The name Pacino could almost be a byword for intensity. From rallying the crowd to chant 'Attica' in Dog Day Afternoon, to introducing us to his little friend in Scarface, to remarking on Ashley Judd's "great ass!" in Heat, the acting legend has built much of his career on his capacity for shouting. But it's very often his quieter moments which are the most powerful of all, and nowhere has Pacino been better at doing more by doing less than in The Godfather Part II. As masterful as his performance was in the original Godfather, showing how a man of conscience can slowly metamorphose into someone altogether more dangerous with power, it's in the sequel that we really see Michael Corleone tested. Conflicts and betrayals with his own wife and his brother push him to the edge, delivering some of the most intense, powerful scenes Pacino has ever played a part in.
