10 Most Underrated Al Pacino Movies, Ranked (original) (raw)
Published Dec 6, 2023, 8:00 AM EST
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Al Pacino is one of those actors who hardly needs an introduction, considering he's been a widely celebrated film star for over half a century at this point. He rose to fame on screen in the early 1970s, largely thanks to his incredible work in The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, two all-time great crime epics that both won Best Picture and saw Pacino get Oscar nominations. Various other iconic movies Pacino appeared in also belong to the crime/gangster genres, including Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface, and Heat.
With dozens upon dozens of roles, and plenty of appearances in movies that are regarded as classics, it's understandable that some compelling Al Pacino movies are a little under the radar. The following are some of the best of these, not necessarily being peak Al Pacino movies, but showcasing enough good qualities to make them worth checking out for fans of the actor. These underrated films are ranked below, starting with the decent and ending with the surprisingly great.
10 'Frankie and Johnny' (1991)
Directed by Garry Marshall
Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino in Frankie-and-Johnny
Image via Paramount Pictures
After both appearing in the aforementioned gangster movie/morality play Scarface, Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the titular roles in the very different Frankie and Johnny. This film is a relatively straightforward romantic dramedy, with Pacino's Johnny being a recently released prisoner who begins working in a New York City diner, and Pfeiffer's Frankie being a waitress at the same establishment whom Johnny falls for.
Anyone who's seen even a handful of rom-coms before won't find anything to be surprised by here, as director Garry Marshall was someone who kind of made a career out of helming very safe, crowd-pleasing romance movies (like Pretty Woman, released the year before Frankie and Johnny). Still, even if it's generic and Pacino's character can be a bit of a creep at times, he and Pfeiffer have good chemistry, and they both show they have what it takes to star in a movie of this sort.
9 'Author! Author!' (1982)
Directed by Arthur Hiller
Image via 20th Century Fox
Another lesser-known Al Pacino movie that blends romance, comedy, and drama is Author! Author!, which is a film centered on a playwright going through a particularly stressful period of his life. His latest play is about to have its opening night, which naturally comes with a great deal of anticipation and nervousness, all the while he also faces relationship problems, given his wife is planning to leave him.
It handles a story with divorce at its center in a less compelling way than say 1979's Kramer vs. Kramer and 2019's Marriage Story, but Pacino's expected commitment to the lead role makes Author! Author! watchable, at the very least. It's not particularly well-known, and not amazing by any means, but it's likely that fans of Al Pacino who haven't heard of it will get some value from watching it.
8 'Phil Spector' (2013)
Directed by David Mamet
Helen Mirren and Al Pacino in Phil Spector
Image via HBO
There have been a fair few biographical movies where Al Pacino's played real-life people, but few are quite as strange as 2013's Phil Spector. It's no surprise who Pacino plays here, with the film being about the notorious titular record producer and the trial following his arrest for the 2003 murder of Lana Clarkson. Phil Spector also features Helen Mirren in a starring role - here, she plays Linda Kenney Baden, who was Spector's defense lawyer during the trial.
It's a movie interested in exploring the strange dynamic between the two, and though it's loosely inspired by real events, it does take certain liberties with the story at hand that may rub people the wrong way. Still, for tackling an unusual story in an unexpected manner, David Mamet's film has some merit, and Pacino is more than up to the task of playing such an infamous and controversial figure.
7 'Sea of Love' (1989)
Directed by Harold Becker
Image via Universal Pictures
One of many noteworthy neo-noir movies released in the 1980s, Sea of Love is a crime movie where Al Pacino's character is on the opposite side of the law than his characters in The Godfather, Scarface, and Dog Day Afternoon are. He could do it all, though, as other movies like Serpico and Heat demonstrate, and when it comes to Sea of Love, his character is a detective investigating a string of unusual murders that are likely related.
In typical noir fashion, the lead character here gets in too deep and ends up falling for a woman who's a suspect in these killings. It might not be one of the very best crime/mystery/thriller movies of the 1980s, but Sea of Love is genuinely engaging and well-made for the majority of its runtime. It's a more-than-watchable movie with a good sense of atmosphere and a plot that continually moves forward, managing to be intriguing and sometimes fairly exciting.
Release Date
September 15, 1989
Runtime
113 minutes
Director
Harold Becker
Main Genre
Crime
6 'Any Given Sunday' (1999)
Directed by Oliver Stone
Image via Warner Bros.
Any Given Sunday is sort of like a compelling sports movie that plays out on an epic scale, with numerous characters featured throughout and a sizable runtime of 162 minutes. Al Pacino plays the closest thing to a central character: a coach who's getting on in years and is struggling to motivate his professional American football team, which is one that's certainly seen better days.
