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By Geoff Carter
Like Meryl Streep, his name is synonymous with excellence in the craft of acting. He has appeared in films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Godfather II that have become (due in no small part to his involvement in them) cultural touchstones. Robert DeNiro is nothing less than the personification of modern American cinema. Although well-known for his portrayals of intense characters, gangsters, and other miscreants, his skills are not limited to dramatic films. After seeing his dry portrayal as ex-CIA agent Jack Byrne in Meet the Parents or the vocally neurotic Eagles fan Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook, it’s evident that his skills as a comic actor are among the best in the business. His comic timing, dry delivery, and deadpan reactions are pitch perfect.
As a method actor, DeNiro is infamous for his deep immersions into the lives of his characters. To prepare for his portrayal of Michael in The Deer Hunter, he hung out in bars with steelworkers in Pennsylvania steel towns, never revealing who he was; he had director Michael Cimino introduce him as his agent. To portray boxer Jake LaMotta in the biopic Raging Bull, DeNiro trained with LaMotta over a year, and—to portray LaMotta during his later decline—gained nearly sixty pounds. He obtained a hack license and worked as a cabby for months to prepare for his role as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver.
In fact, DeNiro immerses himself so deeply into his characters, it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone else inhabiting those roles. The casual brutality and cruelty that lurks just beneath the surface of Jake LaMotta, the brooding intelligence, self-assurance, and deliberate machinations of the young Vito Corleone, and the quirky irrationalities—and oddly placed paternal affection—of Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook are hard to imagine without DeNiro inhabiting them.
Not only is DeNiro convincing and authentic as an actor, but he has an appeal that lies in his accessibility. As repugnant as some of his characters are, Robert DeNiro manages to evoke a sympathetic streak in each of them. We ultimately feel sorry for Jake LaMotta, root for underdogs like Vito Corleone and Travis Bickle, and empathize with Pat Solitano’s desperation and hurt.
DeNiro’s true genius is not only completely inhabiting a character but making even the most flawed of them human, relatable, and even likable.
The Ten Best Films of Robert DeNiro
Mean Streets: In one of director Martin Scorsese’s first works, DeNiro portrays Johnny Boy, the reckless young friend of Charlie (Harvey Keitel) who is trying to break into the local mafioso by doing work for Don Giovanni even though he remains conflicted by the teachings of his Catholic faith. Johnny Boy refuses to work and owes money to a number of Mafia shylocks in the city, whom he insults and refuses to pay. He even tries to pick a fight with a loan shark. Charley does his best to protect his friend, but Johnny Boy finally goes too far and has to pay his dues. DeNiro’s bravura performance as the manic and chronically self-destructive Johnny Boy is both endearing and frightening. This film established Scorsese as a new voice in American cinema.
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Robert DeNiro, David Proval, Amy Robinson, Ceasre Danova, Richard Romanus, and George Memmoli. Written by Martin Scorsese and Mardik Martin. Directed by Martin Scorsese.
The Deer Hunter: In this harrowing war drama, DeNiro plays Michael Vronsky, a steelworker from a small Pennsylvania steel town who joins his two friends, Nick (Christopher Walken), and Steven (Jon Savage) to fight in Vietnam. In the epic opening scenes, the boys go to Steven’s traditional wedding and then head to the beautiful mountains for their annual deer hunt. The plot then pivots to Michael waging a brutal battle in a small Vietnamese village when he happens to run into Nick and Steven. The three are captured and have to endure physical as well as mental torture before they escape and are separated. Michael and Steven return home and struggle to reacclimate themselves. When Michael discovers Nick is alive, he realizes what he has to do. DeNiro’s portrayal of Michael ranges from a confident alpha male to a man nearly broken by his war experience who slowly builds his life back up from the rubble of his guilt and shame. Notable for the harrowing Russian roulette scenes in the POW camp.
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, Jon Savage, John Cazale, Meryl Streep, and George Dzundza. Written by Deric Washburn. Directed by Michael Cimino.
