It's definitely in his top 5 best performances. I think his performance in Raging Bull is probably his best. De Niro has given so many wonderful performances, that in my opinion, he is without a doubt the greatest actor of all time.
shareDe Niro is a great actor, of course, but I thought the film was ruined (well, almost ruined) by him in the lead role.
Not his fault, but it was impossible to remove images from my head from some of his other films: "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver," "Godfather," "Deer Hunters," etc, where he played the antithesis of Rupert Pupkin. (I haven't used that word in forty years, since I was in school. Forgive me, but I think it's the best word for what I'm trying to say.)
Rupert Pupkin needed to be played by an unknown Woody Allen-type actor. Steve Buscemi before he got famous. Jason Alexander before Seinfeld. Will Ferrell before SNL and his movies afterwards.
If I were king of the world, no actor would appear in more than one movie in his life, unless it was a sequel, so that a role in one movie could never clash in my mind with roles in others.
Not his fault, but it was impossible to remove images from my head from some of his other films: "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver," "Godfather," "Deer Hunters," etc, where he played the antithesis of Rupert Pupkin.
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It's one of his greatest, because it's not a typical De Niro Role. He's not playing a tough guy or a crook, he plays a very awkward bumbling outcast. Absolutely brilliant.
shareI wouldn't say this is his best. I'd say it is one of his most interesting performances.
I love him in The Deer Hunter.
I personally think his best performance is in The Godfather, Part 2. That is only my opinion.
I don't think it's his best performance but it is my favourite De Niro performance.
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