Al Pacino
Pros: A very talented actor. Great roles over the years has helped but he brings it is every films he does. His delivery in some of his scenes can not be matched. He is great at changing his mood at a dime. He is able to play a “bad guy” that you love, for example Donnie Brasco or even Scarface which might be the biggest “bad guy” role there was.
Cons: Many feel he overacts too often. He had some horrible supporting roles in Gigli and The Recruit. Needs to be more selective in the roles he plays. There is such a thing as too much Pacino. Also Pacino will never be able to pull of comedy because everyone associates him with as such a serious character.

Dustin Hoffman
Pros: A actor with great range. Look at his work in Toostie and Rain Man. Two completely different roles that he pulled off perfectly. He does any kind of genre, action, comedy, romance, and even suspense.
Cons: His choice of roles now a days is not great. He did Meet the Fockers and Stranger than Fiction which did not showcase his true talent. Some may say that he had great roles which made him into a star. Also can he carry a movie by himself like Al Pacino?
My Verdict:Who is the better actor? Hard one to call. If you say Scent of a Woman was Al Pacino’s best performance and Rain Man was Dustin Hoffman’s best performance than the better actor is clearly Dustin Hoffman. The problem with Al Pacino is that he is such a great actor that you don’t see his character for who they really are, you just see Pacino. Same thing for Tom Cruise. They are such big named stars that they really can’t pull off the characters they are playing.

Jack Nicholson
Pros:For decades he has been at the top of his game. Has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards winning 3 of them. Respected by all actors, he has become a hollywood icon. The best at blending comedy and drama. Great facial expressions, much like Jim Carry but less over-the-top.
Cons:Might be one of a hand full of actors who is more of a character in real life than on film. You can make an argument that he is really just playing himself. Also most of his characters seem to be the same. His range seems to have gotten limited as the years went on.

Kevin Spacey
Pros:Very versatile actor. Won an Oscar for best actor as well as supporting actor. Brings a sense of intelligence into his roles.
ConsA bit of a streaky actor. He is either great or you don’t even notice him. Seems to only shine if his character has…issues. After winning an Oscar for American Beauty he seems to have fallen off the radar. Needs to make another film where everyone will remember him for.
My Verdict
Gotta go with Jack Nicholson. Kevin Spacey is a great actor. But he needs to do a few more films where he is responsible for carrying the film. In American Beauty, it was a collaborated effort with strong supporting characters that allowed Kevin Spacey to shine. Jack can carry a film on his own. He has proved this time after time. This one I feel is a no contest. But my vote does that matter. What do you think? To vote just leave a comment, your vote WILL matter.

Robert DeNiro
Pros:Great passion for his role. May be the top character actors in Hollywood of all time. He has played some of the most unforgettable characters of all time like Vito Corleone, Al Capone, and Jake LaMotta. I mean he was able to make Vito Corleone his own which many thought would not be possible because of what Marlon Brando did two years earlier. Throughout the years he has won every award imaginable and remained cool, much like Jack Nicholson.
Cons:
Some horrible screen choices along the way. Anyone seen Godsend, Hide and Seek, and The Fan? He seems to play “bad” guys very well but that seems to be his limit. What is the deal with DeNiro trying to do comedy? Meet the Parents was ….ok, but he should have left it at that. Meet the Fockers was horrible and A Sharks Tale was just sad. He should stick to what he is good at…being a wise guy.

Denzel Washington
Pros: The passion this guys brings to a film is unmatched. Even if the film that he is in sucks, he is able to save it with his strong performance. Think of a movies like The Hurricane and John Q, if anyone else was playing the lead in either of the two films would it even be watchable? People thought that he could never play a villian, much like Tom Hanks who has always seemed to play the heros. But his performance in Training Day and American Gangster proved that he is not just a one trick pony.
ConsSometimes tends to overact, making some of his characters unbelievable. Even if his performance was strong, he has picked some really bad movies. Never ventured out to do comedy, which might not be a bad thing but an effort would be nice.
My Verdict
Both great actors. I know what some of you guys are thinking. Why do you trash DeNiro for doing comedy and trash Denzel for NOT doing comedy. My point is this. DeNiro did a good comedy in Meet the Parents and proved that he could pull if off. But then he went on to make a couple more which kind of made him a joke. I am not saying Denzel should do a string of comedies but he should do one to see if he can or can not do it. My pick between the two has to go with Denzel who seems to get better with age while DeNiro gets worse every year. Denzel has better range and give his all in every performance. At times, (and some of you might agree with me) DeNiro seems to mail it in to just get his HUGE paycheck. Like “hey I am DeNiro….where is my money.” But my vote does not matter. If you want to vote just leave a comment. Since the average number of comments I get is around five, your vote might end up being 20% of the vote.

