He may have won his Oscar for going all 'Hoo-ah!' in "Scent of a Woman" but when most people think of a classic Al Pacino role, the ones that come to mind usually find Mr. Pacino playing a good guy or a bad guy. Here are the Top Five Pacino Cop movies and his Top Five Criminal flicks. Let us know which role fits him best and which movie you like the most!

PACINO AS COP:

HEAT (1995):
Michael Mann's LA crime saga gets better and better each time I watch it. As super-cop Vincent Hanna, Pacino gives a high-octane performance ('Gimme all you got!!!') as the great detective who can't solve his personal problems. The bank robbery scene is one of the 10 best action pieces EVER, but the coffee shop conversation between Pacino & De Niro (as bad guy Neil McCauley) gives us the chance to eavesdrop on a conversation between two acting icons.

SEA OF LOVE (1989):
Pacino's big comeback role after the flop that was "Revolution," this tense thriller finds him playing a cop on the heels of a serial killer targeting lonely men through newspaper lonely hearts columns. Pacino and Ellen Barkin, playing the main suspect, set off serious sparks, and John Goodman is perfect as Pacino's partner.

SERPICO (1973):
Frank Serpico was Pacino's most iconic role until he hammed it up as Tony Montana a decade later. (You didn't see a poster of Michael Corleone on Tony Manero's wall in "Saturday Night Fever" did you?)

Sidney Lumet's movie -- which I first saw at a much-too young age -- has aged well, especially seeing it again as a New Yorker. It's more than just a cop movie. It's a history lesson about one of the city's most desperate times as well as a deep probe inside one of NY's most indelible communities -- the NYPD.

CRUISING (1980):
His most controversial movie, this one was just released for the first time on DVD last year. Pacino's a cop who goes undercover in NY's seedy S&M society to catch a killer targeting gays. I'm sure Al's reps were happy this movie was buried right after it was finished out of fears it would kill his macho image. But this is a really good, if creepy, thriller. Watching it now makes you miss the Pacino who could do work like this instead of his recent histrionics. Watch for Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen and Ed O'Neill in supporting roles.

INSOMNIA (2002):
Pacino's last great movie, it's woefully underrated. Written/directed by "Batman Begins" genius Christopher Nolan, its chock full of great characterizations. This one well-crafted cop thriller. Trying to solve a murder in an Alaskan town which is in a 24-hour sun cycle, while hiding a terrible secret of his own, Pacino's sleep-deprived, guilt-ridden detective is almost too exhausted to keep up with Robin Williams' slithering bad-guy. Give this one a chance.

PACINO AS CRIMINAL:

THE GODFATHER I & II (1972 &1974):
What can I possibly say about these two movies that hasn't been said or written already? If you haven't seen these two epics, order the dvds, take a sick day and enjoy two of the greatest films EVER and then you can finally understand what the heck Tom Hanks and Greg Kinnear were talking about in "You've Got Mail." Oh, and skip "Godfather, Part III."

DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975):
Once you get past the twisted fact that Michael and Fredo Corleone are playing gay lovers in this based-on-a-true-story drama, what you get is Pacino at his bravest. Playing the not so well-prepared bank robber Sonny, trying to gain enough cash to pay for his lover's sex-change operation, Pacino is funny, touching, angry and best of all, sympathetic. This role marked his 4th consecutive Oscar nomination (3 straight Best Actor Nods). Why it took the Academy so long to honor him is beyond me.

DONNIE BRASCO (1997):
Before "The Sopranos" demystified the whole myth about Mob honor, Pacino shattered the whole romanticized image of gangster life with his portrayal of the pathetic, barely breaking-even thug Lefty in director Mike Newell's riveting drama. Pacino and Johnny Depp (as real-life FBI agent Joe Pistone) are tremendous together in their scenes, including some hilarious exchanges ("A wise guy's always right even when he's wrong, he's right."). Like "Heat," it gets better with every viewing.

SCARFACE (1983):
It's always seemed rather odd to me that the part Pacino is most identified with is his maniacally over-the-top turn as Tony Montana. Before you even think of arguing that point, think of how many times you've heard a drunk friend of yours slur 'Say hello to my lil' friend!' .. or 'The World is Mine' ... or 'Don't get high on your own supply'...it goes on and on. The film's become a mantra to the Hip Hop community, with everyone from P. Diddy to Snoop Dogg declaring their love for Brian De Palma's bloody pic, calling it the ultimate cautionary tale. Sporting one of the worst Cuban accents ever (I'm Cuban. Trust me, he wasn't even close), Pacino nevertheless appears to be having a ball working on a less-dignified -- and infinitely more hammed-up -- take on the 'power corrupts' character arc he did in much more subtle fashion in "The Godfather" movies. Watch it again. The film's full of problems, but the action scenes are brutal and still exciting. And Pacino...well, he's Pacino. Say what you will about the glorification of violence, over-acting...yada yada. Cultural impact has to count for something.

CARLITO'S WAY (1993):
I remember seeing this in theaters when it came out, expecting a complete "Scarface" ripoff. I mean, Pacino as a latino gangster (only Puerto Rican instead of Cuban) in a De Palma movie doesn't exactly scream originality. And it had LOTS of similarities. But this was almost like "Scarface" on prozac, much more subdued, not to mention a much more sympathetic character. You don't have to feel guilty for liking Carlito Brigante, because Pacino humanizes him. This is a guy dying to stick to the straight and narrow, but everyone and everything around him keeps pulling him back in to his old life. I stop to watch this everytime I catch it while channel-surfing, one of the highest compliments I can give a movie. And Sean Penn's coke out, corrupt lawyer with the white-guy 'fro is also a treat to watch.

So what do you think? Cop or Crook? Tell us which Pacino you prefer!