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Post by 🤯 on Mar 3, 2019 15:06:20 GMT
I love that the quote about always being right is from a guy called Lefty.
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Post by UT on Mar 3, 2019 15:07:42 GMT
I really like Donnie Brasco and think Pacino is absolutely fantastic in it as the sage old mafia guy who is mentoring Donnie the ways of the mob. Such a great character for Pacino to take on after his obvious history in that genre of movies and it really lends credibility and a realism to the role that really makes him buy in that character. The ending is heartbreaking but I love the way they did it though. I think 🤯 watched this for the countdown - curious to see his thoughts.
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Post by Emperor on Mar 3, 2019 15:25:40 GMT
Forget about it!
Donnie Brasco topped my list, although I didn't expect it to be in the top half of PW's list. It's not one of the first films that comes to mind when one thinks of Al Pacino, but it's absolutely one of his best. I rewatched this in preparation for this countdown and loved every second of it. I'm a sucker for any kind of underground cop story, which is also why I love The Departed so much. Even Serpico has that element with Pacino's character going undercover against the same police force he works for.
I like just about everything about this film, but one thing that sets it apart is the gritty portrayal of mafia life. It's not all high rolling, wheeling and dealing. These guys spent a lot of time doing unattractive dirty work like smashing up stolen parking meters. Al Pacino's character is the protagonist, but he's not the big boss of the group. He's put the years in, but ends up being usurped by a younger, more ambitious mobster, leaving him miserable yet tied to his lifestyle until death because of his unwavering loyalty to his "career", if you can call it that. The only positive thing about his life is his strong, almost familial relationship with undercover cop Johnny Depp. The audience is taught the ropes at the same time as Depp's character, who does too good a job in ingratiating himself into the mafia scene. As he says himself to his wife, "I'm not becoming like them, I am them." All the characters and subplots are amazing and it concludes in a bittersweet but fitting way.
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Post by UT on Mar 3, 2019 15:34:18 GMT
That forget about it scene is definitely a standout , I wanted to put it as the quote but it ends up being way to long to really fit. I do think like you said , that it tends to get overlooked in the pantheon of Pacino movies and performances and people tend to think he was past his prime in this era (post Scent of a Woman) but his performance in Brasco I think is both fantastic and authentic.
"Tell Donnie if he calls , I'm glad it was him" - just crushing words that really show the bond the two had - along with Donnie not wanting to leave because it would be like him putting a bullet in Lefty himself.
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Post by mikec on Mar 3, 2019 17:03:24 GMT
Had I made a list (sorry about that, some career changes have made it practically impossible to participate lately), Donnie Brasco would’ve been in my top three probably. Its an easy rewatch which is surprising given the subject matter, and it was my introduction to good Al Pacino. He’s so good in this role. Depp I could take or leave, the story between him and the wife is underserved and the actress is terrible in it. But Pacino is so good.
It’s not as good as the first two Godfather movies, but Pacino puts it on a similar level for me.
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Post by UT on Mar 3, 2019 17:16:22 GMT
Heche does seem kind of out of place in this movie , not sure who would have been better at that point (actually Ashley judd is always the answer) but I do know what you mean. I think their relationship was important to show how much the job and the infiltration of the mob changed him but it could have played better with a better actress in that position.
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Post by Lionheart on Mar 4, 2019 1:03:26 GMT
Serpico is a fantastic movie, as expected from a Lumet/Pacino collaboration. Or any Lumet movie on its own really. Sidney Lumet was one of my earliest favorite directors. The reason for that is that he happened to have died shortly after I started really getting into movies, so I was seeing his death mentioned as a great tragedy on all the sites I was commonly browsing. I didn't know who he was and was interested, so I watched one of his movies. It was so good that I then proceeded to watch ten more of his movies within a two week span. I liked all of them. Unfortunately, they all tend to blur together for that reason. Two of them were so damn similar in story/plot actually that I never was able to get them straight even while watching them. I think the two were Night Falls on Manhattan and Prince of the City.
Anyway, I have probably recommended his movies more than any other director's movies. Maybe that has to do with the fact that the majority of his films are actually incredibly accessible to most compared to other directors that I hold in high regard. I guess he is probably my favorite accessible director in that case. Even my parents liked some of his movies, which says it all.
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Post by UT on Mar 4, 2019 14:14:09 GMT
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Post by 🤯 on Mar 4, 2019 14:18:19 GMT
Low for my tastes, but I understand the icon nature of Godfather, Scarface, and even Heat... So I'll live begrudgingly with this placement.
