Rank Pakula.

He's a strange bird because he had talent but too much of his work is overshadowed by better versions in the genre he's working in and the better work with his name on it isn't auteur driven stuff but craft.

Still, The Parallax View is a 2nd or maybe 3rd tier 70s classic - that's how deep the 70s go - with a lot to recommend in it but has a relative weak middle act. That's the film where he is most involved it seems to me, the tension there is very much a directorial tension.

To me there's 3 other films that define him but some define him by his being absent - of course he has other fine stuff (Klute, etc) but these are the ones I think of with him: 

Orphans - love the play, love the film, he gets out of the way and its all the better for it.

All The Presidents Men - Nothing artistic here at all but a very fine adult film for adults, the script does all the lifting but the direction is efficient and intelligent.

Presumed Innocent - Late in his career after a bunch of crap he did but this is actually the best of the bunch in this territory - a far better and darker film than people think and a far more cinematic one about sexual politics too. He's much more overtly involved here - if you ever think of films in this genre you see a lot of junk get a pass and this one gets ripped for I guess being smarter, sexier, more logical. It's too good for this genre. This is right around the time that this kind of Hollywood film - the decent sized star driven adult drama slowly died - they still can't do it right .

All the President's Men - 10 (Political thriller at its best)
Klute - 9 (One of the most terrifying movies I've seen)
Sophie's Choice - 7.5
The Parallax View - 7

I am dying to see Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing but I just can't find it anywhere.