Why Did Al Pacino Change the Climactic Courtroom Scene in And Justice for All?
In recent years, Al Pacino, who turned 81 in April, has been on a tear. Theres no other way to define a three-year period in which hes appeared in films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Irishman, and the upcoming House of Gucci. Pacino will also be seen on television this summer in American Traitor, a film that saw the famous actor return to the courtroom. When you say the words Al Pacino and courtroom, you immediately think of his Oscar-winning performance in Scent of a Woman (hoo-ah!). But Pacino had already shown himself as a lawyer in Norman Jewisons And Justice for All more than a decade before (1979). Pacino plays a defense attorney in the film, who one day in court throws up the rulebook. Even if you havent seen the movie, youve probably seen this moment. (At one point, Pacino yells at a judge, Youre out of order!) Ira Wells reported in Norman Jewison: A Directors Life (2021) that Pacino altered that scene before filming. Al Pacino did not believe the climax of And Justice for All was credible. The Smell the Spaghetti Approach to Getting Italians to Make The Godfather  On the subject of And Justice for All, Barry Levinson (Diner, Rain Man) and Valerie Curtin wrote the script, which Jewison directed. Real court cases and discussions with legal professionals were used by the writers (who were then married). Yet a few scenes in the movie dont seem entirely true to life. That list includes the climax, in which Pacinos Arthur Kirkland proclaims his client guilty before the court and bawls out the judge. In his Jewison biography, Wells notes that Pacino didnt consider the scene realistic enough to perform as-written. And Jewison recalled Pacino actually rewriting dialogue days before the shoot. I was just shocked, Jewison told Wells in interviews for A Directors Life. Pacino came to me and said he had made a few changes, and he had totally rewritten the scene. And of course it was boring! It didnt work.  In the end, Jewison convinced Pacino to abandon his rewrite and film the scene as Levinson and This story is a short summary. Hope you enjoyed.