mtd's best films forever: Best Robert De Niro Performance

Robert De Niro was the first actor I ever took serious notice of. I'm not sure what film it was that sparked this obsession, but soon after, I was buying every VHS tape I could find (this was back in the early 90's).

De Niro has made tons of movies, and he's always amazing in every film. Admittedly, some films grate a little bit on me, namely King of Comedy or Night And The City. This is probably a personal manifestation, since it pains me to see De Niro in any role where he isn’t in command or a ball of rage. Not that I would want to pigeonhole him. I mean, I’ve enjoyed him in films where his character isn’t the toughest on the screen, for instance, A Bronx Tale or Mad Dog And Glory, in which he shines in both films. With all this said, it’s the madman roles you can’t walk away from, whether that madness is controlled like De Niro in Godfather II, Goodfellas or Heat, or the madness is completely free and clear like Cape Fear, Taxi Driver, or This Boy’s Life and about a two dozen others. Deniro’s intensity in these films has become something of legend. When necessary, Deniro can summon such unbridled rage, ala Raging Bull, and when he’s in this state, no other actor can touch him.

Given the wealth of Robert De Niro films, I’ve decided to extend the usual Top 10 list to a Top 20 list. Even with 20, I had some trouble deciding the final list. I encourage you to try all the films on the list, or any other De Niro film for that matter, save for the Rocky And Bullwinkle film, of which I will continue to believe never happened.