Taxi Driver: In yet another Scorsese vehicle, DeNiro turns in an absolutely spot-on portrayal of Travis Bickle, a disaffected and alienated veteran, who drives taxi at night in New York City and frequents porn theaters in his off-hours. Increasingly disgusted and offended by the constant onslaught of degeneracy and hypocrisy he sees in the city, Bickle—with the encouragement of his friend Wizard—buys some guns. He repeatedly encounters a young prostitute, Iris (Jodie Foster), whom he fantasizes about rescuing from her life as a hooker. Finally, after failing to persuade Iris to give up the life, he cuts his hair into a Mohawk and takes matters into his own hands. To prepare himself for the part, DeNiro got a taxi license and worked numerous night shifts in order to immerse himself into the life of a NYC cabbie. He also lost thirty-five pounds to portray Bickle.
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Peter Boyle, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Albert Brooks, and Jodie Foster. Written by Paul Schrader. Directed by Martin Scorsese.
The Godfather: Part II: In this sequel to the immensely popular film The Godfather, DeNiro portrays Vito Corleone (the Godfather) as a young immigrant coming to America, settling in the lower East Side of New York, and ultimately discovering how to establish himself as a criminal mastermind. The character’s brooding presence and stoic demeanor conceal a fierce intelligence and driving determination to earn his name and fortune in America. DeNiro embodies the balance between Corleone’s seemingly passive reticence and malicious intent perfectly. To prepare for the role, DeNiro spent months learning how to speak Sicilian, even living there for three months. Notable for the great supporting roles of Bruno Kirby as the young Clemenza and John Aprea as the young Tessio.
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, and Michael V. Gazzo. Written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Raging Bull: In this dramatization of the life and career of middleweight champion Jake LaMotta, DeNiro depicts the unbalanced and dysfunctional boxer as a man who can only express himself through violence and brutality. During his rise to fame, and because of his paranoid belief that his young wife Vickie (Cathy Moriarty) is unfaithful, LaMotta alienates her, his friends, and his family through physical and emotional brutality, culminating in a scene where he attacks his brother Joey in his home, nearly killing him. DeNiro trained with LaMotta for months to hone his boxing skills, and to portray LaMotta as an older man, the actor gained sixty pounds. While LaMotta’s anger and brutality are abhorrent, DeNiro manages to evoke sympathy for him; after all, the man’s overflowing rage was both his source of fame and his downfall. The final scenes of LaMotta doing his stand-up routine are both affecting and pathetic. Notable for Joe Pesci’s breakout performance as Jake’s younger brother and manager, Joey.
Starring: Robet DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto, and Theresa Saldana. Written by Jake LaMotta (based on his book), Joseph Carter, Peter Savage, Paul Schrader, and Mardik Martin. Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Goodfellas: Hailed as one of the best gangster movies of all time, the film follows the career gangster Henry Hill from his apprenticeship as a teen to a full-fledged wise guy. DeNiro portrays Jimmy Conway, one of Hill’s partners, who, along with Tommy DeVito, (Joe Pesci), work with Hill in Paulie Cicero’s (Paul Sorvino) crime family. Telling the actors to improvise many of their scenes, director Martin Scorsese was able to attain an on-screen camaraderie between the trio that lent an unprecedented air of authenticity to the genre. DeNiro’s Jimmy is as loyal as he is violent. The scenes where he, because of a combination of greed and paranoia, decides to start eliminating the members of his gang who participated in the greatest airport heist ever, are frightening in their coldness. Notable for the scene in which Jimmy discovers the fate of one of his best friends, Tommy. DeNiro’s expression of rage and grief gives the audience a glimpse into one of the few redeeming qualities of the man.
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco, Frank Vincent, Catherine Scorsese, and Samuel L. Jackson. Written by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese. Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Bang the Drum Slowly: In of his earliest films, DeNiro plays Bruce Pearson, a limited third-string catcher on the fictitious major-league baseball team, the New York Mammoths. When Bruce tells teammate, and pitcher, Henry Wiggen (Michael Moriarty) that he is dying from an incurable disease, his friend decides to make Bruce’s last days as enjoyable for him as possible. Without revealing his friend’s illness to the team, Wiggen makes it a clause in his contract that only Pearson catch for him, guaranteeing him playing time and the opportunity to prove himself. Eventually, as Bruce’s secret comes out, the team also begins to get behind and support Bruce. DeNiro’s performance as Bruce as a simple and unsophisticated man trying to understand what is happening to him is simultaneously distressing and compelling.
