Al Pacino's Best Roles

Scarface is overrated. There, I said it. It’s out of the way. Now we can move on.

Okay, let me clarify. Scarface is very, very good. Al Pacino is very, very good in it. Tony Montana is a very great character and Pacino plays him to perfection. However, in no way do I think it’s his best role.

In fact, it barely cracks my top five.

Before I get into my Al Pacino ranking system, let me once again clarify and say that Al Pacino as Tony Montana is better than most actors in most roles they do. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the best characters of all time. It’s just hard to consider it “the greatest movie ever” as so many people have dubbed it. Or, if not the “greatest” movie then at least the “coolest.”

So, okay, if Scarface and Tony Montana is #5, who are the top four?

#4 – Ricky Roma (Glengarry Glen Ross). As one of the stars in one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time, Ricky Roma is, in my eyes, cooler than Tony Montana. Maybe it’s partially because I don’t have a stigma against this movie like I (unfortunately) do against Scarface, or maybe it’s because most people I know haven’t seen Glengarry. Whatever the reason, Ricky Roma is cooler.

#3 – Michael Corleone (The Godfather series). It’s hard to top the central character in what may be the greatest movie ever made, but I feel Pacino’s done it to himself twice. Michael Corleone has a self-control and a frightening demeanor that Tony Montana doesn’t have. I’m not saying he’s better here because he’s not frenzied (because that’s what makes Montana so great), but it’s just a better role. I think.

#2 – Frank Serpico (Serpico). When it’s Pacino against the world, I’ll take Pacino. (That is, of course, that we’re talking about vintage Pacino and not his newer crap.) With that said, in a world full of crooked cops, Pacino’s role as Officer Frank Serpico, the honest cop, wins out here.

#1 – Sonny Wortzik (Dog Day Afternoon). Without a doubt, this is number one in my eyes. It’s such a perfect role. I know this movie has great critical acclaim, but it doesn’t have the widespread cult / popular credit that movies like Scarface or the Godfather have, and that’s a shame.

So that’s the list. All five roles are fantastic and he plays each to perfection. I just wish that before someone were to say that Tony Montana is the coolest character ever, they brushed up on their Pacino. Maybe that way they’d see how wrong they were.