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| Al Pacino and Robert De Niro |
They are arguably the two greatest actors of their generation (although Nicholson certainly warrants consideration) with groundbreaking roles that made them superstars in the '70s and several more iconic roles in the decades that followed.
Tonight, I re-watched Heat, the influential 1995 epic which remains one of my favorite crime genre movies and found myself contemplating this conversation for the ages.
The two actors both appeared in the brilliant Godfather Part II but never in a scene together. And the less said about Righteous Kill, the better. So for all intents and purposes Heat is the real showdown of their respective careers and the results are riveting.
Both do impressive work in wildly different roles. Pacino is in full peacock mode, playing an over-the-top flashy LA cop who has a sixth sense for the methods and mindsets of the crooks he chases. While De Niro plays a lonely, thorough and efficient thief who barely makes mistakes and is always ready to walk away from anything or anyone.
Watching this film, it's easy to see why De Niro might be the "smarter" choice. He is more nuanced and subtle, he is a classic film actor in that he says so much while actually saying so little. Pacino is more theatrical (and is famous for his stage work) but this is precisely why I prefer him.
As a little loud guy myself I get a real charge out of Pacino's antics and I've always argued that if an actor is great (which he indisputably is) I don't care if they are broad, because they've earned it.
Both of these actors have starred in many of my all-time favorite films, but for purely personal reasons, I am more of a Pacino fan. He is one of my favorite movie stars, actors and icons. I love the way he looks, talks, struts. There has really never been anyone else in movie history like him and because there is a little bit of him in every role he can be more iconic than De Niro (who often disappears into his parts).
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| Pacino and De Niro in Heat |
Still, this is a very close race for me. Their resumes are so formidable and for every great tole from one is another from the other to counter it.
Ask me again in 10 years and I might have a totally different answer for you. But put to the test I guess I'd rather be Pacino than De Niro. I like an actor who seems like they're having fun. Pacino does, De Niro doesn't. Pacino's the one with the swagger, even if De Niro gets more respect.
Heat is a curious case, it was a hit when it came out but not a massive one, with some critics considering it a letdown. It's not fast paced and it has its excesses (my girlfriend doesn't "get it"). But when the action takes hold it has a realism that is unshakable. The heist centerpiece is one of the greatest action scenes ever filmed and Pacino and De Niro's face-off is a master-class in tension under the surface.
I've heard rumors that they may team up one more time as aging gangsters for a new film directed by Martin Scorsese. It would be exciting to see these old pros prove that they still have some gas left in the tank. De Niro was my favorite part of Silver Linings Playbook and Pacino has been sporadically great in films like Insomnia and Angels in America. Maybe they can still surprise us after all these years.
I am such a huge fan I am willing to keep taking the chance on them to find out.
My top 10 for both actors (these choices aren't easy):
De Niro
1) Taxi Driver
2) Cape Fear
3) Raging Bull
4) Goodfellas
5) Casino
6) The King of Comedy
7) The Godfather Part II
8) Heat
9) The Deer Hunter
10) The Untouchables
Pacino
1) Carlito's Way
2) The Godfather Part II
3) The Godfather
4) Scarface
5) Glengarry Glen Ross
6) Heat
7) Dog Day Afternoon
8) Serpico
9) Dick Tracy
10) Insomnia
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