The ensemble cast for this Oliver Stone movie is certainly impressive, as Pacino's joined by the likes of Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Matthew Modine, and Ann-Margret, to name just a few. Any Given Sunday is ambitious and unafraid to show the brutal side of American football, with its overall ferocity and large scope making it easy to admire, even to the point where viewers who aren't fans of the sport focused on will likely find things to be engaged by here.
5 'Dick Tracy' (1990)
Directed by Warren Beatty
Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
1990 was a surprisingly crime-heavy year for cinema, given the releases of movies like Martin Scorsese's gangster classic Goodfellas and The Godfather: Part III, the latter of which saw Al Pacino playing an older and more remorseful Michael Corleone. Another crime movie from that year that featured Al Pacino (though it was admittedly tonally very different from The Godfather: Part III) was Dick Tracy, directed by and starring Warren Beatty.
The movie follows the titular character fighting the members of a vicious gang led by Pacino's character, who's known as Big Boy Caprice. It's a wild and strange movie, but it's undeniably bold and stylish, and those looking for comic book thrills within a movie that has no desire to be "grounded" or particularly realistic ought to give it a shot. Dick Tracy also holds value for featuring one of Al Pacino's most over-the-top performances, and it was even recognized at the Oscars, with Pacino getting a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the role.
Release Date
June 15, 1990
Runtime
105 minutes
Director
Writers
Jack Epps Jr., Jim Cash
Producers
Art Linson
4 'Cruising' (1980)
Directed by William Friedkin
Image via United Artists
Cruising is a bleak and oftentimes confronting movie starring Al Pacino as a police officer who goes undercover to catch a serial killer who's targeting gay men in New York City. He disappears into what was at the time an underground scene, hoping he'll be able to blend in and potentially even get the attention of the mysterious and otherwise elusive killer.
It's one of many well-regarded movies directed by William Friedkin, who was always willing to push boundaries and challenge audiences when it came to the thematic and oftentimes graphic content of his work. Cruising is the sort of movie that might prove too dark for some, and it's definitely not supposed to be an easy watch by any means. It is one of the boldest films Pacino ever appeared in, though, and he does typically great work as an undercover cop in near-constant danger.
3 '…And Justice for All' (1979)
Directed by Norman Jewison
A shot of Al Pacino in And Justice for All
Image via Columbia Pictures
It should be emphasized that …And Justice for All isn't obscenely underrated, as it's generally regarded as one of Pacino's best movies released in the 1970s. He also got an Oscar nomination for his lead role in the film, but …And Justice for All can feel a little underappreciated when you consider that it's not nearly as famous as Pacino's other early movies that saw him get nominated at the Academy Awards (like the first two Godfather movies, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon).
The film stars Pacino as a defense attorney grappling with the moral complexities of his job, especially when he finds himself having to defend a judge who he's fairly certain is guilty. It's a slow-burn film with tension throughout, and Al Pacino's restrained - yet explosive when needed - acting style is used to perfection here. That all makes it fair to say that there would be justice in …And Justice for All getting a little more love and appreciation.
2 'The Panic in Needle Park' (1971)
Directed by Jerry Schatzberg
Image via 20th Century-Fox
One of Al Pacino's very first movies was The Panic in Needle Park, which takes an uncompromising look at heroin addiction and the way it affects the lives of two young people who are in love. Just like various grounded dramas made throughout the 1970s, it's a film that feels intensely realistic and not at all "Hollywood" in nature, with the surprisingly natural performances from Pacino and co-star Kitty Winn being a significant reason for that.
The Panic in Needle Park is a difficult watch, and still feels remarkably blunt and effective 50+ years on from its release. It's honest about its grim subject matter, and it's easy to see why the performance here by Pacino helped make him a star, as just one year on from The Panic in Needle Park, he had an even bigger breakout role with 1972's The Godfather.
1 'Scarecrow' (1973)
Directed by Jerry Schatzberg
Image via Peacock Films
Scarecrow starring two cinematic legends - Gene Hackman and Al Pacino - is reason enough to watch this acclaimed yet somewhat underrated early 1970s drama. Like The Panic in Needle Park, it was directed by Jerry Schatzberg, and, similar to that film, it feels undeniably of its decade. Scarecrow is quite slow pacing-wise, and isn't too concerned with telling a complex story by any means, yet still remains engaging thanks to the performances and emotional moments on offer here.
Hackman and Pacino star as two men who form a unique bond while being largely aimless in life, going around from place to place and hoping their luck turns around one day. The movie sees them just trying to get by, and there isn't much by way of explosive conflict or intensely dramatic stakes... but there really doesn't need to be, and Scarecrow emerges as a quiet yet engaging film that's a must-watch for anyone who's a fan of either - or both - of these lead actors.