10 Best Al Pacino Movies, Ranked (2024)

Since the 1970s, Al Pacino has been one of the greatest, most acclaimed performers in the film industry, turning in a number of brilliant, emotional performances before the decade was even over. From starring in gangster movies to modern thrillers, Pacino is one of the best character actors in film history. Working alongside Hollywood titans like Francis Ford Coppola, Marlon Brando, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, he has one of the most consistently great careers on the big screen.

Between the 1970s and 1990s, Al Pacino turned in some of the greatest performances ever seen on film, with some of his work putting him in the running for greatest acting work of all time. From gangsters to the Devil himself, the actor has earned one of the most powerful and influential legacies in the world of entertainment, with few equals. Few men command the attention of audiences as well as Pacino, and his best films are a testament to this.

10 The Devil's Advocate Gives Satan a Law Firm

The Devil's Advocate follows a Florida attorney, Kevin Lomax, who has built a stellar reputation for being undefeated in court. When he's hired to assist a New York firm run by John Milton (Al Pacino). Against the wishes of his mother, the lawyer accepts a full-time job from Milton and joins his firm, being handed the same sordid cases he'd worked in Gainsville. However, as his workload increases, his wife, Mary Ann, is left neglected, and Kevin begins witnessing strange and scandalous occurrences. In the final act, Milton is revealed as Satan himself, along with a revelation that shakes the young attorney to his core.

The Devil's Advocate is a contender for the best film in Keanu Reeves' career, as well as one of the best in Pacino's post-Godfather roles, as well as his most physical performance. The film combines supernatural thriller with courtroom drama, keeping audiences hooked from start to finish as Kevin attempts to salvage his soul in the face of the Devil's corrupting influence.

9 Scent of a Woman Is a Touching Drama

Scent of a Woman follows Charlie Simms, a student at an exclusive, wealthy prep school who is hired to care for a blind, decorated retired colonel, Frank Slade, for Thanksgiving weekend. When Charlie sees some of his classmates prank the headmaster, Trask, he and a friend are landed in hot water, especially as they refuse to name the students involved. At the same time, Frank bonds with the young man, but announces his intention to take his own life.

Scent of a Woman features perhaps the most iconic monologue in Pacino's career, as Frank defends the integrity of his new friend. As the film that landed Al Pacino his Oscar win, it stands out as his most heartfelt performance, and a film that should be viewed by people who enjoy character drama.

8 ...And Justice For All Is a Thrilling Courtroom Drama

...And Justice For All casts Pacino in the role of Arthur Kirkland, a young and idealistic defense attorney as he navigates the Baltimore legal system. With a client in prison for something he didn't do, Kirkland fights to get Judge Fleming to review the case, but is stonewalled as the jurist doesn't want to admit fault or error while also harboring a personal distaste for the attorney. However, when Fleming is charged with sexual assault, he forces Kirkland to defend him — something that inflames tensions between the two, especially as the lawyer believes his client to be guilty.

...And Justice For All was far from the first courtroom drama, but it is one of the best examinations of the legal system from the perspective of a defense attorney. Spawning perhaps the most famous quote of its genre in Pacino's famous "this whole trial is out of order!" outburst, the movie is a must-see look at the 1970s legal system.

And Justice for All

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Crime

Thriller

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A lawyer is forced to defend a guilty judge while defending other innocent clients and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent.

Director

Norman Jewison

Release Date

September 15, 1979

Cast

Al Pacino , Jack Warden , John Forsythe , Lee Strasberg

Runtime

1 hour 59 minutes

Main Genre

Drama

7 Dog Day Afternoon Is a Heist Gone Wrong

Dog Day Afternoon follows Pacino in the role of Sonny Wortzik, a man who, in an effort to secure money to pay for his partner's gender-affirming surgery, robs a bank. When his plan goes wrong, Sonny is backed into a corner and forced to take the employees and customers hostage as police arrive on scene to bring him down. As the first-time criminal rallies pedestrians to his side, the police are forced into an increasingly contentious situation.

