Raised in a family of artists, Robert De Niro was seized early on by the desire to become an actor when he discovered on the big screen the interpretations of Barbara Stanwyck, Spencer Tracy or Edward G. Robinson. After dropping out of school at sixteen, this kid from Greenwich Village and Little Italy managed to get into the Actor’s Studio. The performance of him in Hello, Mom!, The latest game and especially Mean Streets it earned him real recognition in the profession. Robert De Niro then explodes into the eyes of the general public with The godfather, 2th part AND Taxi driver. For the 80th birthday of Martin Scorsese’s favorite comedian, a look back at five of the best roles from one of American cinema’s greatest actors.
New York, New York (1977)
First of all, it is necessary to make a reminder free of any subjectivity and bad faith: the collaborations between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are all absolutely perfect. How can we forget Johnny Boy’s magnificent voice on the title Jumpin’ Jack Flash the Rolling Stones inside Mean Streets ? Is it really possible to do this top without remembering Travis Bickle’s gaze at the viewer in the rear view mirror by Taxi driver, Rupert Pupkin’s sketches in front of an absent audience The Puppet WaltzJake La Motta’s final monologue in Wild bull, Jimmy Conway’s endearing habit of slipping tickets into his interlocutors’ pockets freedmen, Max Cady’s tattoos are in Raw nerves and the flamboyant suits of Sam “Ace” Rothstein in Casino ?
If we could highlight the sublimely tragic characters of these feature films, it is finally about jazzman Jimmy Doyle’s New York, New York our choice is made. Behind the apparent levity of this saxophonist hides a mountain of uncertainties that collide with his self-centeredness, and Robert De Niro’s repressed anger continues to override the film. An explosive cocktail that gradually shakes its love story with the talented Francine Evans. In this ambitious and unjustly avoided homage to the golden age of American cinema, where pure moments of musical comedy and screwball comedyLiza Minnelli, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese deliver a heartbreaking love story, swept into a maelstrom of jazz.
Journey to the end of hell (1979)
Two hunting parties, one before and the other after the mobilization in Vietnam. These are the two sequences that perfectly summarize the evolution of Michael, the young factory worker of Polish origin played by Robert De Niro in Journey to the end of hell.
For this silent character, solitary but particularly faithful in friendship, the actor offers one of his more sober compositions, up to the explosion during the two rounds of Russian roulette still like trying with each new vision. Second film and second masterpiece by Michael Cimino after Le Canardeur, Journey to the End of Hell chronicles the departure into combat of three Pennsylvania steel mill employees, Michael, Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage), forever transformed by the horrors they commit and suffer.
Once upon a time in America (1984)
A smile frozen in opium fumes that represents a past youth. Here’s how it ends Once upon a time in America Sergio Leone’s sumptuous fresco of four small hits from the New York ghetto who reach heights in crime, and in the betrayals that accompany it.
35 years ago The Irish and its digital rejuvenation visual challenge, Robert De Niro was already dealing with the weight of regrets. For his last film on which he worked for more than fifteen years, Sergio Leone didn’t want the actor, already holder of two Oscars for The godfather, 2th part AND wild bull. On the screen, the actor is by turns endearing and loathsomeprotector and destroyer, up to a magnificent conclusion in intoxication, which barely hides the absolute solitude.
Heat (1995)
In 1995, Michael Mann reunited on screen two sacred monsters, friends and former competitors, in Heat. The first, Al Pacino, plays a cop obsessed with criminals who relentlessly tracks. The second, Robert De Niro, lends his appearance to a robber who scores the big hits.
A game of cat and mouse takes place, up to a first meeting in a dinner where the director allows himself the luxury of not revealing the faces of his two actors on the same level. A sequence through which Robert De Niro once again perfectly summarizes the nature of his character, a meticulous and pragmatic ex-con, who would rather die than go back.
angel heart (1987)
It’s hard to limit yourself to five roles in Robert De Niro’s impressive filmography. If the interpretations of him in The godfather, 2th party, 1900, The Incorruptibles OR Jackie Brown richly deserved their place in this ranking, its embodiment of absolute evil in angel heart ended up winning.
In this brilliant adaptation of Saturday in Central Park, the actor plays Louis Cyphre, an enigmatic individual who calls Detective Angel Heart to find a certain Johnny Favorite. He then begins a real descent into hell for the investigator, in the mystical lands of New Orleans. The sharp nails, the chilling gaze that never takes its eyes off its prey even when he peels an egg in a strange way, Robert De Niro offers arguably his most terrifying performance yet angel heart. Fully invested in his role, the actor even scared director Alan Parker on set, who preferred to avoid it.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
