Anticipation is already high for Robert De Niro’s upcoming Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon, despite it being delayed to 2023. Over the years, De Niro has established a particularly successful creative relationship with Scorsese and this has lead to some truly memorable, career-changing roles for De Niro.
Beyond his work with Scorsese, De Niro has found success with a variety of other filmmakers, as well. His ability to look beyond tough guy exteriors and get to the heart of every character he plays has lead many to refer to him as the greatest actor of all time. While this remains a matter of personal preference, Redditor ggroover97 asked fellow Reddit users to weigh in on what they thought the best De Niro performances were. These results were then tallied and ranked to create the list below.
Mean Streets (1973)
Martin Scorsese’s third feature film was the first to venture into New York City’s criminal underbelly. The film allows for some clear insight into what would become the iconic director’s signature style, in a story about Charlie, a young man who struggles to reconcile his feelings and responsibilities toward his good friend Johnny and a life of crime.
Mean Streets marked the first appearance of Robert De Niro in a Scorsese film, and his time as the loose cannon Johnny Boy is a definite highlight for many fans. Gritty and raw in his portrayal of a small-time gambler, De Niro was already forming the persona that earned him bigger and more complex roles in years to come. Those looking for a jumping off point into De Niro’s career simply can’t go wrong with Mean Streets.
The Mission (1986)
This 1986 historical drama may not be well known to all De Niro fans, but it has managed to acquire plenty of acclaim over the years. The story of Jesuit missionaries in mid-eighteenth century South America and the former slave trader (De Niro) who joins them, The Mission won the coveted Palme D’Or at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival and boasts an impressive cast.
As slave trader Rodrigo Mendoza, De Niro offers audiences a challenging character to like. It’s an undeniably layered and complex role, and De Niro pulls it off while allowing fans and audiences alike to see yet another side of his tremendous acting abilities. However, the film’s portrayal of colonialism is a definite sore point for many and today its defense of European missionaries venturing into Indigenous territories is not viewed as a heroic tale, regardless of intent.
The King of Comedy (1982)
In 1982, Martin Scorsese ventured slightly into the comedic genre. His efforts resulted in the creation of troubled wannabe stand-up comic, Rupert Pupkin (De Niro). Dark and humorous, The King of Comedy failed to make an impact at the box office, but is still well-regarded among both Scorsese and De Niro fans.
De Niro’s portrayal of Pupkin is at once both innocent and deranged, and it’s likely for this reason that it’s such a haunting performance. Unfortunately, the film and De Niro’s performance were ripped off for 2019’s Joker, a fact that may have brought subsequent attention to The King of Comedy, but which somewhat devalues the truly unique performance that De Niro gave.
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
For many De Niro fans, Francis Ford Coppola’s triumphant return to the Godfather saga marked the start of the actor’s greatest decade. As a young version of Vito Corleone, audiences were able to learn the history of the crime family head, from his early childhood days as an immigrant orphan in New York City, to his eventual rise to power.
De Niro is mesmerising in The Godfather: Part II, and a major reason for its phenomenal success. The flashback moments where audiences are permitted insight into Vito’s early days doesn’t distract from the film’s primary storyline in the least, and De Niro is entirely believable as the calculated killer that Vito ultimately became. The performance won De Niro his first (and well-earned) Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Released just four years after America’s defeat in an unpopular 19-year invasion of Vietnam, The Deer Hunter focused on the conflict’s effect on American soldiers. Far from a flattering depiction of the Vietnamese forces and people, audiences followed the fates of three young American steelworkers as they encountered a land and people they knew nothing about.
The Deer Hunter offers what is unquestionably one of De Niro’s darkest and most difficult performances. He pulls the role of Mike Vronsky off with his trademark skill and poise, offering audiences insight into a man so damaged by the inhumanity of war that his life is forever altered. This isn’t easy viewing, but without De Niro, the film surely couldn’t have found the same degree of acclaim that it did.
Cape Fear (1991)
Twenty-nine years after the original Cape Fear was released, Martin Scorsese tried his hand at remaking it. The end results were successful, and this is arguably due to De Niro’s unsettling portrayal of Max Cady, an ex-con out for vengeance against the lawyer he felt failed him, resulting in a 14-year prison sentence.
De Niro undoubtedly turns Cady into an unforgettable cinematic villain. With his collection of prison tattoos and muscular physique, Cady is a man with nothing to lose and plenty of time to prove it. As a matter of fact, De Niro’s performance was so memorable that it was even immortalized in a later episode of iconic animated series The Simpsons.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Arguably the greatest film of Martin Scorsese’s career, Taxi Driver painted a harrowing and tense portrait of New York City at a volatile point in its history. The film tells the story of Travis Bickle, a Vietnam vet whose misanthropic views send him down a dark path of self-prescribed redemption.
Forever immortalised as Bickle, there are few De Niro roles that remain this widely praised. His casting pairs effortlessly with New York City of the mid-1970s, to the point where De Niro could be described as the physical embodiment of the city itself. More than 40 years after its initial release, Taxi Driver remains essential viewing and Bickle remains an anti-hero unlike any other in the history of cinema.
Casino (1995)
Casino found instant acclaim upon its release. The film boasts an impressive cast, arriving four years after Scorsese’s previous hit, Cape Fear. Few films provide such an unflinching account of the extensive hold that organised crime had on Las Vegas throughout the 1970s, and Scorsese’s rich portrait is wonderfully enhanced by De Niro’s performance.
By the time Casino was released, De Niro had literally been taking on tough guy roles for decades. It’s a testament to his incredible reach as an actor that audiences still weren’t tired of him by that point. In fact, De Niro was able to find new ground in Casino, as his Sam Rothstein character was a wounded but turbulent person with a tremendous degree of depth.
Heat (1995)
Filmmaker Michael Mann’s Heat was one of the biggest hits of 1995. The epic heist film paired heavyweights Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as onscreen rivals for the first time ever. For some, Heat is the greatest heist film ever made, with a legendary cast and some truly spectacular action sequences that make its supremacy difficult to refute.
Watching De Niro hold court as master thief, Neil McCauley, is indeed a treat for audiences, and the calm intensity that marks McCauley has repeatedly been hailed as De Niro’s greatest performance of all time by some. This, of course, is entirely up for debate, but it’s astounding to know that in 1995, De Niro delivered stunning turns in both Casino and Heat.
Raging Bull (1980)
Far more than simply a sports biopic, Martin Scorsese’s look into the life of boxer Jake LaMotta earned two Oscars and established itself as a masterpiece of contemporary filmmaking. As if De Niro’s performance wasn’t jaw-dropping enough, the film’s fight choreography and cinematography is unlike anything seen before in a boxing film.
For his portrayal of LaMotta, De Niro learned how to box and fought three different legitimate boxing matches in Brooklyn. He gained an astounding sixty pounds for the role, ultimately delivering a performance that audiences are still stunned by even today. These efforts helped guide De Niro to his first (and only) Best Actor Oscar to date.
