Culture

We don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Netflix Malaysia is currently having a bit of a Pacino moment. From the Academy-Award winning actor’s breakthrough role in The Godfather to his most recent on-screen outing in The Irishman, these are the films to include in your must-watch list.  

The Godfather Trilogy 

It was Al Pacino’s performance in The Panic in Needle Park that attracted the attention of The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola to cast the then 30-year old actor as Michael Corleone, where Pacino was later nominated for an Academy-Award for best-supporting actor. 

Scarface 

In one of his most dynamic (and possibly most often quoted) performances, Pacino plays Cuban drug lord Tony Montana in Brian de Palma’s iconic 80s crime-drama hit, Scarface. 

Carlito’s Way 

Teaming up with Brian de Palma once again in 1993 for Carlito’s Way, the film is based on Edwin Torres’ book of the same name where Pacino plays ex-convict Carlito Brigante who tries to flee from his past after being released from prison, only to end up getting tangled up in the same mess again. 

Any Given Sunday 

Directed by three time Academy-Award winner Oliver Stone, this 1999 drama is centred around an American football team and stars Pacino as a veteran football coach. The film is best known for possibly one of the most motivational and inspirational speeches in movie history. 

Scent of a Woman 

Al Pacino earned his first and so far only Academy-Award for his role in this 1992 film where he stars as Lieutenant Frank Slade, a blind and irritable retired lieutenant army colonel who hires a prep school student (played by Chris O’ Donnell) to help care for him out over the Thanksgiving holidays. 

Danny Collins 

In this light-hearted comedy-drama, Pacino stars as Danny Collins, an ageing 70s rockstar who unearths a 40-year-old letter from John Lennon that prompted him to change his life by confronting his past and according to an article on Variety, yes, that really was Pacino singing in the film. 

The Irishman 

In Martin Scorsese’s ambitious American crime epic based on true events, Pacino, who stars as Jimmy Hoffa, reunites with long-time friend Robert de Niro on-screen, in which the duo look considerably younger, thanks to special effects used in the film. The Irishman which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, tells the fictionalised story behind Hoffa’s disappearance.