With Al Pacino opening this weekend in one of the worst movies of his career—it’s a serial killer thriller called 88 Minutes and it seems 88 hours longer—the time is ripe to honor Pacino the ranter. In 88 Minutes, he screams, shouts and spits directly in the killer’s face, but it’s too little and too late. The movie sucks. Pacino rants best when the movie deserves his anger. In an addictive new book of movie lists, 10 Bad Dates with De Niro, editor Richard T. Kelly includes a provoking critical essay by Tim Robey entitled: The Mighty Apoplexies of Pacino—Ten Scenes Where ‘Shouty Al’ Shows Up. Robey gives pride of place to The Devil’s Advocate, in which demon Al, in a slice of Parma-grade Pacino ham, rants about his Almighty enemy:
"He’s laughing his sick, fucking ass off. He’s a tight-ass! He’s a sadist! He’s an Absentee landlord! Worship that? Never!” Pretty good, I admit.
My favorite Shouty Al—I never went with all the Scent of a Woman hoo-ha!—comes from 1992's Glengarry Glen Ross, James Foley’s terrific film version of David Mamet’s liveliest play. It’s the way Pacino decimates Kevin Spacey, playing Williamson the office manager of a shady real estate firm. As Robey writes, “Spacey has never before or since been so entirely dealt with, dismantled." Give a listen to Shouty Al as he takes the piss out of Spacey:
“You never open your mouth until you know what the shot is. You fucking child. Who ever told you that you could work with men? Where did you learn your trade, you stupid fucking cunt, you idiot? Oh, I'm gonna have your job, shithead. You know your business, I know mine. Your business is being an asshole.“
Primo stuff especially the way he hisses "you fucking child." And there’s much more: Dog Day Afternoon gave us “Attica! Attica!” The Godfather III provides, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." And say hello to my leetle friend Scarface, where Shouty Al condemns the Diaz brothers: “Fuck ‘em all. I bury those cock-a-roaches.” But I'm sticking with Glengarry Glen Ross as No. 1 Shouty Al. That's my choice. What’s yours?
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Szaman | August 28, 2008 3:28 PM
Pacino To Xander Berkley in Heat: " SHUT UP... RALF... SIT DOWN!!!" :)
Earwicker | April 25, 2008 2:58 PM
Another great spiel from Glengarry Glen Ross:
"Patel? Ravidam Patel? Where'd you get this from, a morgue? Even if Sheva himself came down and told him to sighn the !$@# deal, he wouldn't sign, and the god Vishnu too in the bargain."
batlantern_87 | April 23, 2008 5:43 PM
i am going to have to say that Heat was his best work when he is talking about ashley judd saying, "She's got a great ass! And you've got your head all the way up it!"
Iowa Fan | April 22, 2008 1:52 PM
Scent of a Woman: "Out of order?....I'LL SHOW YOU OUTTA ORDER!!
Carlito's Way: "Oh you up against it now muthafuckas! You think you big time? You gonna die BIG TIME! You ready?! HERE COME THE PAIN!!"
Godfather II: In my bedroom! Where my wife sleeps! Where my children come to play with their toys.
Scarface: I tol' you mayn...I tol' you. No fucking kids. But you didn't listen. Well you stupid fuck! Look at you now!
Bangers-N-Mash | April 20, 2008 3:02 AM
In the film Heat...
"DON'T WASTE... MY MUTHAFUCKIN' TIME!"
shackleford | April 19, 2008 9:14 PM
"...and you've got your HEAD....ALLLL THE WAYYY UP IT!"
-Al Pacino, refering to Hank Azaria's fascination with Ashley Judd's behind, in 1995's "Heat"
Mark | April 19, 2008 11:15 AM
All those mentioned are certainly worthy...but for me his best, hardly ever mentioned performance was in Donnie Brasco.
Nobody does over the top like Pacino (like he did that same year in the Devil's Advocate)...and nobody does understated like him as well (like Brasco)
Richard T Kelly | April 18, 2008 7:28 PM
I second (or third or fourth...) the 'great ass' bit from Heat. You can join the great debate at tenbaddates.com.
T.S. Walsh | April 18, 2008 4:45 PM
Take a look at his only decibel eruption -- from amid deathlike stillness -- in "Godfather II": "You WON'T TAKE MY CHILDREN!"