Dog Day Afternoon is one of the best hostage negotiation movies, one that informed the sub-genre going forward. From Pacino screaming "Attica!" to his demand for a helicopter, the film became something of a cultural touchstone, and basically created the template for the "bank heist gone wrong" style of film.

Dog Day Afternoon

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Drama

Crime

Biography

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Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.

Director

Sidney Lumet

Release Date

December 25, 1975

Cast

Al Pacino , John Cazale , Penelope Allen , Carol Kane

Writers

Frank Pierson , P.F. Kluge , Thomas Moore

Runtime

125 minutes

Main Genre

Drama

6 Donnie Brasco Explores Undercover Police Work

Donnie Brasco focuses on Joseph Pistone, an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates the Mafia under the identity of a jewel thief named Donnie Brasco. He meets Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino), an aging hitman for the mob, who brings Donnie into the fold and strikes up a friendship with the young man. As the protagonist collects evidence on the wiseguys, his marriage begins to fail as he's forced to live a double life, spending weeks at a time away from his family.

Donnie Brasco is a gripping crime film, one based on a true story that helps audiences see the perils of undercover work through the eyes of Pistone. In Lefty, Pacino is given one of his more underrated roles, but he fits the character perfectly — a gangster past his prime who is torn between loyalty to an organization that no longer respects him the way he deserves. As Pistone begins to respect Lefty, he is himself torn by what he has to do.

Donnie Brasco

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Crime

Biography

Drama

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An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.

Director

Mike Newell

Release Date

February 28, 1997

Cast

Al Pacino , Johnny Depp , Michael Madsen , Bruno Kirby

Writers

Joseph D. Pistone , Richard Woodley , Paul Attanasio

Runtime

127 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

5 Glengarry Glen Ross Is An Intense Drama

Glengarry Glen Ross focuses on a group of real estate agents who, over the course of two days, are forced to extreme methods to sell, with their jobs hanging in the balance. Resorting to lies, bribery and coercion, the group compete with one another to close as many deals as possible. Of the four sales reps, only two can keep their jobs and will be handed prospective leads for the prestigious Glengarry Highlands development if they win.

Glengarry Glen Ross is an examination of workplace tensions, competition and ethics, as each of the characters crosses into immoral territory to try and keep their jobs. Pacino plays the role of Richard Roma, a sleazy, amoral closer who uses borderline scam tactics to sell property to vulnerable clients. The film is known for many things, but its excessively profane script stands out and makes the film especially memorable.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

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4 Carlito's Way Is A Unique Gangster Movie

Carlito's Way casts Pacino as Carlito Brigante, a newly released criminal who attempts to turn his life around and avoid falling back into a life of crime. However, when he accompanies his cousin, Guajiro, to a drug deal, the man is forced to shoot his way out when his relative is killed, and uses the money intended for drugs to buy a stake in a nightclub. When he reunites with his old girlfriend, Gail, he tries to fulfill his dream of moving to the Caribbean. However, when his friend, Dave, is forced to aid a mob boss in a prison escape, the pair are sent on the run when Dave kills both the boss and his son.

Carlito's Way is a unique gangster movie, one that follows a well-meaning protagonist pulled back in by his friends, whose greed strains Carlito's loyalty to them. The film continues to go overlooked by Pacino fans, as Scarface and The Godfather are more synonymous with the actor's career. This is partially due to it being one of his more subtle performances, yet still a brilliant one.

3 Scarface Follows the Ascension of a Drug Lord

Scarface tells the story of Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee and former convict who moves to Miami. There, he and his friends end up working for Frank Lopez, a local drug lord who appreciates their hand in killing one of Castro's top lieutenants. After narrowly surviving a group of murderous drug dealers, Tony begins to rise through the ranks of the city's criminal underworld, eventually usurping Frank as the biggest drug kingpin around. However, his self-destructive behavior sends him on a crash course with the authorities.

Scarface is one of the most iconic crime films of its era, competing with The Godfather for Pacino's best-known film, with the role of Tony Montana standing out as his most-referenced. Pacino turns in some of his best work as a character actor, delivering famous lines like "say hello to my little friend" during his memorable last stand against assassins.

