There's no need to mince words: Al Pacino is an acting legend, and one of cinema's most acclaimed stars. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s, and has worked steadily in the world of film ever since, portraying both lead and supporting characters in a variety of classic movies. It's safe to assume that most of the time, if Al Pacino appears in a movie, he will ultimately steal the show, and might even be the best thing within the film.

With more than 50 years of fantastic performances in numerous great movies, it's hard to cover them all, and any attempt to rank his best will always leave some out. The following aims to encapsulate the cream of the crop, when it comes to movies that Pacino's appeared in, and are ranked below, starting with the very good and ending with the all-time classics - arguably masterpieces - that the legendary American actor has featured in.

25 'House of Gucci' (2021)

Director: Ridley Scott

Though it's a bit schlocky and overlong, House of Gucci is ultimately a pretty fun crime movie. It featured Lady Gaga in her first big role after 2018's A Star Is Born, and she was joined by other immensely talented actors, including Adam Driver, Jeremy Irons, and of course Al Pacino. Jared Leto was also in the movie.

Directed by Ridley Scott, the film was very loosely based on a true story/scandal, which involved a woman plotting to murder her very wealthy husband, who himself was the grandson of the famed Guccio Gucci. Pacino plays a member of the Gucci clan, getting to chew scenery with everyone else on screen (there are some comically exaggerated Italian accents throughout), and he looks as though he's having a good time, so good on him.

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24 'Sea of Love' (1989)

Director: Harold Becker

Sea of Love is a lesser-known Al Pacino movie, but it's worth seeking out for those who enjoy the actor's intense style and dedication to his roles. In the film, he plays a detective working in New York City, with the narrative seeing him investigating a series of murders, and falling for a woman who may be a suspect.

It's familiar territory for a crime/mystery/film noir movie to explore, and though it wouldn't rank among the very best neo-noir movies from the 1980s, it's still pretty solid overall, and blends various genres in a way that ends up being engaging. Some of the flaws and narrative clichés are relatively easy to overlook, and Pacino's solid performance is matched by his co-stars, who include Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, and Michael Rooker.

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23 'Any Given Sunday' (1999)

Director: Oliver Stone

Though Oliver Stone's best-known movies released in the 1990s might've been historical films/biopics like JFK and Nixon, his 1999 movie Any Given Sunday is also deserving of attention. It's about various people who are all involved with a fictional American football team, with the lengthy film depicting the lives of players, coaches, team doctors, and team owners, among others.

It's hard to define a main character, but of all the people in the huge ensemble cast, it might be Al Pacino who has the most screen time as the coach behind the struggling team at the film's center. He gives a passionate and entertainingly bombastic performance, making the most of various speeches and giving even non-sports fans a reason to check out this long but well-acted sports drama.

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22 'Scarecrow' (1973)

Director: Jerry Schatzberg

Scarecrow is an Al Pacino movie that's easy to call underrated. It's strange it's not often brought up among his other notable 1970s roles, because it's a fairly good movie, and the other lead actor appearing in it - Gene Hackman - is similarly legendary and acclaimed, considered alongside Pacino as one of cinema's greatest stars.

The plot here is pretty loose, instead focusing more on being a grounded character study just as many gritty, down-to-earth 1970s drama movies chose to be. It's about two drifters trying to find their way in life, learning the hard way that striving to achieve dreams doesn't always mean they'll come to fruition. Not a lot happens, but Scarecrow is compelling thanks to how natural it all feels, as well as owing to how reliably good both Pacino and Hackman are.

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21 'Dick Tracy' (1990)

Director: Warren Beatty

There were an unusually high number of crime movies released in 1990, though none can claim to be quite as strange as Dick Tracy. It's an eclectic and singular film directed by (and starring) Warren Beatty, with the story following the titular character as he battles gangsters led by mob boss Big Boy Caprice, played by Al Pacino (who even got an Oscar nomination for his performance here).

Pacino looks memorably grotesque in the role, and turns in an amazingly heightened and larger-than-life performance, stealing every scene he's in. That's truly saying something, too, considering how uniquely vibrant the whole movie looks, and how stacked its cast is, as not only does it feature Beatty and Pacino, but it also stars Madonna, Mandy Patinkin, Dustin Hoffman, and James Caan, among others.

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20 'And Justice for All' (1979)

Director: Norman Jewison

Standing as one of the best legal dramas of the 1970s, And Justice for All is a little underrated, and easily worth watching for fans of the genre and/or Pacino. He stars as a defense lawyer working in Baltimore who finds himself in over his head with his latest matter, as it involves defending a guilty judge alongside other innocent defenders.

Things unfold in a gradual yet tense way, with Pacino's character being gradually pushed to breaking point as the film progresses. It's surprisingly engaging for a movie predominantly made up of people just talking, and for as solid as all the technical and writing-related aspects are, it's really Pacino who makes And Justice for All go from a decent film to a very good one.

