Ten Best De Niro Performances

[max]

I'm talking PERFORMANCES, not MOVIES.

1. TAXI DRIVER
2. RAGING BULL
3. THE DEER HUNTER
4. MEAN STREETS
5. THE KING OF COMEDY
6. AWAKENINGS
7. GODFATHER II
8. MIDNIGHT RUN
9. BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY
10. HEAT

Also worth mentioning are CAPE FEAR, CASINO, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA. It was really tough for me to leave them out.

[A Canadian ThereWolf]

Dude, If you're talking performances then you totally forgot "Goodfellas" his role as Jimmy "The Gent" Conway was one of his best!

[max]

I didn't forget. It's one of his best, but he's given so many great ones. I also consider his performance in CASINO an extended version of it, but more expansive and profound. If you admire it so much, what performance in my list would you replace?

[A Canadian ThereWolf]

What peformance would ThereWolf replace?

Probably...um..."Midnight Run"
Not to say that there's anything wrong with it, but for ThereWolf it would probably come in at #12 or #13, other than that the rest of your list looks A-okay to the WolfMan! http://www.joblo.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[ColinM]

I'm currently in the process of seeing all of his movies, and there are tons I am yet to see.

My favorite performance of his so far is his in The Godfather Part II.

[max]

Well, Colin, you haven't seen De Niro at his best until you've seen TAXI DRIVER and RAGING BULL.

[ColinM]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by max:
Well, Colin, you haven't seen De Niro at his best until you've seen TAXI DRIVER and RAGING BULL.</font>

Looking forward to seeing them! http://www.joblo.com/ubb/smile.gif

[max]

Colin - If you haven't seen ANGEL HEART, you should check it out. It's worth seeing just for De Niro's immaculately understated turn as the devil.

[arto_j]

What about Cape Fear and Goodfellas? Also Analyse This, he was good in it, making fun of his own previous roles, which worked much better than for example Marlon Brando in The Freshman.

[max]

Word is that he could even be funnier in ANALYZE THAT. Read this:

"Columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith report that if you thought Robert DeNiro had a comedic field day with "Analyze This," just wait for "Analyze That."

Their sources got an advance peek at the script of the sequel, which is set to roll in late March in New York with Billy Crystal reprising his role and Harold Ramis directing.

They say that DeNiro's mobster character will be seen suffering from something called "brief psychotic disorder," which compels him to sing songs from "West Side Story" for two days straight. Audiences will also glimpse his attempt at a legit job, selling cars, and his ultra-aggressive sales technique.

Meanwhile, shrink Ben Sobel (Crystal) and wife Laura (Lisa Kudrow) will be dealing with the FBI, who is simultaneously attempting to protect them from would-be killers -- and leaning on DeNiro's Paul Vitti for information about a planned heist."

[ColinM]

I just saw Taxi Driver for the first time and, while I think the movie itself is a bit overrated, Robert De Niro really was incredible in it. Definitely the best role I've seen him in so far.

[Fergus]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ColinM:
I just saw Taxi Driver for the first time and, while I think the movie itself is a bit overrated, Robert De Niro really was incredible in it. Definitely the best role I've seen him in so far.</font>

Same here, and I've seen it twice, two years apart.

I really did like Raging Bull the best out of all his performances listed that I've seen. It is the most well rounded, deep, thoughtout. And I like that movie more than Taxi Driver, but that doesn't matter here anyway. I would put Mean Streets down a few notches, just because it doesn't seem as great as the others.

1. Raging Bull
2. The King of Comedy
3. The Deer Hunter
4. Taxi Driver (although this and Deer Hunter were pretty equal.)
5. Awakenings
6. Godfather Part II
7. Mean Streets
8. Bang the Drum Slowly(even though the movie wasn't that good.)
9. Heat
10. Analyze This

He was hilarious in Analyze This. I like your list max, even though there were five mentioned that I haven't seen: Casino, Once Upon a Time...(i'll get around to that one once I find time because I have it, it is just too long), Cape Fear, Midnight Run, and Angel Heart. Mostly I just want to see "Angel" and "Once". The Last Tycoon, and "New York, New York" are also ones I'd like to see. Other performances, just don't stand out like the rest. Like "Copland", "The Mission", and "Great Expectations".

[This message has been edited by Fergus (edited 02-07-2002).]

[Amirdarab]

1.Raging Bull
2.Taxi Driver
3.The Godfather part II
4.The Deer Hunter
5.Mean Streets
6.Cape Fear
7.The king of Comedy
8.Casino
9.Goodfellas
10.Awakenings

[SIREN30]

There's a bunch of his films I haven't seen so I don't wanna bother w/ ten. But he was best in CAPE FEAR and AWAKENINGS if you ask me.

[rupert_pupkin]

King of Comedy

[dicaprio_travolta_man]

1. Raging Bull
2. The Godfather Part 2
3. Casino
4. Taxi Driver
5. This Boy's Life
6. Men of Honor
7. Goodfellas
8. The Deer Hunter
9. Mean Street
10. Heat

[The Tiger]

The best Robert De Niro performance is
The Godfather Part 2.