Robert De Niro’s name has become almost synonymous with the American gangster film.
With this in mind,this list considers the star’s ten best mobster performances.
These films arent just about crimetheyre about the people who commit it, and the cost of their choices.
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You see through people.
You… you see them.
You see them for what they are."
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Desperate to get his head straight, he seeks therapy from a reluctant psychiatrist (Billy Crystal).
What follows is a bizarre but entertaining hybrid of mafia movie andfish-out-of-water comedy.
He also has a nice comedic chemistry with Crystal.
you’re free to be smart or you’re free to be dead."
He’s a nut job.
He doesn’t pay his debts.
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He won’t listen to nobody."
The former is all external, while the latter is more internal and restrained.
The dynamic between them adds texture and realism to their friendship, grounding the film in something deeply felt.
These performances, plus the energetic direction, placeMean Streetsamong the best crime movies of the 1970s.
I want his family DEAD!
The director orchestrates the whole thing with flair, balancing operatic violence, sweeping emotion, and stylish bravado.
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De Niro gives a restrained, emotionally grounded performancethat contrasts beautifully with the flashier, more seductive Sonny.
De Niro handles the material with sensitivity and style, drawing strong performances from all involved.
5’The Irishman' (2019)
“I heard you paint houses.
The de-aging technology received a lot of attention, butThe Irishmanis far more than a gimmick.
4’Casino' (1995)
“When you love someone, you’ve gotta trust them.
These pressures cause him to quietly break down.
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Often overshadowed byGoodfellas,Casinodeserves recognition as a powerhouse in its own right.
Though both films explore the rise and fall of organized crime,Casinois arguably more complex and more brutal.
It cleans out my nostrils.
It’s a memory piece as much as a crime sagadreamlike, melancholic, and vast in scope.
In the second half of the movie,he becomes truly chilling.
Goodfellasas a whole remains dynamic and irresistible; it was truly light years ahead of its time.
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In short, a masterpiece.
He conveys this transformation largely through expression, gesture, and Italian dialogue.
Where Brando’s Vito was regal and weary, De Niros is lean, alert, and quietly ruthless.
What makes De Niro’s performance so brilliant is how itechoes Brando while still being entirely a new creation.
There’s a predatory intelligence beneath his calm demeanor, an instinct for survival and power cloaked in civility.
NEXT:10 Novels To Read if You Love ‘No Country for Old Men’
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