5 Most Painfully Underrated Al Pacino Movies Everyone Should Watch At Least Once

He’s fronted many classics, but what are some of Al Pacino’s most underrated films? After fronting the first two The Godfather movies, Al Pacino went on an incredible run of movies, from Serpico to Scarface. The actor’s filmography is a veritable embarrassment of riches. Of course, like any major star, he’s had many duds too.

His 1985 historical drama Revolution was such a turkey that he took a four-year break from acting, while 2017’s Hangman is easily Al Pacino’s worst movie. In between the highs and lows are a bunch of really solid films deserving of rediscovery. From controversial thrillers to an underrated sequel, these outings need a little more love.

5

Cruising (1980)

It’s hard to underline how controversial this William Friedkin movie was upon release. This thriller cast Pacino as a police officer sent undercover into New York’s gay S&M scene to find a killer, and it was greeted with furious protest by gay activists. They felt the film and its depiction of the community was actively harmful and homophobic.

The film was a critical and commercial letdown, while Pacino later admitted he didn’t like the final product. Time has been very, very kind to Cruising, however. It’s a movie about identity, sexual repression, police corruption and how Pacino’s officer loses himself in the role he’s playing.

Cruising’s depiction of the killer is also deeply eerie. Friedkin never clearly shows his face, and has the actors who played victims in previous murder sequences then play the killer in later scenes. The film ends on a deeply ambiguous note too, even suggesting Pacino’s Burns could be the murderer.

The film is ultimately a dark, complex murder mystery, and one that rewards multiple viewings. It’s possible to come away from Cruising with different readings each time, and it’s easily Friedkin and Pacino’s most underrated work – even if the latter isn’t a fan.

4

Carlito’s Way (1993)

Carlito’s Way was a reunion between Pacino and Brian De Palma, after their 1983 hit Scarface. This 1993 thriller cast Pacino as the title character, a criminal trying to go straight in 1970s New York, but his so-called friends and associates keep dragging him back in.

Carlito’s Way is a more mature, melancholy tale than Scarface, following a criminal who desperately wants to escape from his past but can’t. Being a De Palma thriller, it naturally looks sumptuous, and he stages some great sequences like the finale chase through Grand Central Terminal.

Pacino is surrounded by a great cast too, with Sean Penn as Carlito’s highly strung, slimy lawyer being the highlight. Carlito’s Way is notable for being one of Pacino’s more restrained central performances in the 1990s, where he soon gave way to hammier impulses in the likes of Scent of a Woman or The Devil’s Advocate.

Carlito’s Way is held in high regard, but it’s overshadowed by other films on Pacino’s list of credits. It’s a film deserving of more attention, as it’s both incredibly well-made and genuinely moving.

3

Insomnia (2002)

Insomnia was only Christopher Nolan’s third film, and one that feels almost forgotten now. This is al shame, as it’s a chilly, tense thriller that features one of the most committed performances of Pacino’s career in the 21st century.

A remake of a 1997 Norwegian neo-noir, the story is set in Alaska, where Pacino’s cop and his partner come to investigate a teenage girl’s murder. Unfortunately for Pacino’s sleep-deprived detective, he accidentally kills his partner while chasing said killer (played by Robin Williams), who then blackmails him in the aftermath.

Insomnia was an important stepping stone in Nolan’s career. It gave him an introduction to studio moviemaking and was the bridge between the low-budget Memento and the blockbuster thrills of Batman Begins. While it rarely gets talked about among his works, Nolan has dubbed Insomnia his most underrated film.

In truth, it might work a little better if the film were nastier, since it seems too concerned with making Pacino’s cop sympathetic. That said, there’s much to recommend. The performances are terrific across the board, Nolan stages some taut setpieces and the bleak locations it was shot in look stunning.

2

The Godfather Part III (1990)

In one sense, The Godfather Part III could never have lived up to the hype. The only film more acclaimed than The Godfather is The Godfather Part II, and 15 years had passed by the time the third entry hit cinemas. When it arrived, the issues with it were immediately apparent.

The casting of Sofia Coppola as the daughter of Pacino’s mob boss Michael Corleone was a mistake, and she was too young and inexperienced to pull off the part. The sequel is also sillier and more melodramatic, such as the outrageous sequence where a helicopter massacres a mobster meeting.

For all its flaws, there’s some fantastic stuff in The Godfather Part III. Pacino is incredible, with Michael looking and sounding physically weighed down by the burden of his sins. It looks beautiful, and Andy Garcia infuses it with a livewire spark of energy that it badly needs.

Coppola has said he viewed the final Godfather as an epilogue for Michael, and wanted to label it as such. This doesn’t mean its inherent issues should be ignored, but it rests more comfortably alongside two of the greatest movies ever made when viewed as a coda.

1

The Recruit (2003)

Colin Farrell was seen as the next big thing shortly after his turn in low-budget war drama Tigerland. From there, he seemed to pop up in every major release, including Minority Report, Daredevil and S.W.A.T.

One of the first big tests of his potential star power was The Recruit, where Pacino’s grizzled vet trains him to become a CIA agent. Of course, things are not as they seem, and Farrell’s eager trainee is soon pulled into the knotty world of espionage.

The film was a solid if unremarkable hit back in 2003, though it proved there was an audience for Farrell. The Recruit is ultimately a glossier take on Spy Game, another thriller where a screen legend (in this case, Robert Redford) mentors an up-and-coming star (Brad Pitt) in the spy world.

The film delights in twists and shocks to wrong-foot both Farrell’s naive young spy and audiences, and the two leads have good chemistry. The Recruit was likely an easy paycheck gig for Al Pacino, but he’s clearly having fun and brings a lot of class to what could have been a generic thriller.

Birthdate

April 25, 1940

Birthplace

New York City, New York, USA