DeNiro's best performance?

I agree. DeNiro is always good but lets face it, alot of his roles are two dimensional. Whether he plays a cop, mobster, etc..... He almost always plays the tough as nails, stern, somewhat depressed, always on the verge of an eruption type of guy. This role couldn't have been more different. He's vulnerable, sensitive, curious & at times even totally helpless. Almost like a child. Anyway, This role was not only refreshing but also showed that DeNiro was more than just a one trick pony & truly is one of our finest actors.

This movie for DeNiro was so corny, schmaltzy and mushy and hammy that it would be laughable, except for that it is (very)partially based on a true story, so I won't disrespect the real people it was based on. I would say it is par for the course for a Robin Williams movie. What ruined it for me was the almost constant twinkly-eyed smiles coming from DeNiro and Williams. Ugh.

It is surely his performance in Raging Bull.. it is considered one of the best performances in all history.

well i have seen alot of his movie and yes i would say that this and raging bull are two of his best performances but i didn't watch the deer hunter and the king of comedy yet, maybe i'll change my mind after watching those but de niro was teriffic in this one .

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it is certainly one of his best non-mob characters.

edited to add:

just watched this after making the above comment yesterday. i have to laugh as there IS a mob scene in this. i forgot completely about the part when leonard wanted to "go for a walk" and they completely restrained him from leaving the hospital alone. the very next scene, dr. sayer is trying to come see leonard and he's got "cronies" screening his visitors for him. leonard turns and says "he's alright" tipping his bodyguards to let the dr. pass.

ROFL!




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I think it's one of his best.

The old saying goes, play a mentally challenged person or historical figure, and you'll be a sure-fire pick as an Oscar nominee (think Rain Man, Forrest Gump, Lincoln, the list is seemingly endless), but the particular disease DeNiro had to depict took some real acting chops. He basically had to play the character in three distinctly different states (catatonic, normal, twitching) and he was captivating in every scene. It wasn't your run-of-the-mill handicapped character performance. It was top-notch.

DeNiro's good in everything. Raging Bull is one of his best, and so is Meet the Parents. Who knew he could do comedy so well? He was hilarious in that film. What range. His turn in Silver Linings Playbook was another classic performance.

I agree with the OP. This is EASILY DeNiro's best performance ever.

I am not a big fan of his, as he often overacts in his roles (Goodfellas & Taxi Driver are good examples of this).

But Awakenings and Angel Heart are his best performances. He really shined in those films.


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