Ealier today I was discussing with some people my opinions on some Al Pacino movies. I said to them " I think that the Godfather, nor Scarface would have been the same, if Al Pacino wasn't in them." Most people agreed, but someone said, he was good, but his over-acting made it hard to watch the Godfather. Now my opinion is that he wasn't over-acting, but he was getting really into character, and that is one of the many things that make a good movie. What are your opinions on this?

Overacting? That's bizarre. Check them for drugs and alcohol.

Well, he was definitely not overacting in The Godfather movies but I have to admit, I felt that he was little overacting in Scarface. But I also have to remember Tony Montana was a really over-the-top character.

There are other films that he does overact, but in a way, it felt necessary because of the character's persona, for example, Dick Tracy and Scent of a Woman. So getting into character sounds appropriate

Probably his best piece of acting since The Godfather and Godfather II.

You look at him in Scent Of A Woman and he makes you think that he is really blind. Superb piece of acting. Whoooaaaa!



Don Cardi

You got that right DC. SOAW is one of his best movies imho. The tango scene is the best. Another scene I like from the movie is when he is at the diciplinary hearing and he says

Lt. Col. Frank Slade: Out of order, I show you out of order. You don't know what out of order is, Mr. Trask. I'd show you, but I'm too old, I'm too tired, I'm too fuckin' blind. If I were the man I was five years ago, I'd take a FLAMETHROWER to this place! Out of order? Who the hell do you think you're talkin' to? I've been around, you know? There was a time I could see. And I have seen. Boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn't nothin' like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that. You think you're merely sending this splendid foot soldier back home to Oregon with his tail between his legs, but I say you are... executin' his soul! And why? Because he's not a Bairdman. Bairdmen. You hurt this boy, you're gonna be Baird bums, the lot of ya. And Harry, Jimmy, Trent, wherever you are out there, FUCK YOU TOO!
copied from IMDB

DC, have you ever watched Profumo di donna , the original version of the movie? An excellent Italian actor (RIP) you might have heard of, Vittorio Gassman, played the lead. And I don't hesitate to maintain that his performance is not second to Pacino's.

Godfather and Godfather 2 = Very restrained acting - His best.
Scent of a Woman and Scarface = Overacting

Even though I absolutely ADORE Pacino's acting, I have no problem in acknowledging he tends to overact from time to time, sometimes because that's the case with the character he has to play, sometimes just because he clearly enjoyes doing so. But I totally disagree that he overacted as Michael Corleone, not even in the less successful and worthy GF3. Pacino's Michael Corleone is absolute acting perfection, IMO. He brings chills of terror down your spine and tears of mercy in your eyes and is equally credible and admirable.

The only time I thought he over-acted was in The Devil's Advocate, but it was a kind of campy movie anyway, and the over acting was appropriate (given the character he played!)

One of his least hearalded roles was recently his version of Shylock in Merchant of Venice. He was brilliant.

Seems like there are a few scenes in "Heat" where he might be just

a little guilty of overacting.

Of course we usually love it when he does, no?

i think though, even if he was over-acting in a few of his movies, they are never hard to watch, when the pazzo person talking to said they were. i highly disagree

I don't know how ANYONE can come to the conclusion that he overacted in The Godfather films. If anything...he was incredibly restrained.

As for Scarface...I don't think he was overacting so much as the character was just flat out "over the top." Pacino was going for an over-the-top character with Tony Montana, and he pulled it off flawlessly, IMO.

As others have said "Scent Of A Woman" is definitely a case of over-acting!
"Devils Advocate" is up there also!

Over-acting in the Godfather movies is just insane. He played that role absolutely perfectly. Now in Scarface, he over did it. Which is just another reason why the movie overall is not that great, and highly overrated. If someone were to tell me that Pacino has a tendancy to lay it on a little thick, I wouldn't totally disagree... but not in the Godfather films.

I think he "hightens" his preformance when he needs to. When he's yelling and flialing, he knows what he's doing. All this nonsense about him being an "overactor" is nonsense, because in People I Know, he gave a wonderfully downbeat preformance.
Al is still the king of actors.

Pacino does "overact" a bit in his more recent roles, but there is no chance that he overacts in any of the GF films.

As for Scarface, I would say he overacts a bit there, but that whole movie is about excess, and his overacting fits in perfectly with the role of Tony Montana and the film as a whole.

That said, I personally think his role in Scarface is one of the best acting performances in the history of cinema.

Personally, I think its much better to have a case of over-acting, than to have a case of under-acting, which I don't think Pacino EVER does.

Maybe he meant Godfather Part III.

...Right!