Buttmunker

Al Pacino was an amazing actor, and there are several movies he deserved to win the Academy Award for. Obviously, he did his breakthrough work in ...

1972's "The Godfather", and received his first Oscar nomination as Michael Corleone, for Best Supporting Actor. His performance, I thought, was transcendence in its finest - or, perhaps, the opposite - as he goes from goody-goody Mikey to the evil and corrupt Michael Corleone, The Godfather, within the course of the picture. An outstanding performance, and the one that deserved the Oscar for supporting actor of 1972. (**he lost to Joel Grey in Cabaret***)

1973's "Serpico" earned Pacino his second Oscar nomination, and the first for lead actor. His dramatic acting on the real life experience of Frank Serpico, the NYC Police Officer who denies the corruption of "better living" by blowing the whistle on his fellow officers who accepted bribes, was almost equally perpelling as his role as Michael Corleone. In the film, he underwent a physical transformation - from clean shaven police man to a shaggy-faced undercover officer. (***he lost to Jack Lemmon in "Save The Tiger"***)

1974's "The Godfather, Part II" brought Pacino back as Michael Corleone, but I didn't feel that he had the same chances of doing as good a job as he did in the first. For one thing, he appeared as he left off in the first film - an evil individual. He resumed his role, and continued in that role until the end of the sequel. He was icy, ruthless, cruel, and unfeeling - but you didn't get the impression of growth, as in the first movie. That's where I felt the performance was weak, and although it wasn't entirely his fault so much as it was the director's, it didn't have any merits for an Oscar. Yet, he received his third Oscar nomination, his second for Best Actor. (***he lost to Art Carney in "Harry & Tonto"***)

1975's "Dog Day Afternoon" brought a new character to Al Pacino since "The Godfather" - that of a total, complete loser. He was a bungling bank robber, based on a true story, who wanted the money for his boy friend's sex change operation. The very fact that Pacino went against cast to play an inept individual shoud have earned him his first Academy Award. Instead, he lost once again. (***he lost to Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest***)

1979's "And Justice For All" was a decent movie, and had some medicore scenes - but the famous scene was in the courtroom where he decides to embrace his ethics and go against his defense attorney stance ("You're out of order!"), but I don't think that was enough to snare him his first Oscar, even though he was nominated for the fourth time as Best Actor. (***he lost to Dustin Hoffman in "Kramer Vs Kramer"***)

1990's "Dick Tracy" brought Al Pacino back to Oscar's attention, in a supporting role, as Big Boy Caprice - and his over-the-top performance really should have landed him the Oscar for best supporting actor...(***but he lost to Joe Pesci in "Goodfellas"***)

1992's "Scent of a Woman" he played the blind Lt. Slade, who was at a cross-roads in his life, but saw a detour when Chris O'Donnell's character comes into his life. In the end, he redeems himself and saves the future of O'Donnell's character (who I couldn't stand). The finale of "Scent of A Woman" was the best part of the film, and it was undoubtedly the scene in the film that caught the Academy's attention. (***HE WON***)

1992's "Glengarry Glen Ross" saw him as a real estate agent who was head's above his colleagues, including Jack Lemmon who was really bad at his job, and got all the leads and was a total success at his profession. (***he lost to Gene Hackman in "Unforgiven***)

mookyman

I voted for The Godfather Part II, and I think that Scarface should also be an option.

inri222

He should have won for The Godfather II and Denzel should have won for Malcolm X instead of Pacino for SOAW.

Samuel

Carlito's Way

Geofferson

Either Serpico or Dog Day Afternoon should have yielded him an Oscar.

lesterlong

Dog Day Afternoon by far.

gutwrencher

it's my personal fav. GF2 is outstanding and he deserved it. great performance.

MurraySiskind

I think his performance in Donnie Brasco is as good as anything he's done.

Neeb

I think he did work as good as or better than the listed choices in "Heat," "Any Given Sunday," and "Insomnia."

That said I go with Godfather One is the list.

wm lopez

GODFATHER 2, but the performance isn't like his DOG DAY AFTERNOON performance.
In that movie you never have seen him act that way, and Jack Nichloson who beat him for ONE FLEW OVER THE COOKU'S NEST has played that same act ever since.
And as for SCARFACE, he should have been nominated instead of Tom Conti that year for some forign film.

Mountain Biker

Serpico...

Pacino at his all-time best

Sunday Morning

Serpico or dog day.

Charlie Goose

From that list, The Godfather, but I also think he did superior work in Sea of Love. The latter was his last decent performance.

Honk!

isamu

How anyone could pick anything OTHER than Scarface is BEYOND me! Best performance from any actor...E.V.E.R.p.

(well, except for R. Lee Ermy in FMJ of cpurse )

xDareDevilx

didn't vote because scarface is not on the list. THe only performance I can think of right now that might have been better than pacino in scarface is Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of NY.

The Nature Boy

No doubt GF II. What the hell were they doing giving a TV actor that lifetime achievement Oscar?

I mean, he didn't deserve it over Jack in 75, And Justice for All is a showy, hammy, movie, and Kramer vs. Kramer has aged badly, but was an absolutely monster in it's time. I love Pacino, but they shouldn't even have nominated anyone else against Pesci he was that great in Goodfellas. I think he earned it in Scent of a Woman, great role. Glengarry's problem is it probably split the vote, every single performance, right down to Pryce, Harris and Spacey are legit Oscar nominations(and Pacino, Lemmon, Arkin and Baldwin the no brainers).

One of his unheardled roles, beautifully texitured, is not really an "Oscar" film, and that's Heat. I really think he does some great work there, and is a good balance between the comically over the top Pacino, and a real human being.

Also, I'd have the Insider on this list, I thought he was Oscar worthy there(and was he not nominated?)

Spooky

Exactly...it was a real crime that Pacino didn't even get NOMINATED for his performance in this film.

Godfather III should have been added to the voting list as well.

Buttmunker

I purposely only listed the films he was nominated for, not the ones he should have been nominated for.

F For Fake

GF II. Such a perfectly modulated, restrained performance. DDA is a great flick, but starts Al down the screaming path...

wm lopez

How Pacino didn't get nominated for some performances and Jack N. does, playing his same old performance like in COOKU NEST is beyond me.

Numanoid

Agreed.

lisadoris

My thoughts exactly.

Josh H

I voted for the Godfather. The character development is great. He pretty much almost plays 2 different characters. Is great in part II as well, but he plays more or less the same Michael Corleone from start to finish in it, so I give the nod to the original.

chente

Dog Day Afternoon. I really thought he was very good in the Insider but it isn't one of the options.

Ginwen

I voted for GF2, although any of those early ones would be ok.

I didn't pick Godfather because even though I think he was better in it than Joel Gray in Cabaret, I can kind of justify in my mind JG winning (since he was quite good in that movie, although more of a supporting actor than lead).

I didn't pick Serpico because, even though it's not his most popular movie, Jack Lemmon was excellent in Save the Tiger.

So, it's Godfather II--Art Carney winning that was a joke.

All the others I at least think they made a decent choice (if not the best choice). Oh, except, of course, the year he actually won his charity oscar for Scent of a Woman (Denzel Washington should've won that instead of winning for Training Day).