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In his prime form, Robert De Niro was considered the benchmark when it comes to ranking a performance. The actor ruled the hearts of critics and cinephiles during the '80s and the '90s with some spectacular performances that continued to be loved even today and in future too. Fearless, both on and off screen (watch him taking down Trump every opportunity he gets), Robert De Niro is an inspiration to many actors, who consider him as one of their idols and role models. De Niro is turning 77 on August 17, 2020, so here's us wishing the wonderful actor par excellence Many Many Happy Returns of the Day! Martin Scorsese Inks First-Look Deal With Apple; The Irishman Maker to Direct & Produce New Film & Television Projects Exclusively for Apple TV+
Now when we talk about De Niro's most spectacular performances, what are the movies that come to your mind? We have The Deer Hunter, Once Upon A Time in America, The Godfather Part II, The Mission, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Jackie Brown, Casino, Heat, Cape Fear, Taxi Driver, Analyze This, and more recently in films like Meet The Parents, The Intern, Silver Linings Playbook and of course, The Irishman. De Niro even turned director with A Bronx Tale.
There are so many amazing performances from the actor, that it is difficult to choose our favourite. It is also possible for some of the really good movies to get overlooked. In this special feature, we look at seven of our favourite underrated movies of the actor that deserve more love and attention.
New York, New York
How many of you know that Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro had collaborated for a musical romantic drama? The 1977 film New York, New York is considered among Scorsese's weaker films, only because his better films had raised the benchmark way too high. Otherwise New York, New York is a fine tribute to jazz as a music culture, while narrating a tragicomical look at romance and marriage, with fine performances from De Niro and Liza Minnelli.
The King of Comedy
Another of Scorsese's underrated films, that recently got quite the attention thanks to last year's Joker, which is quite similar in premise to this movie. If Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck was obsessed with talk show host Murray Franklin, played by Robert De Niro, in TKOC, De Niro plays a standup comedian who is obsessed with a celebrity comedian, played by Jerry Lewis. The King of Comedy may not be as grim as Joker and is generally a comedy, though a dark one. But it is a film that you really should not miss just to see the range in De Niro's performance, where you feel both pity and annoyance towards his character.
Everybody's Fine
The 2009 drama is directed by Kirk Jones. De Niro plays a widower who goes on a country-wide trip to visit his kids staying in different places, after they bail out on an annual visit to meet him. Filled with enough bittersweet moments, Everybody's Fine is powered by its actors - De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale. If you loved The Intern, you should try this!
Wag The Dog
Barry Levinson's political satire came out in 1997 and brought two powerhouse performers, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, for one of their best comedies. De Niro plays a spin doctor for the White House, who teams up with a Hollywood producer, played by Hoffman, to create a distraction so big that it would take away public's attention from the President's sex scandal. And they end up creating a fake war! Interestingly, Wag The Dog came a month before the then President Bill Clinton's infamous sex scandal, proving to be a rare case of real life following reel.
Midnight Run
The buddy comedy-thriller, directed by Martin Brest, has De Niro's bounty hunter capture a fugitive accountant, played by Charles Grodin, who had embezzled millions from a mobster. Funny and thrilling in equal parts, Midnight Run is effective for its developing camaraderie between the lead characters and some cool surprises in between.
Ronin
Nothing to do with Hawkeye. Ronin is a heist-thriller featuring De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean, and Jonathan Pryce. It's a tale of thrills and treachery, as a team of specialised operatives are brought together to steal a mysterious briefcase. While an engaging thriller, Ronin blows your mind away with a spectacular car chase sequence in the climax that would give even Tom Cruise a complex.
This Boy's Life
As you wait for Scorsese to bring together Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in a movie, not many remember that they have acted together in a couple of movies already. That is before Titanic happened to Leo. Like This Boy's Life, a coming-of-age drama based on the childhood of author Tobias Wolff. Leo plays the young Wolff, while Robert De Niro plays his emotionally abusive stepfather. The movie has to be watched for both their intense performances. Also features a young Tobey Maguire.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2020 10:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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