Scent was my #2. Always fucking loved that movie. It's honestly been so long since I've seen it though, I'm struggling to recall and articulate why I've always loved it so much.
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Post by UT on Mar 4, 2019 14:44:23 GMT
I couldn't carve out time to watch it , and I've heard such hot takes on BOTH sides of this movie that I'm still apprehensive. I've heard great things about Pacino - I've heard it was a pity Oscar and this is where he became more of a carictature that would define a handful of his later roles. I don't know , I'm torn.
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Post by 🤯 on Mar 4, 2019 14:51:58 GMT
I couldn't carve out time to watch it , and I've heard such hot takes on BOTH sides of this movie that I'm still apprehensive. I've heard great things about Pacino - I've heard it was a pity Oscar and this is where he became more of a carictature that would define a handful of his later roles. I don't know , I'm torn. I suspect you'd like it.
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Post by UT on Mar 4, 2019 14:56:25 GMT
I couldn't carve out time to watch it , and I've heard such hot takes on BOTH sides of this movie that I'm still apprehensive. I've heard great things about Pacino - I've heard it was a pity Oscar and this is where he became more of a carictature that would define a handful of his later roles. I don't know , I'm torn. I suspect you'd like it. I suspect I would too , reading some of the quotes had me chuckling. I just wish it wasn't so long - over 2 1/2 hours is such a tough sell to me on most days.
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Post by 🤯 on Mar 4, 2019 15:00:05 GMT
I suspect I would too , reading some of the quotes had me chuckling. I just wish it wasn't so long - over 2 1/2 hours is such a tough sell to me on most days. Oh shit, I had no recollection it was so long. I feel like that might be a positive selling point, as usually I'm acutely aware of and hate long run times. Also, from what I can recall of the story, I think it is fine and easy to break up into segmented viewing sessions if need be.
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Post by Lionheart on Mar 4, 2019 17:37:43 GMT
I couldn't carve out time to watch it , and I've heard such hot takes on BOTH sides of this movie that I'm still apprehensive. I've heard great things about Pacino - I've heard it was a pity Oscar and this is where he became more of a carictature that would define a handful of his later roles. I don't know , I'm torn.
There's always going to be arguments on both sides of anything. But when you look at the ratings you posted and see the averages of 92% RT community and 80% IMDB combined with an 88% RT critic rating, it's pretty safe to assume those against it are in the minority. Of course this doesn't guarantee you would like it, but it's about as safe of a bet as you can possibly make.
Even if you don't like it, I can definitely vouch that it is technically sound so it should at least be worth watching for that and its high standing so you can see for yourself. And if it helps, it's the same director as Beverly Hills Cop, so if you liked that...the odds go up even more here.
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Post by Emperor on Mar 4, 2019 21:01:55 GMT
Pity Oscar? Caricature? Where does this nonsense talk come from. It's an amazing performance, perhaps his greatest performance from a career of great performances. It's also one of the least-Pacino like Pacino movies. An odd but heartwarming slow burn drama.
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Post by RagnarokMike on Mar 5, 2019 7:14:12 GMT
I'm not sure if I've ever seen Scent of a Woman all the way through, seen bits and pieces, seems entertaining enough...just never got in at the beginning to watch the whole thing. Same reason I've never seen Warrior.
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Post by 🤯 on Mar 5, 2019 13:33:09 GMT
I'm not sure if I've ever seen Scent of a Woman all the way through, seen bits and pieces, seems entertaining enough...just never got in at the beginning to watch the whole thing. Same reason I've never seen Warrior. Definitely watch both. Both are definitely worth it. I'll vouch.
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Post by UT on Mar 5, 2019 14:01:25 GMT
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Post by UT on Mar 5, 2019 14:02:19 GMT
I feel like I need to watch the Godfathers again before I have anything noteworthy to say - but nominated for FOUR best supporting actors (one winner) is insane. I can't imagine something like that happening today. FOUR from the same movie.
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Post by 🤯 on Mar 5, 2019 14:30:47 GMT
Honestly I'm surprised Part II ranked this low. I for sure thought it was everyone's favorite Godfather. I assume this means Part III isn't making the list then. Shame; Part III gets hated on unfairly, I think.
From a Pacino performance perspective, Part II seemed like a solid outing as Michael transitioned from his former self into his dad. And it was interesting watching his father's backstory in parallel.
For a long while I had trouble picking which of the first two I liked better. Ultimately I think I go Part I and Part II as 1a and 1b, with Part III being a solid #3.
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Post by The Kid on Mar 5, 2019 14:31:40 GMT
I might be in the minority, but I think Godfather 2 was better then the first Godfather and that’s how I would’ve had them ranked.
