Best Pacino Performance

Ok i am not sure if this has not been mentioned before, but what film did Al bring his best in?

My honest opinion, Tony Montana was overrated.

His best came in The Godfather Part II, he was robbed and i mean it, Pacino deserved Part II for Michael Corleone.

What are your opinions.

#1 GFII
#2 Dog Day Afternoon
#3 Scent of a Woman
Honorable Mention: Serpico

Aside from the obvious, I love his performance in Donnie Brasco. He normally plays the man in charge so it was refreshing to see him play a disrespected character in the lower ranks of the mafia trying to survive and make a name for himself.

I still say Scarface was his best performance -- but of course also GF2...

Another honerable mention: All For Justice.

Arthur Kirkland: You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They're out of order!

Scent Of A Women
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: Out of order, I show you out of order. You don't know what out of order is, Mr. Trask. I'd show you, but I'm too old, I'm too tired, I'm too fuckin' blind. If I were the man I was five years ago, I'd take a FLAMETHROWER to this place! Out of order? Who the hell do you think you're talkin' to? I've been around, you know? There was a time I could see. And I have seen. Boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn't nothin' like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that. You think you're merely sending this splendid foot soldier back home to Oregon with his tail between his legs, but I say you are... executin' his soul! And why? Because he's not a Bairdman. Bairdmen. You hurt this boy, you're gonna be Baird bums, the lot of ya. And Harry, Jimmy, Trent, wherever you are out there, FUCK YOU TOO!

I never thought Scarface was a great movie to begin with, and I think it isn't aging well. I thought Pacino's performance was very good, but a little over the top.

Dog Day Afternoon hands down!!!!!!

I agree about Scarface. I enjoy the movie for what it is but very over-the-top. As memorable as his role in the movie was I wouldn't consider it Pacino's best performance, or even in the top 4 or 5.

I like the way you describe his Scarface performance. "Memorable, but not nearly his best". That's exactly how I would describe it.

Ditto..

Though i love his Donnie Brasco role..

I got into a physical fight with a big Scarface fanatic once, just cause i said that Pacino was better in Part II.
he threatened my family, and we got into a fist fight (nearly about a decade ago).

I do like his performance in Scarface, but for me it was al about

1.The Godfather Part II
2.Dog Day Afternoon
3.Scent Of A Woman

I agree with you 100%

haha, i like how you made it seem like they were both talking to each other.

No one mentioned The Godfather? His performance is great in part 2, no doubt. But his character in the first part undergoes so much of change and he portrays all these phases so convincingly. Dog day is next after these two. Scarface is ridiculous overacting. Scent of a woman approaches that somewhat. GF3 acting is just okay.

He was very good in the first one, but his true best came in Part II.

2 words, Tony Montana. I still have a hard time believing that's Al Pacino sometimes.

That's really cause he looked different (he smoked alot around then)

I would also say GFI over GFII. His character had the same demeanor throughout the whole second film. I prefer the second film over the first, but for other reasons. I think the changes as Michael in the first film was a much better role.

Didn't the studio want Pachino replaced in GF1 after some of the first scenes were shot (I believe the Best & Co. Department Store scene was the first scene shot), because they didn't like his acting? Personally, I thought his acting was very good, if not a little raw.

Yes. Harlan Lebo says that, after the first two days' shooting, Pacino was convinced "I was out"--and he felt that way until the Louis Restaurant scene was filmed.

For my money: "Dog Day Afternoon" was Al's best.

I agree, TB, although I also loved him in Serpico.

I have Serpico arriving today from netflix. I'll probably get to watch it sometime next week.

I have to agree with SVSG here in that in GFI Pacino undergoes such a character transformation. Let's not forget that he was a very young actor basically in his first real major motion picture and for someone as young as he was in the industry he did a superb job in morphing the Michael Corleone character as convincingly as he did in GFI

My top five picks starting with the best and going in order are :

GFII
GFI
Scent Of A Woman
Dog Day Afternoon and Scarface are neck and neck for me

Actually, for me it's a toss-up between GFII and DDA. He was fantastic in both. I really like his early films the best. He was in top form in other films like Serpico and "Justice For All." Scarface isn't my favorite Pacino movie, and although as many say, he's a little "over the top," I still find it fascinating to watch him in it. I think he's great.

Not one of his best perhaps, but I would love to see Scarecrow again with Gene Hackman. I don't think I've seen it since it's release in the mid 70's I think. I remember reading after the fact, that part of this was filmed in my hometown, Grand Rapids, MI, which is kind of neat to me.


TIS

for me, it's the Godfather series all the way

I'd like to read your thoughts on it.

So aside from the same four or five obvious movies, what would you guys mention as his best underrated films? For example, off the top of my head, I thought he was good in The Devil's Advocate, although it's been a long time since I've seen it. It's obviously not his best performance, but still very good. Those are the types of movies I would like to hear.

As for Underrated movies:

The Devil's Advocate
Panic In Needle Park
Carlito's Way

I agree with you TIS, his two best were DDA and PT 2.
I love Scarecrow, as a matter of fact i own it, and i also own a few more rare Pacino films.

Underrated films

1. The Panic In Needle Park
2. Glengarry Glen Ross "PATEL, PATEL?!?!?!?!? FUCK YOU"
3. Scarecrow
4. The Devils Advocate
(even though his accent was a bit off in Advocate).

I'm tempted to say Heat.

Very entertaining movie, but not a special performance. IMO.

You are right Lou.

Aside from the obvious ones including but not limited to the GF movies Panic in Needle Park, Dog Day Afternoon and Scent of a Woman, I would say Devil's Advocate and a real sleeper... Merchant of Venice.

Finally got to see it yesterday,

(pasting from FCM),

Serpico
Sidney Lumet English 1973
Story of an honest NewYork cop...

I was listening to the producer's interview in the DVD specials and he mentioned that corruption in police force was kind of surprising/shocking to lot of people back then. Having seen umpteen movies on this theme, the movie had no impact on me (I think that the movie relied heavily upon the shock value). This was Al Pacino's early days, before he went down the path of ridiculous over-the-top acting. He does a good job in presenting a believable character (which was based on a true NY cop). Other supporting roles are nicely done too. The music is mostly inappropriate even though they might be good pieces by themselves (in isolation).

I think it's easy to dismiss Heat as "a good film but not one of Pacino's best performances", an opinion often based on his histrionics. But there's a lot of subtle gestures and nuances going on alongside that all-guns-blazing, gum-chewing action.

If it's not that, it's Donnie Brasco.

Scent of A Women I'm sure is in the top 10 of the best Pacino movies.

Michael Corleone in GF I and II, Dog Day Afternoon, Scent of a Woman and Merchant of Venice.

I must say I loved his over the top performance in Devil's Advocate.