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19 'Cruising' (1980)

Director: William Friedkin

Cruising caused a stir upon release and is still a movie that gets debated to this day, regarding whether it feels like it crosses boundaries and offends, or is effective in properly condemning certain homophobic attitudes. The premise itself is quite confronting, given it follows a police officer who goes undercover in New York City's underground LGBTQ+ scene to find the identity of a killer targeting gay men.

Its provocative and uncompromising nature means it won't be for everyone, and this approach to filmmaking was often used by the late William Friedkin, who always seemed willing to disrupt the status quo. Pacino's certainly dedicated to the film's challenging lead performance, with his involvement and Friedkin's sensibilities making Cruising a memorable film that's worth a watch for viewers who feel up to watching something admittedly divisive and dark.

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18 'The Godfather: Part III' (1990)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Even if it wasn't as good as the movies that were released before, The Godfather: Part III does get a little too much criticism and is a solid enough finale to make the overall Godfather trilogy remain a great one. The plot follows a much older Michael Corleone and sees him trying to legitimize the family business while seeking redemption for his past misdeeds.

It's an uneven movie, with certain sequences proving far more effective than others, but it undeniably has an explosive and dramatic final act that concludes the epic crime saga on a high note. And Al Pacino is as fantastic as always as the tragic figure that is Michael Corleone, being 100% dedicated to the role here, even if the material he's given to work with isn't quite as strong as it was in the two other movies.

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17 'Carlito's Way' (1993)

Director: Brian De Palma

The second crime movie collaboration between Al Pacino and director Brian De Palma, Carlito's Way is more subdued (and less well-known) than the Miami-set crime epic they made exactly 10 years prior. It follows a newly released prisoner who wants to put his life of crime behind him, only to find various forces from his past are making that easier said than done, ultimately leading to great drama and inevitable tragedy.

Carlito's Way is a grounded and compelling look at redemption and the inescapable nature of a life of crime, and though it's sometimes a little slow, it works and does inevitably build to a strong climax. It's one of the better Pacino movies released during the 1990s, and certainly worth watching for anyone who's let it slip under their radar.

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16 'Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood' (2019)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Though Al Pacino's role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is fairly small (perhaps somewhere between a cameo and a supporting role), it's still a great movie the legendary actor happens to feature in. And given Quentin Tarantino plans to retire soon, it's good that these two prominent figures within the American film industry got to work together at least once.

He plays the agent of Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Rick Dalton, who's experiencing a rough patch in his acting career and is desperate to reclaim his former glory as a star. Pacino's scenes are fun, and the movie as a whole is a wonderful depiction of Hollywood at the end of the 1960s, sticking fairly close to the reality of life back then for much of the movie until the memorable final half-hour turns into something of a fairytale (albeit a graphically violent one).

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15 'The Panic in Needle Park' (1971)

Director: Jerry Schatzberg

Movies dealing with the topic of addiction are always difficult watches, and one would assume they're also difficult films to act in. That makes the fact that Al Pacino's first starring role was in The Panic in Needle Park even more remarkable, as this very grounded and realistic movie is all about the struggle of a young couple living in New York City who are both heroin addicts. It's something of a love story, but worth noting that it's a very serious and dramatic one, not necessarily feeling romantic as a result.

Pacino demonstrates that right from the start of his career, he was an acting force to be reckoned with, and his co-star, Kitty Winn, gives a similarly strong performance. The Panic in Needle Park is a harrowing movie to experience, holding up as an intense look at severe addiction and having lost very little of its power in the 50+ years since its release.

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14 'The Devil's Advocate' (1997)

Director: Taylor Hackford

Al Pacino is as captivating in subdued roles as he is in the more over-the-top roles he's taken on, but it tends to be the movies in the latter category that are most famous. And few movies feature as explosive an Al Pacino performance as The Devil's Advocate does, because here, Pacino gets to play a truly menacing and evil antagonist, and is clearly having a blast doing so.

He's the boss of a prestigious New York City law firm, and it's Keanu Reeves' character - a new member of the firm - who learns firsthand just what his new boss is capable of. It's a somewhat ridiculous film at times, but it also seems pretty self-aware about it, and it does ultimately result in a very entertaining movie that blends supernatural horror and law-related drama to great effect.

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13 'Scent of a Woman' (1992)

Director: Martin Brest

Believe it or not, Al Pacino has only won a single Oscar in his lengthy and accomplished acting career, with an additional eight nominations received between the years 1972 and 2019. That single Oscar win was for his performance in Scent of a Woman, a movie where he plays a retired U.S. Army officer who also happens to be blind.

The movie revolves around the unlikely bond that forms between him and a college student played by Chris O’Donnell, who takes on a temporary job as a caregiver/personal assistant. Scent of a Woman is a fairly predictable and sappy movie at times, but it's undeniably watchable and well-acted, feeling like a relatively compelling drama film enhanced greatly by its acting, and worth watching for the fact that it's Pacino's sole Oscar win alone.