Round two comes to an end and there were some very close results. Dinero beat Hopkins by a narrow margin, as did Denzel over Depp and Spacey over Walken. Jack Nicholson crushed Edward Norton, rightfully so. Now we are down to 8 actors. Who will win? The quarterfinal match ups are underway now. To vote just leave a comment on who you think is the better actor.

Robert DeNiro def. Anthony Hopkins (5-4)
Denzel Washington def. Johnny Depp (5-4)
Jack Nicholson def. Edward Norton (7-0)
Kevin Spacey def. Christopher Walken (4-3)
Al Pacino def. Billy Bob Thornton (4-1)
Dustin Hoffman def. Russell Crowe (4-2)
Paul Newman def. Matt Damon (2-1)
Robert Duvall def. Morgan Freeman (2-1)

This is by the far the hardest one to call in the second round. Both very experienced and both great actors. Morgan has always shined in supporting roles and so has Duvall. However Duvall showed he could carry a film by himself when he made The Apostle. Morgan Freeman has been nominated for an Oscar four times, winning once with Million Dollar Baby. He usually plays the laid-back and wise characters that everyone respects. He has one of the most recognizable voices in Hollywood. Robert Duvall has six Oscar nominations, winning one time. So who is the better actor?? To vote just leave a comment. Here are some of their best scenes.

Morgan Freeman

Robert Duvall

Here is a question, if you give Matt Damon twenty years, can he surpass Paul Newman as an actor? I think yes, look at what he has done already. Paul Newman has 8 best actor Academy Award nominations. He won one for The Color of Money. Now that is impressive. Matt Damon made his breakthrough when he wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting which is one of my top ten favorite films of all time. So who is the better actor? You could say Paul Newman because of his body of work, or you could say Matt Damon because you know one day he may surpass Newman. Either way this will be one hell of a battle. To vote just leave a comment and feel free to vote for the other match ups.

Paul Newman

Matt Damon

Maximus vs. Rainman. What a great match up we have in round two. This one might be the hardest one to call. People love Dustin Hoffman but he has not done anything for years. Can his early success carry him past Russell Crowe? Dustin Hoffman has two Academy Awards under his belt and his range as an actor is great. However Russell Crowe beat Tom Hanks in the first round, a major upset. This goes to show that Russell Crowe is very respected as an actor. Crowe has had a lot of success in a short period of time. From year 2000 until now he has had three best actor nominations at the Academy Awards. He came away with one but you can make an argument that he should have won all three. To vote just leave a comment, this one will be very close. Here are some of their best scenes.

Russell Crowe

Dustin Hoffman

Poor Billy Bob, he gets matched up with one of the greatest actors of our time in round two. Surprisingly Al Pacino has only one Oscar under his belt, however he does have 8 nominations. He has played legendary characters that we will never forget, however his career is on the downhill these days. Al Pacino is great but Billy Bob Thornton is on fire these days. Billy Bob is a man’s man and even tho he does not have to looks of a leading man, he continues to star in great films year after year. He made his name when he wrote, directed, and starred in Sling Blade. I feel with Billy Bob you either love him or hate him. This is why he has a chance of defeating Al Pacino. To vote just leave a comment. Feel free to vote for the other matchups.

Al Pacino


Billy Bob Thornton

Great match up in the second round. Two great actors but I feel one is WAY overrated. Kevin Spacey started as a great stage actor before he got to television and eventually the big screen. But once he made it in Hollywood people realized that this actor was for real. He has won two Oscars for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty. Spacey is up against an actor who has 50 years of acting experience. However he has won only one Oscar for his role in The Deer Hunter. Once again as far as who is the better actor I have to go with Kevin Spacey. Have you seen him in Seven? Probably one of the top five film serial killers of all time. Walken is a great actor however has he ever been able to carry a movie on his own? A great actor commands the screen and I feel Spacey does a better job at doing this then Walken. To vote just write a comment, your vote WILL matter. Here are some of their best scenes. By the way the Kevin Spacey scene is there because it cracks me up every time I see it.

Kevin Spacey

Christopher Walken

This might be the biggest mismatch of the first round. Edward Norton will need all the luck on the web to beat Jack Nicholson. Jack is a three time Academy award winner (nominated 12 times!!) with great range. However he is best known for playing very dark characters. He might go down as the best actor of his generation. Edward Norton is a great actor as well but he needs another…..20 years to catch up with someone like Jack Nicholson. Norton has been nominated for an Oscar twice, and he has not reached his full potential. So who is the better actor? To vote just leave a comment. Here are some of their best scenes. Feel free to vote for the other match ups as well.

Jack Nicholson

Edward Norton