Al Pacino has had an illustrious career spanning more than five decades, and his filmography is stuffed with some of cinema's best movies. The actor's breakout role was as Michael Corleone in the gangster classic The Godfather, and it established Pacino as the go-to actor for all things crime-related. It led to his starring roles on either side of the law in some of the greatest crime dramas ever made. The Godfather was also the first of many times Pacino was nominated for an Academy Award, as he has been nominated nine times for acting, but has shockingly only won once.
Between Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Man, and Sydney Lumet, Pacino has made it a habit to work with the best filmmakers of the time, as they all directed him in multiple films (Scorsese tried to cast Pacino in the '80s, long before The Irishman was ever conceived). As a result, Pacino has led some of cinema's most noteworthy and culturally significant movies. Many of those films were elevated by Pacino's signature frantic performances, whether it's as an chaotic detective or the Devil himself. Between The Godfather, Scarface, and Heat, Pacino has tons of iconic characters and movies under his belt.
10 The Devil's Advocate (1997)
The Devil's Advocate featured the seasoned, award-winning actor and Keanu Reeves (who was still yet to reach his full potential) in this outrageous and baffling legal drama horror. Unlike most of Pacino's other movies at the time, The Devil's Advocate wasn't winning any awards, but it was a huge hit with audiences (accruing 79% on Rotten Tomatoes) and one of Keanu Reeves' best horror movie. The film is the very best example of Pacino's over-the-top acting, as he plays Kevin Lomax (a.k.a. the Devil), and while Keanu Reeves can't match Pacino's performance, it's a fun and unlikely pairing of two huge stars.
9 Scent Of A Woman (1992)
Scent of a Woman sees Pacino in one of the most dramatic roles of his career. It follows Charlie (Chris O'Donnell), who decides to take care of a hostile, blind, war veteran (Pacino). What follows are confessions of several emotional moments and the shocking reveal that the veteran went blind after drunkenly juggling grenades. Pacino gives an honestly bleak performance without any of his typical eccentricities, even if Frank Slade is Pacino's most likable character, and it's why he deservedly finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor. However, it has an uplifting ending and surprisingly becomes a feel-good movie following the heartbreak and tragedy.
8 Donnie Brasco (1997)
Al Pacino had a huge 1997. Along with The Devil's Advocate, he starred in the 1997 crime drama Donnie Brasco, which follows the titular FBI agent (Johnny Depp), who goes undercover and infiltrates the Bonanno crime family. Pacino plays Lefty Ruggiero, an aging hitman who takes Donnie under his wing, and while Lefty's occupation is unforgivable, Depp and Pacino's chemistry is what really makes the movie rewatchable. The movie puts one of Hollywood's most seasoned actors and one of its rising stars at the time together on screen, and it's exhilarating. Not to mention that it features the classic "fuggedaboutit" scene.
7 Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Glengarry Glen Ross is one of the few movies that accurately depict what life of a salesman is really like. Even in a role where he plays an average middle-class citizen working in sales, Pacino delivers an exceptionally terrifying performance, as he plays Ricky Roma, a short-tempered salesman who nobody would dare cross. Although the movie has an ensemble cast, Pacino small role stands out as he has a few key scenes and the bite in an otherwise somber movie that it needs. The film is a powerhouse of acting, and though it only earned $10 million (via Box Office Mojo), it has become a cult classic.
6 The Irishman (2019)
It took a while but Pacino and Scorsese finally worked together in 2019 on The Irishman (alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci - who, according to EW, had come out of retirement for the role). With a huge budget that was estimated to be over $175 million (via Cinema Blend), the gangster epic explores the mysterious death of Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). Not only is Pacino is perfect as the lovable Hoffa (and it's a refreshingly pensive role compared to Pacino's underwhelming 2010s movies), but Pacino and Scorsese's penchant for violent and frantic crime dramas, can be felt through the screen too.
5 Serpico (1973)
Quickly following The Godfather, Serpico sees Pacino on the other side of the law, as he plays the titular NYPD police officer - the only one in his precinct that isn't dirty, trying to clean up the streets. Pacino worked with director Sydney Lumet to bring the real-life Frank Serpico to the big screen, and the actor delivers the performance that established his eccentric and lively style. Once again, the '70s crime movie is unique in that it doesn't glamorize any part of what Serpico or the criminals do, and it's closer to a documentary about the celebrated police officer than it is a Hollywood movie.
4 Scarface (1983)
Tony Montana in Scarface is easily the Pacino character that's most recognizable by their appearance alone. Everything from his stylish suits to his sports cars to all the other excess in the character's life has cemented Tony as a pop culture icon. It's a testament to Pacino's acting that the Italian-American is totally believable as a Cuban refugee. However, the movie itself is a harrowing tale of addiction and the dangers of pleasure-seeking, and in that respect, Tony's lifestyle might have blurred the movie's message. Nevertheless, a Scarface remake is stuck in development hell, and that's because the 1983 version has a huge legacy and Pacino is irreplaceable as Tony.
3 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon is the second collaboration between Pacino and Lumet, and it's just as emotionally exhausting and distressing as Serpico, if not more so. The movie follows two desperate criminals who rob a bank and hold all the employees and customers hostage. It's almost like if Inside Man was stripped of all its style and entertainment, but it's completely engaging and impossible not to empathize with Sonny (Pacino) and Sal (John Cazele). But Dog Day Afternoon is culturally significant not just because it depicts the worst heist in movie history, but because had a LGBTQ+ character at the forefront of the story, which was rare in the 1970s.
2 Heat (1995)
Heat wasn't just a movie, it was an event. It saw two of the world's biggest actors (who had been competing for roles for years) face off against each other in an exciting chase thriller. The movie totally lived up to expectations, even if Pacino and De Niro only share two scenes together. The film is hugely influential too, as the final shoot-out is used to teach Marines (via The Digital Fix). Vincent Hanna (Pacino) is the ultimate role of the actor's that sees him screaming and yelling all of his lines, a trademark of his, which might be because Hanna was addicted to cocaine in the original script.
1 The Godfather Trilogy (1972 - 1990)
The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are the second and fourth-highest-rated movies of all time on IMDb, respectively. The movies tell the rise and fall of the most ruthless gangster in movies, Michael Corleone (Pacino). Not only did the first film introduce the world to Pacino, but it it showed just how great of an actor he was. The original film saw Al Pacino acting as an optimistic war hero, a vengeful hothead, and a corrupt businessman, and that was all one role. While The Godfather Part III doesn't have the same reputation as its predecessors, it's still a great film that satisfyingly completes Michael's tragic story.