Al Pacinois such a versatile actor with a host of varied performances in his repertoire that associating a specific niche with him is nigh on impossible. With an illustrious film career that began over five decades ago in 1969’sMe, Natalie, he continues to be a prolific actor, having recently joined thecast ofDead Man’s Wire.
The actor doesn’t just show no signs of stopping; he hasn’t stopped diversifying his portfolio either.Al Pacino is a supporting actor inThe Ritual, marking his return to the horror genre in 2025, nearly 30 years after his appearance inThe Devil’s Advocate. There is practically no genre that Pacino hasn’t lent his acting talents to.
Even themovies that defined Al Pacino’s careeraren’t all the same kind,demonstrating his ability to adapt to various tones and genres. However, there is a noticeable trend in his most popular films. His gangster movies and crime thrillers will undoubtedly continue to be associated with him, irrespective of how much he experiments with other genres.
Aldo Gucci
House of Gucci
Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci is a 2021 drama based on Sara Gay Forden’s biographical book “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour”, and inspired by the real-life family behind the famous fashion brand Gucci. With a star-studded cast that includes Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Jack Huston, and Salma Hayek, the movie focuses on Patrizia Reggiani’s determination to take over her husband’s dynasty and the events that motivated her to kill him.
Ridley Scott has directed some of the biggest movies in Hollywood history. Star-studded casts, extensively detailed historical backgrounds, and culturally vibrant settings characterize his epic filmmaking style, making his movies extremely memorable. However,House of Gucciis forgettable because Scott chooses a coldly clinical narrative style for a story about a forbidden romance that caused an emotionally charged mafia feud.
While the characters are difficult to care about, theforgettable movie does have a few standout performances, including Al Pacino as Aldo Gucci. Where some of the main cast, barring Adam Driver, fail to capture the audience’s attention, Pacino, with his signature style of speaking, his charismatic screen presence, and his emotive eyes, makes every scene he’s in worth watching.
Willy Bank
Ocean’s Thirteen
Ocean’s Thirteen is the third installment in the Ocean’s series, directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film features the return of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon as Danny Ocean and his team. After one of their own is double-crossed by casino mogul Willy Bank, portrayed by Al Pacino, the team reunites to topple his empire on the eve of its grand opening in Las Vegas.
Bruce Willis' role inOcean’s Twelveis one of thebest surprise cameos in movie history. It represents the significance of theOcean’strilogy, which will forever be remembered for its growing roster of talented actors, which made it the “it” franchise for Hollywood stars in the 2000s. So, of course, Al Pacino would eventually appear in anOcean’sfilm.
With a pun of a name, Willy Bank, Pacino’s character inOcean’s Thirteen, is the wealthy owner of a casino in Las Vegas. He becomes the main crew’s target in the film. Pacino’s long history of playing criminals made himthe perfect actor for the concluding chapter’s villain, as few others could shoulder the weight of the role like him.
Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy: Released in 1990, Dick Tracy stars Warren Beatty as the titular comic strip detective. The film follows Tracy as he contends with the seductive advances of Breathless Mahoney, played by Madonna, while simultaneously confronting the powerful mob boss Big Boy Caprice.
While Christopher Reeve’sSuperman, one of the mostperfect non-animated action movies to watch with kids, had already paved the way for comic book movies, the genre continues to be primarily reserved for superhero movies. So, Warren Beatty’sDick Tracy, based on the comic strip, in which he plays the titular detective, is still an underrated gem in the genre.
Al Pacino was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of “Big Boy” inDick Tracy.
Opposite Beatty is Al Pacino as the crime boss Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice. While the film’s campy style is not akin to the tone of the actor’s more popular gangster movies, Pacino showcases his range by perfectly balancing the comical and terrifying sides of his character. While not his best, it isone of the actor’s most unique performances ever.
The Godfather Part III
Cast
The Godfather Part III: Released on July 25, 2025, this third installment in Francis Ford Coppola’s trilogy follows Michael Corleone’s efforts to legitimize his crime family’s interests in 1979 while dealing with his past sins and mentoring a young protege in both New York and Italy.
As the only movie in theGodfathertrilogy for which Pacino wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, the film is often more maligned than it should be. It is the weakest entry in the trilogy, but it is still a fantastic crime drama. Irrespective of the legacy of the movie, its treatment of the subject of legacy is memorable and compelling.
Oscar Nominations for The Godfather Part III (it didn’t win any)
Dean Tavoularis and Gary Fettis
Barry Malkin, Lisa Fruchtman, and Walter Murch
Best Original Song
Promise Me You’ll Remember
The biggest reasonThe Godfather Part IIIis still a great movie is Al Pacino’s final performance as his most storied character. Michael Corleone’s anger, grief, and frustration are beautifully portrayed byPacino, who manages to humanize the characterwho is determined to leave a long-lasting legacy. He can make anyone care about Michael’s desperate need to legitimize his business.
Jimmy Hoffa
The Irishman
Based on the nonfiction book “I Heard You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt, The Irishman follows Frank Sheeran and his time working for the Italian mafia. In recounting his past, the mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
Ever sinceRaging Bull, which features one of thebest Oscar-winning actor performances ever, Martin Scorsese has directed many incredible biopics. Much like Al Pacino, he is also most popular for his crime movies, which frequently focus on mob bosses. So, it’s surprising that it took until 2019 for Pacino, who has played many real-life people, to collaborate with Scorsese.
