Robert De Niro’s 20 best movies

After a career spanning almost 50 years, it’s safe to say that Robert De Niro has solidified himself as one of the greatest actors ever. And whaddya know, a bunch of the nearly 100 movies he’s been in have been pretty damn good. His new movie The Family is out Friday, so without further ado, here’s my list of his 20 best!

1. The Godfather Part II

Might as well start at the top! Arguably in the top ten movies ever made, and indisputably the best sequel of all time, The Godfather Part II is comfortably at the top of my list as Robert De Niro’s best movie. He won an Oscar for his phenomenal portrayal of a young Vito Corleone, one of many great performances in a film that ups the ante over the original in every conceivable way.

2. Goodfellas

Alongside the first two Godfather films, Goodfellas is arguably one of the three best gangster films of all time. Martin Scorsese’s true-ish story of Henry Hill’s rise and fall in the mob is funny, violent, and frantic, echoing Hill’s experience with organized crime, and towards the end of his story, cocaine. De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Lorraine Bracco are all phenomenal.

3. Taxi Driver

Unstable cab driver Travis Bickle is easily one of De Niro’s most disturbing roles. Watching Travis gradually become more and more unhinged is an incredibly tense experience, and even though his eventual violent trip past the breaking point is expected, it doesn’t make it any less harrowing.

4. Raging Bull

As I briefly discussed in my picks for the top biopics, Raging Bull is a prime example De Niro fully inhabiting a character. His Jake La Motta is a troubled, jealous man who is often his own worst enemy when it comes to finding lasting success in his relationships and boxing career.

5. The Deer Hunter

This is a film that stuck with me for days after seeing it for the first time. The Deer Hunter is one of the most haunting films I’ve ever seen, thanks to its brutal depiction of the Vietnam War and how it affected the lives of the men who fought in it (and their families back home).

6. Heat

Among the best crime dramas ever made, Heat is the first film in which two of the greatest actors of any generation, De Niro and Al Pacino, actually appear together on screen. It’s a hugely entertaining film, and defines the term “gritty.”

7. Brazil

Widely considered Terry Gilliam’s best film and among the top sci-fi movies of the last 30 years (not to mention having a near-perfect 98% on Rotten Tomatoes), Brazil is a brilliant futuristic dark comedy that takes staples of authors like Orwell and turns them on their heads.

8. Casino

Another De Niro/Scorsese collaboration, another excellent mob movie. This time the action takes place in Las Vegas, as De Niro’s Ace and Joe Pesci’s Nicky move out west to build a fortune in the casino business. Sharon Stone is excellent (and was nominated for Best Actress) in this brutally violent film about the dangers of trust when power and money are at stake.

9. Mean Streets

De Niro’s first ever teaming with director Martin Scorsese is among the best movies both have done. Mean Streets is widely considered a triumph of American cinema for its tale of – as tends to be a focal point for Scorsese’s movies – mafia aspirations and illicit activities in Little Italy.

10. Cape Fear

Martin Scorsese’s remake of 1962’s Cape Fear features De Niro in one of his most flat-out psychotic roles. The first shot of Max Cady working out in his cell, tattoo of the scales of justice hanging from a cross on his back, with the iconic score blaring, perfectly sets the stage for what’s to come.