Al Pacino: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

5 Awesome Performances...

5. Lt. Vincent Hanna - Heat

A modern crime classic. This brooding piece plays out against the neon hue of Los Angeles as career criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) takes down one last job under the watchful eye of broken cop Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). This film definitely falls into the 'shouting' part of Pacino's canon but here, with the livewire Hanna, it really works. He is supposed to be the opposite to De Niro's quiet, pensive McCauley. He is supposed to be a big, intimidating personality. He is a very different leader of men than the gang leader. To that end, Pacino's work here is finely judged and when it comes to the brilliant coffee shop confrontation, both men are finally stripped bare and Hanna's bravado is finally stripped away and a frightened lonely man is all that is left. In a film full of complex characters it is Pacino's Hanna that is the most difficult to understand and yet two moments sum him up. The first is the conversation with his wife Justine (Diane Venora) where he explains he has to remain 'I got to hold on to my angst, I preserve it, because I need it. It keeps me sharp. On the edge. Where I gotta be.' The second moment is the final image of Hanna holding McCauley's hand as the latter slowly dies. Both wishing for something more. Both not wanting to let go.