6 Al Pacino Movies Based on True Stories
This list is originally published on True Story Movie Blog
Al Pacino
The legendary American actor Alfredo James Pacino aka Al Pacino is turning 76 on 25th April 2016. He is charismatic; his roles majorly portray sheer subtlety and his acting demands sheer artistic reverence.
He had multiple feathers in his crown as awards galore throughout his career. Winning one Oscar, four Golden Globe awards and two BAFTA are just a few to mention. Movies apart, he has won two Primetime Emmy awards for his television performance and two Tony awards for his stage performance.
Heat is written and directed by Michael Mann that succinctly put crime, drama, suspense and action all at one reel.
The story plot projected two protagonists — one devious criminal Neil McCauley played by Robert De Niro and one relentless cop Vincent Hanna played by Al Pacino. Even though they were poles apart by external demeanour, but both of them shared some resemblances inherently. Their disturbed personal life was one such common point.
The movie has a dialogue that went viral — “Never have anything in your life that you can’t walk out on in thirty seconds flat, if you spot the heat coming around the corner“.
The plot was based on true story of real life gangster Neil and a detective Chuck Adamson whose character is adapted as Hanna. After Neil’s death, Adamson shifted to television career and gave his insight to Mann for making this film.
Mann chose both Al Pacino and De Niro for the lead roles since inception. He also told to scout the locations selectively in such a way that none of the location had been featured in any movie before.
The movie did not only hold the credit to gain instant success in box-office in the year of release, but it also proved to be an all time legendary thriller based on a true story.
Ranked within top 25 highest grossing films in world box-office in 1995
Director : Michael Mann
Writer : Michael Mann
Budget : $60 million
Box office : $187.4 million
Year : 1995
The Insider is a truth-revealing movie directed by Michael Mann. The screenplay was penned down jointly by Mann and Eric Roth based on Marie Brenner’s Vanity Fair article “The Man who Knew Too Much“.
The plot revolved around the human conscience of a scientist Jeffrey Wigand (played by Russell Crowe), employed in a tobacco firm who used to know beforehand that tobacco — the prime content of cigarette is addictive.
He wanted his voice to be heard by the mass but could not become successful in doing so. He was bound to abide by the confidentiality agreement signed by him since he received an order from the competent authority of the tobacco firm to conceal it.
Al Pacino played an interesting role of a producer Lowell Bergman who met Wigand along with a journalist for 60 minutes where Wigand found an outlet for whistle-blowing.
The outline was based on true story of scientist Jeffrey Wigand, the former Vice President of Research and Development in Brown and Williamson who faced real pressure from not only tobacco industry where he was employed, but also from the-then CBS owner Lauren Tisch for his intent of whistle-blowing to make people cautious about nicotine’s addictive feature.
The movie got a huge positive response from the viewers. The movie, director, screenplay writers and actors — all won several critics choice award.
Director : Michael Mann
Story : Marie Brenner
Screenplay: Michael Mann, Eric Roth
Budget : $90 million
Box office : $60,289,912
Year : 1999
Serpico is directed by Sidney Lumet. The script was originally based on the biographical book ‘Serpico’ written by Peter Mass.
The movie candidly exposed New York police department’s corrupt activities.
The plot churned the story of an honest cop who suddenly discovered one caustic truth that he was living among some unscrupulous colleagues whom he witnessed to violate all the ethical rules. He faces tremendous opposition from them and finally exposes the corruption stories in front of Knapp Commission — an investigation panel.
Al Pacino performed impeccably well in the role of Serpico that instantly heightened up his popularity by leaps and bounds.
The outline was based on true story of the New York Police Department undercover cop Frank Serpico who experienced with crusade against widespread corruption within the police department and that subsequently led him being shot in the face by his colleagues.
He won NYPD’s highest honor — The Medal of Honor in 1972.
The movie bagged several awards including nominations in two academy awards. Al Pacino was nominated for Oscar for the very first time in his career for playing the role of Serpico and the script of the movie won prestigious Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Director : Sidney Lumet
Screenplay: Waldo Salt, Norman Wexler
Budget : $2.5–3 million
Box office : $29.8 million
Year : 1973
Donnie Brasco is a criminal drama movie directed by Mike Newell. The script was originally based on ‘Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia‘ written by Joseph D. Pistone.
The plot evolved the real-life twists and turns faced by Pistone (played by Johnny Depp), an FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family via a disgruntled mafia named Lefty (played by Al Pacino).
Using the alias ‘Donnie Brasco’, Pistone learnt the mafia tactics inside out, subsequently burrowing in so deep that he forgot to see the margin between the life of an FBI agent and that of a criminal, which could jeopardize Lefty’s life.
The movie was genuine adaptation of the Pistone’s true story as he penned down in his autobiography.
His successful penetration into the mafia group in 1976 led to the arrest of a large notorious gang operating over Eastern Seaboard at that time. While infiltrating Bonanno, Ruggiero (adapted as Lefty) became a bosom friend of Pistone who promised him that he would die with him.
The movie became an instant hit as an action pot-boiler and earned huge commercial success in box office. It was nominated in Academy Awards in best screenplay category and grabbed a niche in top ten gangster film by American Film Institute.
Director : Mike Newell
Writer : Paul Attanasio
Budget : $35 million
Box office : $124.9 millio
Year : 1997
5. You Don’t Know Jack ( 2010 )
You Don’t Know Jack was HBO film’s biopic directed by Barry Levinson and written by Adam Mazer.
The movie was mostly based on the book “Between the Dying and the Dead: Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s Life and the Battle to Legalize Euthanasia“.
The plot projected a sexagenarian pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian (played by Al Pacino) who created a device that started helping in euthanasia and assisted suicide in ending terminally ill people’s lives in a peaceful way. Along with Kevorkian’s sister Margo Janus, he began offering his death-counselling services to a proliferating clientele. Court tried to detract him from his activities for several times, but that rebuff did little to dampen his ardour. Kevorkian battled hard to change the laws to accept euthanasia as a moral deed.
The movie was based on true story of Dr. Jacob Kevorkian’s life who contributed massively towards doctor-assisted suicide and fought hard to legalize the concept of euthanasia stating that “people have the moral rights to die. Dying is not a crime”. He was convicted and was incarcerated to serve his sentence. Though his parole was denied initially, but ultimately he got released from prison.
The movie won two Primetime Emmy Awards. Al Pacino won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award.
Director : Barry Levinson
Writer : Adam Mazer
Budget : $18 million
Year : 2010
Danny Collins is both directed and written by debutante director Dan Fogelman. The movie was based on true story of singer Steve Tilston’s later part of life when he embarked on old ages.
The plot showed the plummeting singing career of ageing folk singer and star Danny Collins, played by Al Pacino, who just came across a forty-year-old undelivered letter perchance. The letter had been originally penned by famous star John Lennon and it highlighted some great advice that changed the course of Danny’s life. It says not to run after material success that is superfluous, instead the letter advises that one should remain unaffected by the touch of fame and money, rather people should connect to their own roots where relationship can bind one another.
The original letter by Lennon to Tilston had these lines — “Being rich doesn’t change your experience in the way you think. The only difference basically is that you don’t have to worry about money -food — roof etc., but all other experiences — emotions — relationships — are the same as anybody’s“.
Al Pacino proved that he had been like fine wine, because he got better in acting with age. He got nominated for Golden Globe award. Two musical scores from the movie got listed in Academy Awards.
Director :Dan Fogelman
Writer :Dan Fogelman
Budget : $10 million
Box office : $8.2 millio
Year : 2015
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This list is originally published on True Story Movie Blog
