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About Al Pacino in the 2000s
In the 2000s, Al Pacino garnered three Golden Globe awards since the turn of the century. His first accolade was the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the world of motion pictures.
In the year 2000, Pacino played a role alongside Jerry Orbach in the low-budget film adaptation of Ira Lewis’ play, “Chinese Coffee,” which had its debut at film festivals. This project, primarily a one-on-one conversation between two central characters, demanded nearly three years for completion and was entirely financed by Pacino himself. “Chinese Coffee” was included in a special DVD box set titled “Pacino: An Actor’s Vision” in 2007, along with two other rare films he had a hand in producing, “The Local Stigmatic” and “Looking for Richard.” Pacino also contributed prologues and epilogues for the films on the DVD set.
Pacino declined an offer to reprise his role as Michael Corleone in the video game adaptation of “The Godfather,” resulting in Electronic Arts being unable to use his likeness or voice in the game, even though his character appeared in it. However, he did grant permission for his likeness to be used in the video game adaptation of “Scarface” in 1983 and its quasi-sequel, “Scarface: The World is Yours.”
Director Christopher Nolan collaborated with Pacino on “Insomnia,” a remake of the Norwegian film of the same name, in which he co-starred with Robin Williams. Newsweek praised Pacino’s ability to excel in both small and large roles, noting his capacity to convey intense emotions. “Insomnia” received acclaim, earning a favorable rating of 93 percent on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes and performed reasonably well at the box office, grossing $113 million worldwide. However, his subsequent film, “S1m0ne,” failed to garner much critical praise or commercial success.
In the film “People I Know,” Pacino portrayed a publicist in a small production that received limited attention, despite his well-received performance. Although he rarely accepted supporting roles after his breakthrough, he made an exception by taking on a minor part in the critically and commercially unsuccessful film “Gigli” in 2003, as a favor to director Martin Brest. Additionally, in 2003’s “The Recruit,” where he played a CIA recruiter alongside Colin Farrell, the film received mixed reviews, and Pacino admitted to struggling to follow its plot. In the same year, Pacino delivered a standout performance as lawyer Roy Cohn in the HBO miniseries “Angels in America,” an adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which earned him his third Golden Globe in 2004.
Pacino’s portrayal of Shylock in Michael Radford’s 2004 film adaptation of “The Merchant of Venice” was highly praised for adding depth and compassion to a character traditionally depicted as a villainous stereotype. In “Two for the Money,” Pacino took on the role of a sports gambling agent and mentor to Matthew McConaughey. The film received mixed reviews upon its release on October 8, 2005.
Life Achievement Award
On October 20, 2006, Pacino was honored with the 35th AFI Life Achievement Award by the American Film Institute, and on November 22, 2006, the University Philosophical Society of Trinity College Dublin presented him with the Honorary Patronage of the Society.
Pacino played the role of the antagonist, Willy Bank, a casino tycoon, in Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Thirteen,” sharing the screen with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, and Andy García. The film received generally positive reviews.
“88 Minutes” saw its U.S. release on April 18, 2008, following earlier releases in various countries in 2007. Although the film received critical panning, Pacino’s acting was not singled out as the issue. In “Righteous Kill,” Pacino and Robert De Niro teamed up as New York detectives on the hunt for a serial killer. Despite being a highly anticipated reunion of the two stars, the film was met with negative reviews from critics.
