Summary

• Robert De Niro's extensive filmography is defined by his versatility, but he is best known for his roles in crime and mafia movies.
• De Niro's collaborations with Martin Scorsese, such as "The King of Comedy" and "Raging Bull," showcase his incredible ability to portray complex and intense characters.
• "The Godfather Part II" solidified De Niro's stardom and is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, with De Niro's portrayal of the young Vito Corleone standing out as his best performance.

Known as one of the greatest actors ever, Robert De Niro has an extensive filmography, though some movies stand out as his best. De Niro has been a working actor for 60 years, beginning in the 1960s with minor roles in low-budget films. His work on the film Mean Streets in 1973 earned him significant praise, kicking off a five-decade partnership with director Martin Scorsese and granting him the notoriety to appear as the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. The role won him his first Academy Award and launched him into stardom.

Robert De Niro's filmography is defined mainly by his starring roles in crime and mafia movies, and he's arguably the best gangster actor in movie history. However, De Niro has always been regarded for his versatility, having played many types of characters in drama, comedy, romance, sci-fi, and more. With so many great films, narrowing down his best is challenging. Classics like Angel Heart, The Mission, The Deer Hunter, Jackie Brown, and modern successes like Silver Linings Playbook and The Irishman are all fantastic and worth watching.

10 Brazil

Directed by Terry Gilliam (1985)

The dystopian sci-fi film Brazil stands out in a filmography filled with mobster movies. Directed by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam, Robert De Niro plays a ing role behind Jonathan Pryce in the satire about dystopia and bureaucracy. Brazil is one of the most beautifully unique and strange movies in De Niro's career, and despite his limited screen time, he adds humor, intrigue, and charisma to the project. The cult classic is among film's most thought-provoking critiques of surveillance and totalitarianism.

9 The King of Comedy

Directed by Martin Scorsese (1982)

Martin Scorsese directed many of Robert De Niro's most outstanding projects, and The King of Comedy is undoubtedly included in their most underappreciated collaborations. The film wasn't well received at first, with mixed critical reviews and low numbers at the box office. However, De Niro's performance as the unstable Rupert Pupkin is as unsettling and captivating as anything he's ever done. De Niro's unbelievable performance is the film's highlight, but The King of Comedy isn't as epic or enthralling as the actor's best roles.

8 Once Upon A Time In America

Directed by Sergio Leone (1984)

Robert De Niro has starred in many of the epic crime films of the 20th century, and Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America is as epic as it gets. David "Noodles" Aaronson is in the class of De Niro's more complex, challenging protagonists - fitting for the 4-hour run time. The grand scale and production design, meticulous storytelling, Ennio Morricone's musical score, and themes of the American Dream make it a classic and one of Sergio Leone's best movies.

7 Killers Of The Flower Moon

Directed by Martin Scorsese (2023)

At age 80, Robert De Niro proved he's still among the world's most prolific performers, Killers of the Flower Moon. The latest Scorsese epic is one of the best drama movies of 2023, and De Niro's ing performance as William Hale is extraordinary. Based on the true story of the murders of of the Osage Nation, De Niro plays a manipulative, cruel, and greedy man who hauntingly maintains the composure of a friend and ally throughout the epic. Out of all the collaborations between Scorsese and De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon is arguably the most emotional and powerful.

6 Casino

Directed by Martin Scorsese (1995)

Unlike Scorsese's epics Killers of the Flower Moon and Goodfellas, a virtue of Casino is that Robert De Niro plays the lead role, giving an iconic star performance as Ace Rothstein. Set in the world of 1970s Las Vegas casinos, the gangster film is a tale of greed, power, and the consequences that come with crime. Through his rise and inevitable fall, De Niro's Rothstein is compelling and intense. The bright lights of Vegas make for a terrific crime setting, and ing performances from Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone contribute to the masterpiece. While it isn't as captivating as Goodfellas, Casino is a more emotional story.

5 Heat

Directed by Michael Mann (1995)

Robert De Niro starred in two iconic crime films in 1995, having also played the master thief Neil McCauley in Michael Mann's Heat. The film's main attraction is the star pairing of De Niro and Al Pacino, two legends of the same genre, who face off as cop and criminal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse game. While De Niro plays the criminal, the film blurs the lines between protagonist and antagonist, exploring the complex relationship between the two. The one-on-one diner scene between De Niro and Pacino is legendary, and the bank heist scene is the best action sequence of De Niro's career.

4 Raging Bull

Directed by Martin Scorsese (1980)

Like The King of Comedy, Raging Bull is a Scorsese character study with Robert De Niro as its focus. He plays real-life boxer Jake LaMotta in the biographical drama, a role widely regarded as one of the best in film history. Despite its boxing scenes, Raging Bull is far from a typical sports movie, primarily focusing on LaMotta's self-destructive and violent tendencies. De Niro brings a vulnerability to the role on top of his physical transformation, earning him his second Academy Award.

3 Taxi Driver

Directed by Martin Scorsese (1976)

Robert De Niro and Scorsese reunited shortly after Mean Streets to make Taxi Driver, containing De Niro's most nuanced performance and the best film he leads. Playing the mentally unstable Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver is a character study on isolation and trauma. De Niro's physical transformation allows for an authentic portrayal of Bickle's disturbed state of mind, and the iconic improvised mirror scene showcases De Niro's pure embodiment of the characters he plays.

2 Goodfellas

Directed by Martin Scorsese (1990)

Arguably Martin Scorsese's best movie, Goodfellas is definitely his most grand and extraordinary. Robert De Niro plays seasoned mobster Jimmy Conway in a ing role behind Ray Liotta's Henry Hill. The landmark gangster movie is known for its enticing dialogue and narration, quick pacing, and darkly comedic approach that contrasts previous mafia movies like The Godfather. De Niro is magnetic as Conway, managing to be charismatic and likable while also terrifying, effectively portraying the allure and danger of the mafia lifestyle.

1 The Godfather Part II

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1974)

The Godfather vs Goodfellas debate is among the most compelling in film, and it primarily comes down to personal taste. Goodfellas has a faster pace and more humor, while Coppola's mafia epics are more historic and romanticized. Regarding a Robert De Niro film, The Godfather Part II sees him as the younger version of Vito Corleone, taking on the mantle directly from Marlon Brando.

With the insurmountable pressure of following up on one of the most incredible movie performances ever, Robert De Niro delivered an Academy Award-winning performance that perfectly complements Brando's Vito. The Godfather Part II is one of the best movies of all time, and despite being the second actor to play the character, De Niro stands out and makes it his own. The film that cemented him as a star is still his very best.