Starring: Michael Moriarty, Robert DeNiro, Vincent Gardenia, Danny Aiello, Phil Foster, Heather MacRae, and Barbara Babcock. Written by Mark Harris. Directed by John D. Hancock.
The King of Comedy: In this black comedy, DeNiro plays Rupert Pupkin, a pathetically delusional would-be stand-up comic who idolizes national talk show host, Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) to the point where has constructed a mock-up of Jerry’s set—complete with cardboard cutouts of Jerry—and practices his routine there. After unsuccessfully trying to contact his idol for an audition, Rupert decides, along with fellow stalker Masha (Sandra Bernhard), to take matters into their own hands. They plot to kidnap Jerry, succeed in doing so, and issue their ransom. Rupert’s only demand is that he be allowed to perform his routine live on that night’s show. He does so and is a surprise hit. The film is a sublime satire on celebrity worship and morality. As the unbalanced Pupkin, DeNiro is both disarmingly sincere and frighteningly determined.
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Shelly Hack, Frederick De Cordova, Ed Herlihy, and Tony Randall. Written by Paul D. Zimmerman. Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Awakenings: This medical drama is based on the real-life experiences of Dr. Oliver Sacks. His persona in the film, Dr. Sayer, (Robin Williams) uses the experimental drug L-Dopa to try and revive catatonic patients in his ward. Leonard Lowe (DeNiro), a patient who has been in a coma since childhood, miraculously awakens after being administered the drug. Struggling to readjust himself to society after years of isolation, Leonard relearns how to move, how to shave, and how to relate to others, even falling in love. The symptoms, however, begin to return, and Leonard and Dr. Sayer both realize that his “awakening” will be short-lived. DeNiro pulls no punches in his performance; DeNiro is not afraid to show the harshness of Leonard’s disease. When he begins to regress into his former state, we see an unfiltered depiction of a man’s physical disintegration. Notable for Robin Williams’ excellent performance.
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner, John Heard, Penelope Ann Miller, Alice Drummond, and Max von Sydow. Written by Steve Zaillian. Directed by Penny Marshall.
Meet the Parents: In this raucous family comedy, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) accompanies his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo) to her family home to attend her sister Debby’s (Nicole DeHuff) wedding. There, Greg first meets Pam’s father, ex-CIA agent Jack Byrnes (DeNiro), who seems to take an instant dislike to him, even berating him for his career as a male nurse. Encountering Greg in the basement, Jack administers an impromptu lie detector test on him. Determined to win Jack over, Greg finds himself getting deeper and deeper into trouble. He inadvertently floods the backyard by misusing a toilet, accidentally sets the homemade wedding altar on fire. Finally, Pam and the family have had enough and ask Greg to leave. Realizing he’s been too harsh on the boy, Jack uses his CIA contacts to stop Greg at the airport and make things right. DeNiro gives a brilliant comedic performance as the overprotective and overreactive father. His timing and deadpan deliveries are spot-on. The delivery of the “keep the snake in the cage” line is perfection. Notable for Ben Stiller’s over-the-top scene on the airplane where all the week’s frustrations boil over.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Owen Wilson, Nicole DeHuff, John Abrahams, and James Rebhorn. Written by James Herzfeld and John Hamburg. Directed by Jay Roach.
Honorable Mention
Cape Fear
Casino
Silver Linings Playbook
The Irishman
Joy
I really enjoy your movie articles. As much as I think I know about movies you never fail to inform me of something I didn’t know. DeNiro also is known for his encouragement and support of young actors. Bradley Cooper is effusive of his praise for the relationship he has with DeNiro.
Thank you, Jeffrey. I appreciate your kind words. I wasn’t aware that DeNiro was such a mentor to the younger actors—thanks for sharing that—but it’s hardly surprising. H