Review of Scent of a Woman (1992) by Brendan C — 17 Feb 2013

Al Pacino gives the greatest performance of his acting career in this movie. He has had an amazing career filled with some great performances, but this was his best. He plays Col. Frank Slade, an ex soldier who went blind in battle, and whose life has gone downhill ever since. It is Al Pacino's best role, because it is very unusual one for him that is different, and harder then some of his other roles. Frank Slade is also a much more interesting character then most of the other guys he played. Frank Slade is quite a character actually. He is very funny and inappropriate. He says things that really shock you, and anger people. He has a really strange voice that make sit so you can tell he was a war colonel. When he meets Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) he calls him either "idiot" or "moron" a lot. He is very funny that way, and he makes the film into a bit of a comedy. Another thing about Pacino's acting that is really good is that he hardly ever blinks.

He is a sad character however. He hires Charlie Simms (Chris O'Donnell) a boy from a nice expensive college to take him to New York and help him around. He tells Chris that he is going to stay at a high-class hotel, eat dinner with wine, see his brother, make love with a beautiful woman, and them he will blow his brains out. He is a lonely guy, who doesn't get along well with his family, and because he doesn't have that many things to do anymore. You see how much he wants to die at certain points in the film like he crosses the street while he isn't supposed to and when there is heavy traffic. He also drives a car really fast down a dangerous road, when he is blind. I had forgotten about his death wish for a while until that scene actually. He also hates to get out of bed, which is a pretty common sign of depression.

Charlie is a poor kid who goes to a school full of rich kids. His friends are pranksters, and they take a prank to far. They pop a balloon full of white paint all over the Deans car. If he doesn't turn his friends in he will be expelled, but his friends are slime balls, and so is the dean but he won't turn his friends in because he is that selfless. Frank ends up helping him, while he helps Frank. They both become fond of each other, and the really help each other's lives in the end.

It is a great movie with a great script, and story. I would recommend this.