Al Pacino has described the 1973 sports drama *Bang the Drum Slowly* as his all-time favourite film, praising its emotional portrayal of friendship and its baseball setting. The choice is notable because the film starred his friend and fellow actor Robert De Niro, during a period when both were delivering acclaimed performances and helping define 1970s American cinema.

The film follows a baseball catcher facing a terminal illness who forms a close bond with a star pitcher, played by Michael Moriarty. Although it received strong reviews, it was overshadowed by major releases including *Serpico*, *Mean Streets*, *The Sting* and *The Exorcist*, earning only one Oscar nomination, for Vincent Gardenia. Pacino said he watched it several times and believed it deserved far more recognition.