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Post by 🤯 on Mar 5, 2019 14:37:17 GMT
I might be in the minority, but I think Godfather 2 was better then the first Godfather and that’s how I would’ve had them ranked. I could've sworn that's the majority opinion though. I thought everyone lost their shit for getting to see Pacino and De Niro (sorta) together in the same movie.
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Post by PB on Mar 5, 2019 16:51:53 GMT
I might be in the minority, but I think Godfather 2 was better then the first Godfather and that’s how I would’ve had them ranked. I think there are definitely days when I prefer part II, but for me Part I is the better Pacino performance. Part II is the one where deNiro becomes a star. Pacino goes on a greater journey in part one, so that's why I had it higher.
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Post by KJ on Mar 5, 2019 16:54:37 GMT
I haven't had the time to check-in as much and I'm totally upset I missed this one.
However, I want to just say that if either Scarface or Heat surpasses The Godfather (it's already fucking criminal they jumped Godfather Part II), I'm going to learn how to code and hack this website to death. :@
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Post by UT on Mar 5, 2019 17:23:49 GMT
I've alway had the perception that Godfather II was the more respected or better liked film as well.
However I will say that it's probably more due to people trying to get cute with their lists more than anything , I think both movies possibly got affected by that. Whether it was only voting for one movie to represent the whole trilogy , trying to vote for the whole trilogy as one movie , placing one really high and the other really low despite the fact you probably like them back to back - it makes for some wonky results sometimes.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2019 17:47:24 GMT
I worked through the weekend again so have had no time. I had Donnie Brasco at #10, what a unique performance in Pacinos filmography. I had Scent #9, it really was his best performance imo.
Godfather 2 i had at #7. If you take out the Deniro half its not that great imo, even with it its not on the same level as part 1. The movies i put over it i truly enjoy more but it is still excellent.
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Post by thereallt on Mar 5, 2019 17:50:26 GMT
I haven't had the time to check-in as much and I'm totally upset I missed this one. However, I want to just say that if either Scarface or Heat surpasses The Godfather (it's already fucking criminal they jumped Godfather Part II), I'm going to learn how to code and hack this website to death. Get ready then cause I'm pretty sure both will be ranked higher. I had Donnie Brasco ranked #4 and Scent of a Woman ranked #8 I think. Donnie Brasco was amazing, a completely different take on a mob movie. Most of them focus on the dizzying highs of the mob life followed by the inevitable fall, but Donnie Brasco takes a different route. Here Lefty is a working stiff completely dissatisfied with his career path and continuously passed over by his bosses, yet still stays on for some unfathomable reason. Me personally I thought it was because Lefty really doesn't really know how to do anything else, and that makes it all the more tragic. Unlike most dissatisfied workers, he really can't just up and quit because he really can't make a living any other way. Pacino brought all of this out masterfully, and from a pure acting perspective I think it's his best overall performance. Scent of a Woman I found overrated for one reason....Pacino winning best actor over Denzel for Malcolm X. Sorry but the two performances are not comparable. Pacino was fine in Scent of a Woman, but he was just playing another version of himself, whereas Denzel transformed into Malcolm X before our very eyes.
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Post by mikec on Mar 5, 2019 18:00:18 GMT
I mean there’s also the reality that Lefty can’t just leave his chosen employer. They’re not really fond of retirement.
I would have Godfather I over Godfather II, but it’s mostly on memory. I’ve seen II a couple times and never really felt the need to go back, other than the end of Fredo I just don’t have a great memory for it, while I could quote the first one endlessly. You don’t talk to a man like Moe Green like that!
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Post by 🤯 on Mar 5, 2019 18:02:34 GMT
I'm ultimately just glad Dog Day Afternoon is a lock for #1.
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Post by KJ on Mar 5, 2019 18:22:07 GMT
I've alway had the perception that Godfather II was the more respected or better liked film as well. However I will say that it's probably more due to people trying to get cute with their lists more than anything , I think both movies possibly got affected by that. Whether it was only voting for one movie to represent the whole trilogy , trying to vote for the whole trilogy as one movie , placing one really high and the other really low despite the fact you probably like them back to back - it makes for some wonky results sometimes. I think it gets the perception for being the only sequel (until LOTR: Return of the King) to win Best Picture. It's falsely elevated it. Godfather is the superior film, and should be No. 1 on Pacino's list everyday (and twice on Sunday). Godfather II is his second. Ironically, I'd say Godfather II is also DeNiro's No. 2 film (behind Raging Bull).
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