From ‘’The Godfather’ to ‘Raging Bull’, here are some of the brilliant performances from one of the greatest actors of all time.
‘Mean Streets’ (1973)
For De Niro, pulling off a character like Johnny Boy is easy. He is wired, spontaneous, and dangerous. From tossing bombs in mailboxes to scrolling the bars with girls in each arm, De Niro made the character feel completely carefree and bulletproof. The movie was the first time the actor collaborated with director Martin Scorsese, and the rest is world cinema history. ‘Mean Streets’ is centered around a small-time gangster who goes against a vicious loan shark, trying to go up the ladder in the process.
‘Heat’ (1995)
De Niro plays a professional thief in Michael Mann’s epic crime drama. His brilliant performance is cool, cool, distant, tactical, and assertive where it needs to be. Combine that with the memorable performance from Al Pacino as the tempestuous detective and you have pure movie brilliance on screen. As the movie progresses, we also feel how the actor reveals the insecurity building up in the character when his plans go south.
‘The Untouchables’ (1987)
There is no doubt that De Niro dons in his roles as gangsters and criminals who show no nuance or humanity. In ‘The Untouchables’, the actor portraits the iconic mobster Al-Capone in the best, monstrous, ruthless, and comical way ever. The character’s inability to value anyone around him is shown by the actor’s performance of shockingly urgent villainy.
‘The King of Comedy’ (1983)
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro team up again for the dark comedy about ambition and celebrity. Rupert Pupkin is an ambitious stand-up comedian who is failing to become a comedy superstar and is psychotically obsessed with fame. The movie was initially a flop. However, its fame and cult classic status grew over the years. There is no doubt that ‘The King of Comedy’ gave us one of the most memorable performances from De Niro.
‘The Deer Hunter’ (1978)
Michael Cimino’s Best Picture winner owes a lot to De Niro and his remarkably brilliant performance as a war-torn sociopath and later a broken man trying to heal himself. Rather than just a character, De Niro has successfully portrayed an entire generation.