But for all-out shout-out Al at his finest, I'll take "Dog Day Afternoon" all day long. His finest performance, loud or soft. Beyond "Attica!" all his scream-across-the-chaos scenes with cops are classics.
Brett | April 18, 2008 2:22 PM
Dammit, I really wanted Pacino to make a real PACINO-Y comeback soon. too bad its gotta be in 88 minutes.
De niro also. what the fucks up with these guys lately. De niro needs to hook up with marty sometime soon.
Brett | April 18, 2008 2:19 PM
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
not hoo ha but one of the greatest performances ever by a human
JasonTHX | April 18, 2008 1:40 PM
Where to Begin? Well here's my countdown:
Godfather 1: "ENOUGH!"
Serpico: "You Fire? Without a fuckin' brain in your head, you fire?"
Godfather 2: "In my HOME! In my bed where my wife sleeps."
DDA: "Attica, Attica!"
And Justice For All: "You're out of order. This whole courtroom is out of order."
Author, Author: "I'm on the GODDAMN TYPEWRITER, Gloria, Because I'm a Goddamn writer."
Scarface: "Whatchu, think, huh? I'm A Fuckin' worm like you, Well you stupid Fuck, Look at you now."
Sea Of Love "Come the wet ass Hour, Im EVERYBODY'S DADDY."
Dick Tracy: "SHUTUP!"
Glengarry Glen Ross: Williamson, did they take the leads? Fuck, FUCK, FUCK! Williamson, open the fuckin' door."
Just some of my favorites. But i also have to include "The Insider", "Any Given Sunday" and "The Merchant Of Venice"
For soft Pacino check out "Frankie & Johnny" "Two Bits" and "Insomnia"
CM | April 18, 2008 10:38 AM
Carlito's Way:
"Free at last! Free at Last! Thank God Almighty I'm free at last!"
Vincent Hanna | April 18, 2008 9:41 AM
And I almost forgot the classic in Heat after the interrogation scene as he is leaving, he turns around and shouts:
"DON'T WASTE MY MOTHERF*CKIN' TIME!!!!"
Vincent Hanna | April 18, 2008 9:36 AM
The greatest has to be from Heat because it is so out of left field:
"GIMMEE ALL YA GOT!!! GIMMEE ALL YA GOT!!!"
This was totally improvised, but not only served the purpose of the scene, but also elevated the performance of the rapper guy he was interrogating (which was what Pacino was going for).
Vincent Hanna | April 18, 2008 9:31 AM
Also from Scent of a Woman:
"I'M IN THE DARK HERE!!! I'M IN THE DARK!!!"
Vincent Hanna | April 18, 2008 9:29 AM
From "Scent of a Woman":
"If I was half the man I was years ago, I'd take a FLAMETHROWER TO THIS PLACE!!!!"
Marty J | April 18, 2008 3:15 AM
To Xander Berkley in Heat: "But you DO NOT GET TO WATCH MY FUCKING TELEVISION!"
MrSean | April 18, 2008 1:24 AM
Another sweet Heat line;
"GIMME ALL YA GOT!!!...GIMME ALL YA GOT!!!"
Joe | April 18, 2008 12:55 AM
"You're outta order!!!!!" from "...And Justice for All"
Conrad | April 17, 2008 10:06 PM
Al Pacino's performance in Dog Day afternoon is, for my money, the greatest acting performance ive seen
JimmyC. | April 17, 2008 9:05 PM
"....because she's got a GREAT ASS!!" Pacino to Hank Azaria in Heat. One of the last great hurrahs for Pacino AND DeNiro.
lg jimenez | April 17, 2008 8:15 PM
right after "Say hello to my little friend": "I take all of you to fucking hell! You know who you fucking with!? I'm Tony Montana! You fuck with me, you fucking with the best!"
Another keeper, from "Heat"
Hank Azaria:"Why did i get involved with that bitch?"
Pacino:"Cus she's got a great ASS!!!"
AJG | April 17, 2008 8:09 PM
Pacio in Michael Mann's "Heat":
"She's got a great ass! And you've got your head stuck way up in it!"
Not verbadim, but a hot shout.