gold fixtures. There were so many moments in Scarface. I thought he was brilliant. It's one of my all time favorites.

I can't compare Godfather I & II performances. To me the character arc in Part I was more obvious as R24 describes it so well. And Al did an amazing job. In II, Michael was cold and ruthless, but he was also still trying to live up to what he thought his father would want him to do. The scene when he asks his mother about losing his family was more important than many viewers realized. I think the scenes with Fredo were important, too. When he tell Fredo, "I know it was you. You broke my heart." That, IMO was the end of whatever was left of his humanity. The cold ruthless Mobster had completely replaced him. if you recall in Part I, the wedding petitions, when Don Vito chastises a petitioner by saying you never even invited me to your home for a cup of coffee," we get a glimpse of what kind of person he was. Yes Don Corleone was The Godfather, but he was also a fixer and a protector to the community. We saw none of that with Michael in Part II.

I love the scene where his wife tells him that she had an abortion.

R33, I really thought he would kill her. First time I saw that scene I was literally on the edge of my seat. Diane Keaton doesn't get nearly enough credit for Kay.

I loved what he did with Donnie Brasco. That was a masterclass. Both Al and Johnny Depp were fantastic. Michael Madsen too. I love that movie. Pacino was brilliant.

No " Cruising" option OP ??? Al was skilled on the dance floor after taking a whiff of that Ethyl Chloride!

Love him as the junkie in Panic in Needle Park.

He was so handsome in Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather and Cruising.

I thought so too, R35. He was an inch away from doing it. Dianne must have been frightened when they shot that scene.

He was utterly ridiculous in Scarface. I feel like he mumbled his lines like that in every movie since.

He drips grease and body odor in SEA OF LOVE. Poor Ellen Barkin.

Dog Day Afternoon

Didn’t he play Kevorkian?

Yes, in an HBO movie.