Photos

Al Pacino

Quite possibly the greatest living screen actor, Pacino is part of a rare breed of legends whose best work ("The Godfather" films, "Dog Day Afternoon," "Serpico," to name a few) is among the very best work that was ever committed to celluloid. But his best work was also... more a long time ago, a time that seems longer every time he trots out another howling dog like "Righteous Kill," "88 Minutes," "Two for the Money," "The Recruit," "Any Given Sunday," "Heat" (yeah, I said it) and on and on and on. He always plays the same part, always plays it the same way. And even when he manages to squeak out a genuinely memorable performance (in "The Devil's Advocate," for example, or "Donnie Brasco") or appear in a worthy film ("The Insider," "Insomnia"), it only offers a glimpse of the work he did prior to his '80s hiatus. Only as Roy Cohn in "Angels in America" do you get the sense of Pacino using everything he has. His legacy is assured. Maybe he should stop phoning in the inferior, though no doubt lucrative, film roles, and return to his first true love, the theater. It couldn't be any worse than "Scent of a Woman."

(Retna)