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12 'Serpico' (1973)

Director: Sidney Lumet

Al Pacino starred in a streak of absolutely iconic films throughout the 1970s, and Serpico is undeniably one of them. It tells the real-life story of Frank Serpico, a New York City cop who became famous for the way he stood up to rampant corruption in his line of work, even though doing so put him in immense physical danger.

Like he just about always does, Pacino completely disappears into the role, which, along with the grounded filmmaking, makes Serpico feel remarkably realistic, and it overall emerges as one of the grittiest crime/drama movies of its decade. It marked the first time Pacino received a nomination for Best Lead Actor, and continues to stand to this day as one of the grittiest and most compelling crime/drama movies of its decade.

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11 'Angels in America' (2003)

Director: Mike Nichols

It might be considered cheating to include Angels in America among Al Pacino's best movies, since it's more of a miniseries than it is a traditional film. It runs for close to six hours and is split into six episodes, though the presentation is overall remarkably cinematic, giving it the feel of a movie that just so happens to be three times longer than most movies.

It's also one of the finest things filmmaker Mike Nichols ever made, and tells a compelling story revolving around numerous characters whose lives are all impacted by the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Pacino shines in one of the lead roles, as do the various other people in the miniseries' remarkable cast, including Meryl Streep, Jeffrey Wright, and Emma Thompson.

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10 'Donnie Brasco' (1997)

Director: Mike Newell

Al Pacino excels in just about any genre, but it's fair to say that the actor's most at home when he's starring in something crime-related. He's one of the best of all time when it comes to portraying gangsters or criminals in general, which he gets to do in Donnie Brasco, playing a member of the mob.

He befriends an undercover FBI agent played by Johnny Depp, with the drama of the film revolving around how this agent becomes conflicted over what to do after he takes a liking to the mob lifestyle. Donnie Brasco is an entertaining and very well-made movie, being fairly easy to get absorbed in while also carrying additional interest for the fact that it's based on a true story. The added biographical element of Donnie Brasco undeniably adds an extra layer to the film as a whole.

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9 'Insomnia' (2002)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Insomnia is one of Christopher Nolan's less overwhelming and confusing movies, but remains tremendously exciting, even without much by way of time manipulation or anything sci-fi/superhero-related. It is an intensely psychological thriller, though, revolving around two detectives sent to investigate a murder in a small town.

Al Pacino plays one of the detectives, and his character finds himself under increasing pressure thanks to an inability to sleep, which understandably makes the task at hand even more difficult. It's a surprisingly great movie, and also contains one of the very best dramatic performances Robin Williams ever gave, with the distinctly chilly look of the film, owing to its setting, also making it stick in one's mind long after it's over.

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8 'Glengarry Glen Ross' (1992)

Director: James Foley

Arguably standing as one of the best-written movies of the 1990s, Glengarry Glen Ross is essentially a movie about men yelling at each other for almost two hours, but in a way that's riveting. It's about an intense competition that kicks off between various real estate salesmen, as they're told near the start of the film that all but two will be fired by the week's end.

Glengarry Glen Ross is a movie with an ensemble cast, and that means Al Pacino doesn't stand out quite as much as usual, instead fitting in well with a dynamic range of actors who are each firing on all cylinders. It's one of the most compelling dialogue-heavy movies of the past few decades and is incredibly stressful for just about the entire runtime in the best way possible, and Pacino more than earned the Oscar nomination he got for his role here.

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7 'The Insider' (1999)

Director: Michael Mann

Michael Mann is best known for his action and crime movies, but The Insider is a more subdued film from the director that still manages to be utterly engrossing and exciting, showing Mann's immense (and perhaps underrated) range. It's based on a true story and revolves around a 60 Minutes report that exposed some dramatic behind-the-scenes secrets within the tobacco industry in America.

It might sound a little dry on paper, and its premise plus the fact that it clocks in at a lengthy 158 minutes might make it sound a little intimidating to watch. However, it's without a doubt worth giving a shot, as it ends up being remarkably captivating, benefiting from great pacing, strong direction, and impressive acting from the likes of Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer, among others.

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6 'The Irishman' (2019)

Director: Martin Scorcese

It might be a little slower and bleaker than something like Goodfellas or The Departed, but The Irishman can still be included among the greatest crime movies directed by Martin Scorsese. It tells the story of a hitman named Frank Sheeran (played by Robert De Niro), and focuses in particular on his involvement with the disappearance of union leader Jimmy Hoffa.

Al Pacino plays Hoffa here with a fiery dedication and earned his most recent Oscar nomination (and his first since Scent of a Woman back in 1992) for the role. He's a key reason why the film ends up having such a tremendous emotional impact, with his portrayal of Hoffa being instrumental in making the tragic nature of the story - particularly regarding the way it ends - hit as hard as possible.

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