Scarface

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Crime

Drama

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A Cuban immigrant rises through the Miami underworld to become a powerful drug lord. His relentless pursuit of the American dream turns into an obsession with power and wealth, leading to paranoia and a violent downfall, starkly portraying the costs of extreme ambition and corruption.

Director

Brian De Palma

Release Date

December 9, 1983

Cast

Al Pacino , Michelle Pfeiffer , Robert Loggia , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , F. Murray Abraham , Miriam Colon

Writers

Oliver Stone , Howard Hawks , Ben Hecht

Runtime

170 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

Budget

$25 million

Studio(s)

Universal Pictures

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

2 Heat Is Michael Mann's Finest Work

Set in Los Angeles, Heat focuses on a crew of skilled bank robbers, as well as the police detectives charged with bringing them down. The film primarily revolves around Neal McCauley, one of the thieves, as he meets a woman and develops feelings for her, as well as Lt. Vincent Hanna, a workaholic cop in a failing marriage. As the criminals plot their next job, the detectives on the case close in on them, threatening McCauley's potential for an out.

Heat is, first and foremost, a character study of its two leads, exploring how they represent opposite sides of the same coin. Both men are driven, dedicated professionals on opposite sides of the law, each one consumed by their vocations. With an iconic shootout and flawless performances from the entire cast, the film is a legendary crime story for all the right reasons and is a testament to Michael Mann's skills as a storyteller.

Heat

R

Action

Crime

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A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.

Director

Michael Mann

Release Date

December 15, 1995

Cast

Al Pacino , Robert De Niro , Val Kilmer , Jon Voight , Tom Sizemore , Ashley Judd

Writers

Michael Mann

Runtime

2 hours 50 minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Production Company

Warner Bros., New Regency Productions, Forward Pass, Art Linson Productions, Monarchy Enterprises B.V.

1 The Godfather Houses Some Of Cinema's Greatest Performances

The Godfather Part I & II tells the story of Michael Corleone's ascension to the head of the Corleone crime family. The first film begins with Michael as a war hero returning for his sister's wedding and getting roped back into the Mafia lifestyle to avenge his father after an assassination attempt. After killing a corrupt police chief and rival mobster, the young man takes over the crime family when his father later dies, after Michael marries his fiance and becomes a father. The second film picks up on his story five years later, now a feared and respected mobster but one whose lifestyle is slowly alienating his wife.

The Godfather saga isn't just Al Pacino's finest acting but contains some of the greatest performances ever put to the big screen. These range from Pacino acting out Michael Corleone's slow moral decline, Diane Keaton playing the role of the distant, demoralized wife, to Marlon Brando's career-defining role as Don Vito Corleone. Pacino stands out as the most powerful performer throughout the films, with few denying it as his all-time best work.

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  The Godfather (1972)

  R

  Crime

  Drama

  Don Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger.

  Director

  Francis Ford Coppola

  Release Date

  March 24, 1972

  Cast

  Marlon Brando , Al Pacino , James Caan

  Writers

  Francis Ford Coppola , Mario Puzo

  Runtime

  2 hours 55 minutes

  Main Genre

  Crime

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  The Godfather Part II

  R

  Crime

  Drama

  The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.

  Director

  Francis Ford Coppola

  Release Date

  December 18, 1974

  Cast

  Al Pacino , Robert De Niro , Robert Duvall

  Writers

  Francis Ford Coppola , Mario Puzo

  Runtime

  3 hours 22 minutes

  Main Genre

  Crime

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  The Godfather Part III

  R

  Drama

  Crime

  Follows Michael Corleone, now in his 60s, as he seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire.

  Director

  Francis Ford Coppola

  Release Date

  December 25, 1990

  Cast

  Al Pacino , Diane Keaton , Andy Garcia , Talia Shire , Eli Wallach , Joe Mantegna , George Hamilton , Bridget Fonda

  Writers

  Mario Puzo , Francis Ford Coppola

  Runtime

  162 Minutes

  Main Genre

  Drama