“Some actors play characters, Al becomes them.” It’s hard to argue with this statement by Al Pacino’s former drama teacher Lee Strasberg. When you look at Pacino, you can’t help but imagine that he’s actually a real mob member, fresh from gunning down a snitch. Strasberg’s sentiments can fit a couple of other dedicated actors like Heath Ledger and the late The Sopranos star James Gandolfini but none of them had a decorated career like Al Pacino.
In reality, Al Pacino is just a normal man. Wait! Is he? Not really. He’s an extraordinary actor who has appeared in close to 60 films and won over a dozen awards. For an actor like him, it’s impossible to settle on one of his performances and label it as his best. For that reason, we’ll narrow it down to two roles that have been discussed for years - Tony Montana (Scarface) and Michael Corleone (The Godfather).
Here’s an argument for both performances.
Scarface: The Accent
One of the things that make or break an actor’s performance in a movie is the manner in which they speak. The consonants, the vowels, they all matter. Think of Forrest Whitaker as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland. In Scarface, Al Pacino talks like french fries are stuffed in his mouth and he isn’t planning on swallowing them.
But that’s what makes him great. While speaking this way, Pacino appears very believable and intimidating as the gangster Tony Montana. His speech mannerisms emphasize his arrogance. Whenever he opens his mouth, you get the feeling that he’s going to do something crazy like put a bullet in a dog or hit on another gangster’s wife.
The Godfather: Transition From Good Guy To Bad Guy
In Scarface, Montana is an all-out rebel from the start. He gets a job as a dishwasher but quits because his mind is set on crime. There’s no major transition. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone starts off as a good guy. He’s a former military man who has no interest in getting into the family business. Then it all changes after his father gets shot.
One moment, he suggests to the other members of the family that he’s willing to murder the man who shot his father. They find it funny because he isn’t that kind of guy. Then Michael unleashes the classic quote. “It’s strictly business Sonny, it’s not personal.” It is at that moment that everyone realizes that the old Michael is gone. Going forward, he never shies away from violence.
Scarface: Memorable Quotes
Scarface is flooded with memorable quotes. The most popular one comes when Montana’s house is being attacked by mercenaries hired by his foe Alejandro Sosa. “Say hello to my lil friend,” he says. The friend here is an M16A1 rifle with a customized grenade launcher. Oops. Amigos. You better run. It doesn’t seem like the lil friend is about to offer tea.
There’s also the quote, “In this country you’ve got to make the money first, then you get the power, then you get the women.” Not to forget the boastful, “Who put this thing together? Me, that’s who. Who do I trust? Me!”
The Godfather: Michael Corleone’s Revenge
It’s seen by many as Pacino’s best scene ever. Director Francis Ford Copolla might take a little credit for the sounds and camera angles but it’s Pacino’s facial expressions that made it memorable. The tension as Michael Corleone is sitting at the dinner table with Virgil ‘The Turk’ Solozzo and McCluskey makes it a riveting watch.
Solozzo, who actually attempted to murder Michael’s father Vito for refusing to get into the drug business with him, does a lot of talking. Michael doesn’t respond. He looks scared, or maybe worried. But is he? His eyes are dancing around the table. A train’s breaks screech from a distance. Before they know it, both Solozzo and McCluskey have been made the recipients of bullets and blood is oozing out of their bodies. A classic gangster moment.
Scarface: Violence
Scarface finds Pacino in his most violent form. The movie is as bloody as the 1932 Howard Hawks movie from which it steals its title from. Montana is often angry and unstable but he’s also fun to watch. At times, watching Scarface feels like playing Grand Theft Auto. Someone’s about to be killed or knocked out the next minute and it’s going to be enjoyable.
In total 42 people are killed in the film. Montana is responsible for making these statistics as high as they are. Would you really blame him? It was the 80s. Every major action figure back then from Rambo to John Matrix was really just a mass murderer on screen, shooting hundreds of bad guys. However, the violence in Scarface has more style. It isn’t just a bunch of people being blown up. At one point, Montana even dismembers a guy with a chainsaw. It’s a shame Pacino wasn’t made the villain in the Saw franchise.
The Godfather: Pacino’s Age
With his performance in The Godfather, Pacino kinda made quick learners all over the world proud. He was 31 years old when he played Michael Corleone and this was only his third film. At that age, Pacino still had plenty to learn about acting but still managed to carry himself like a veteran in the industry.
Credit goes to controversial Marvel-hating director Francis Ford Copolla who liked Pacino’s performance as a heroin addict in 1971’s The Panic In The Needle and decided to cast him. From that moment, Pacino has never looked back.
Scarface: A Vulnerable Gangster
In Scarface, Pacino isn’t as superhuman as he appears to be in The Godfather. He is a vulnerable gangster - a drug addict. At one point, he even buries his face in a mountain of coke. Still, not even these outrageous indulgences make him happy. If you love villains, you end up pitying him and hope that he gets his act together. If you hate villains, you rejoice, knowing his uncontrolled emotions will eventually get him killed.
The Godfather, on the other hand. portrays Michael Corleone as a man who has everything figured out. It doesn’t seem like trouble will come his way any time soon. This takes the fun out of the movie. We’d love to see some weakness, sir.
The Godfather: A Sly Gangster
In The Godfather, Michael Corleone is a smart character who knows all the right moves to make. It’s almost like he’s modeled from Carlo Gambino, one of the few mob bosses to never be caught or gunned down. He knows the enemies and none of them sees it coming when he decides to take them down.
Compare that to Montana who is driven by impulses. Also, Corleone doesn’t do all the killings himself. Delegation is a valuable strategy. That’s a stark contrast to Montana who enjoys being the one pulling the trigger.
Scarface: Flamboyance
Tony Montana has been referenced by several musicians over the years and there’s no doubt that his lifestyle inspired many. In Scarface, Tony is the shiny don. He has a gold convertible, heavy gold chains, crystal decanters, million-dollar watches, and shiny suits.
The world of crime is full of flamboyance and Pacino portrays it well in this film. Think of Pablo Escobar buying hippos or John Gotti posing for photos for the press. Gangsters can’t help but flaunt it. Tony is no exception.
The Godfather: Recognition
Ultimately, we have to go with the movie that good ol’ Al Pacino received the most recognition for. The clear winner here is The Godfather. Pacino received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He also received ten other nominations/awards for the same role.
For Scarface, Pacino only got a Golden Globe nomination. The movie itself was initially panned by critics for being too loud and excessively violent. Over time, opinions eventually changed.
