Friday Top Five: Robert DeNiro

Needless to say, I didn't get to see The Spectacular Now last weekend (hopefully this weekend, although I'm beginning to think it's not going to happen with me and this movie). I did go to see The Family last weekend, however. I didn't write about it because, well, I had a birthday and somehow also managed to pull my back out and it took days to recover which, of course, OF COURSE, I blamed on getting older. Anyway, I didn't feel like sitting in front of a computer for any longer than I had to (I do it all day at work). The short story on The Family is - eh. It's a fine little movie about a mob informant (Robert DeNiro) and his family (including Michelle Pfeiffer and Dianna Agron, who is so pretty it physically hurts me)who hide out in a small French town and try to assimilate although it doesn't necessarily go as planned since they are all sort of crazy. The movie was pretty average, although it did have its moments and funny parts. Overall, I give it a C+. Still, it got me thinking about Robert DeNiro and the crazy great career he has had (or at least up until about the mid-90s anyway). So, I decided to focus this week's Top Five on his career. And let me tell you. It was HARD! I'm pretty satisfied with my top five although on any given day the order can change. So, here it is:

05. As Jimmy in Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
Goodfellas is one of my favorite movies of all time. And DeNiro is damn near perfect in it. However, for me, this is more Ray Liotta's movie than DeNiro's, which is why it ranks so low on my list. His performance is excellent as the outwardly calm and steady killer who on the inside is a paranoid mess. This movie is the great Scorsese masterpiece and every single performance from Liotta and DeNiro to Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco - are all brilliant.
Best Quote: "You took your first pinch like a man and you learn two great things in your life. Look at me, never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut."

04. As Max Cady in Cape Fear (Martin Scorsese, 1991)
I'm not the biggest fan of remakes but when said movie is remade by Martin Scorsese and stars DeNiro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis (who I think is hugely underrated as an actress)? I'm in! DeNiro stars as a convicted rapist who gets released from prison and hunts down the lawyer and family who sent him away. His performance is raw and terrifying and also, sort of sexual. DeNiro is absolutely haunting and does evil really, really well.
Best Quote: "Maybe I could chop you into 40 pieces."

03. As Michael in The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)
As far as movies from the 1970's go, this is about as perfect as you can get. It won the Best Picture Oscar back then and all these years later, it is still as effective. Christopher Walken may have won a (super deserved) Oscar, but DeNiro gives just as strong of a performance. He's cool and quiet but with so much going on behind the eyes that you almost miss how quietly effective his performance is. He's not showy and loud like in some of his other roles. This is much more intense and reserved, but not any less great.
Best Quote: "A deer has to be taken with one shot. I try to tell people that but they don't listen."

02. As Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
I don't even know what to say about how good DeNiro is in Taxi Driver (and it's not even his best role!!!). As an ordinary man back from Vietnam who becomes a night time cab driver because of his inability to sleep, we get to watch the transformation of a normal guy into an absolute maniac. It's a chilling performance and DeNiro nails it, again, without going too far over the top (the way he tended to do in his later films). Taxi Driver is a cinematic masterpiece and most of it is thanks to DeNiro's amazing performance (okay, and Jodie Foster's revelatory performance but this list isn't about her!).
Best Quote: There are so many to pick from, and there is the most obvious choice, but... "Loneliness has followed me my whole life, everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man."

01. As Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
It's no surprise that most of DeNiro's best roles have been directed by Scorsese. Their partnership was and is iconic and produced some of the best movies of that era. DeNiro plays a self destructive boxer who is violent in the ring, which helps him win and win, but also destroys his life outside of the ring. If you haven't seen this movie, you can probably already imagine all the ways in which DeNiro in his prime nailed this role. He gained 60 pounds. He absolutely disappeared into this role. He won an Oscar and I personally think they should have given him two.
Best Quote: "Yeah, he's a nice kid, pretty kid, don't know whether to f**k him or fight him."