Scorsese’s masterful direction brings ’50s to ’70s Pennsylvania to life to stunning effect.
However, the collaboration was worth the wait. Scorsese’s masterful direction brings ’50s to ’70s Pennsylvania to life to stunning effect, while Al Pacino transforms his popular mob boss persona into the infamous Jimmy Hoffa. In one of the most perfect Martin Scorsese movie scenes,Pacino takes center stage as Hoffa berates his employees, invoking the actor’s most famous gangster performances.
Tony Montana
Scarface
Brian De Palma’s iconic crime drama is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same name and follows Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who begins a life of crime after arriving in Miami. It chronicles his rise from a penniless thug to one of the richest and most ruthless kingpins in the world, amassing a criminal empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even though he had already portrayed Michael Corleone twice by the timeScarfacewas released, Al Pacino truly became a pop culture icon with the ‘83 movie.Scarfacewill always be a cultural phenomenon, with merchandise and memes immortalizing Pacino’s iconic lines from the movie and fans today continuing to imitate moments from his most popular performance of all time.
While Pacino’s excessive style creates a wonderful performance that has rightfully been enshrined in the Hall of Fame and continues to be referenced,the gun-toting Tony Montana is the epitome of Hollywood’s problem of glamorizing violence and drugs. However,Scarface’s legacy is secure as Montana still inspires sincere imitations and hilarious parodies, over 40 years after he graced movie screens.
Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero
Donnie Brasco
Donnie Brasco is a crime drama film directed by Mike Newell, featuring Johnny Depp as an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates the mafia. Al Pacino co-stars as a seasoned mobster who mentors him. Based on true events, the movie explores the agent’s struggle to balance his professional duties and personal identity.
Donnie Brascomight be the most mature gangster film that Al Pacino has starred in. Both his character, Lefty, and the film arein contradiction to Pacino’s star image as the man behind Michael Corleone and Tony Montana. Instead of celebrating the gangster lifestyle,Donnie Brascoinvestigates whether being a ruthless mob boss would actually be satisfying in real life.
Lefty isn’t larger-than-life or “cool”; he’s insecure and lonely.
Considered theanti-Godfather, Al Pacino’s role inDonnie Brascoexplores the loneliness of being a big-time criminal whose closest friend is an FBI informant. Lefty isn’t larger-than-life or “cool”; he’s insecure and lonely. Pacino’s range as an actor is witnessed in the graceful way he brings such a human character to life, going against the grain of his typical character.
Carlito Brigante
Carlito’s Way
Carlito’s Way follows a Puerto Rican ex-con, played by Al Pacino, who, after being released from prison, vows to avoid the pitfalls of drugs and violence. Set in 1970s New York City, the film explores his struggle to lead a law-abiding life amidst challenging circumstances.
Brian De Palma, known for starting Tom Cruise’s most famous franchise,Mission: Impossible, has a few incredible crime movies in his filmography as a director. While thebeloved movieScarfacewill forever be the more famous of his two collaborations with Al Pacino, the other is the more interesting film, which also gives Pacino the stage to showcase his versatility.
The titular Carlito is a gangster who wants to put his criminal life behind him after being released from prison. However, this proves difficult as people and events compel him to resort to his old ways.Pacino delivers an understated performance that complements the gloomy toneofCarlito’s Way, where a sense of inevitability follows the man’s every step.
Michael Corleone
The Godfather
The Godfather chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family from 1945 to 1955. Following an assassination attempt on family patriarch Vito Corleone, his youngest son Michael emerges to orchestrate a brutal campaign of retribution, cementing his role in the family’s illicit empire.
Perhaps the greatestmovie adaptation written by the original writer, Francis Ford Coppola’sThe Godfatherstarted one of the most influential trilogies in film history. It defined an entire generation of gangster cinema and is still regularly studied for inspiration by those working in the same genre. Coppola’s epic also won Marlon Brando his second Academy Award for Best Actor.
The Godfatheris the first and one of only two trilogies to have all three movies nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award.
Alongside Brando was Al Pacino in one of his earliest movie roles, in a high-stakes job that he proved to be equal to. His breakout role that’ll forever define Pacino’s career, Michael is the rebellious son of gangster Vito Corleone, played by Brando.Pacino’s ability to hold his own opposite Brandoearned him the leading role in the next film.
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a continuation of the Corleone crime family saga. The film explores Vito Corleone’s early life in Sicily and 1910s New York, while Michael Corleone navigates the 1950s, seeking to expand the family’s influence into Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Cuba. Released in 1974.
Al Pacino took the leading role inThe Godfather Part II, the first movie in which he collaborated with Robert De Niro. Due to the incredible quality of each film, it’s difficult to categorizeThe Godfatheras atrilogy whose second film is the best, butThe Godfather Part IIis often considered to be the greatest film ever made.
Pacino’s performance inThe Godfather Part IImight be his best ever, in perhaps the best movie in his filmography. The quintessential gangster movie, the film followsMichael Corleone’s rise and fall as the ultimate ruthless mob boss, played by one of the genre’s most popular actors of all time in a nuanced performance that has inspired generations of actors.
