Hangman might just be one of the weakest movies of Al Pacino’s career, but he’s still kind of great in it. Al Pacino is rightfully considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, which is easy to see why when looking through his filmography. In the 1970s alone he starred in The Panic In Needle Park, The Godfather 1 & 2, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon, and in the 1980s he would take on the lead in the remake of Scarface, with Tony Montana becoming one of his signature roles.
Al Pacino’s later career is filled with classics like Heat, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Carlito’s Way. In 1993 he finally received an Academy Award for his performance in Scent Of A Woman and has received eight nominations in total. Pacino is still very much active today in film, TV, and stage, with recent projects including Danny Collins, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and The Irishman. The latter is an acclaimed Netflix thriller from director Martin Scorsese that reunites Pacino with Robert De Niro, and also stars Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel.
Recent years have seen established stars lured by the promise of a tidy paycheck for a few day’s work on STV movies, such as Bruce Willis for Marauders or Sylvester Stallone with Escape Plan 2: Hades. This might be one reason Al Pacino signed on for Hangman, a tepid 2017 thriller. The story involves Pacino’s detective Archer being called out for retirement to track down a killer who likes to play games of Hangman.
Hangman features a solid cast, including Karl Urban (Dredd) as main detective Ruiney and Brittany Snow as a reporter helping the detectives find the killer. Hangman styles itself on classic thrillers like Se7en, but what drag the movie down is the sluggish pace. There’s rarely a sense of a ticking clock or jeopardy and the screenplay is loaded with cliched dialogue and stock characters. This applies to Pacino’s grizzled ex-cop, but he’s such a pro he still invests his character with life. Even with weak material, the star is magnetic to watch, so despite sporting a questionable accent he’s still the best thing about it.
Like any movie icon, Al Pacino has made some duds throughout his career, including Righteous Kill and Jack & Jill, but even in those, he’s trying his best. That holds true for Hangman and even if it’s debatable that it’s the worst of his career, its certainly one of the dullest.
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