It’s a tough job but someones got to do it as we go ahead and rank the best Robert De Niro movie scenes
A veteran, award-winning actor who has decades of quality roles under his belt (including quite a number of casino movies), Robert De Niro is synonymous with cinema for many people.
As he enters the latter phase of his career, De Niro shows that he still has all his acting chops by starring in The Irishman alongside the likes of Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Fans may have seen the movie and hoped to watch some of the classic films that made De Niro such a celebrated actor around the world.
Below are the five best Robert De Niro movie scenes, showcasing his incredible range of talent.
1. The Godfather – Part II – The Murder of Don Fanucci
The Godfather is one of the most incredible and engaging movie trilogies of all time. With a runtime that exceeds ten hours, the three Godfather movies are a clinic in how to build up tension, create intricate plot lines, and bring a story to a satisfying conclusion.
Amid all the great actors, actresses, and scenes in The Godfather series, the murder of Don Fanucci stands out for De Niro’s incredible work.
That moment in the film is when De Niro’s character, Vito, takes charge from a local kingpin, Fanucci, who is played by Gastone Moschin.
Not only does De Niro claim the life of a key rival, but he does so without any help from his allies in the film, Clemenza and Tessio. Many would say that such a scene is movie perfection.
One of the unique aspects of this sequence is that director Francis Ford Coppola manages to get so much tension and emotion from his actors, despite no words being uttered during the scene.
2. Mean Streets – Introduction of Johnny Boy
Mean Streets may not have been the very first film that starred Robert De Niro, but it is the one that put him on the map. It was the first time that De Niro teamed up with Martin Scorcese and saw the duo going on to have a long and fruitful relationship.
The scene starts the moment viewers are first properly introduced to De Niro’s character in the film, Johnny Boy, as he walks into a bar in Little Italy with a gorgeous woman on each arm.
Even though we do not know a great deal about the plot of the film at this stage, everyone who watches Mean Streets admits to getting excited by Johnny Boy’s introduction. You get a sense of the chaos, wildness, and excitement that such a world may have contained.
3. Raging Bull – Finale
Raging Bull is one of those films that stands the test of time. Featuring a middleweight boxer called Jake LaMotta, the film does not sugarcoat the brutal world of boxing in those days.
De Niro won an Oscar for his portrayal of LaMotta, and his talent was never more evident than during the final scene of the film. With his character in a full tailspin, his self-destruction is inevitable from the very first few scenes of the film.
During the finale, we see LaMotta as a much larger man than in his youth, running through a stand-up routine at a nightclub. While people may have sympathy when they see LaMotta’s condition, those feelings quickly go away when the character takes the final step in sealing his downfall.
4. Goodfellas – Opening Scenes
Goodfellas is the quintessential Italian-American gangster movie, portraying a world and lifestyle that appealed to so many people during the time. De Niro has made a career out of portraying different gangsters, but he probably never did a better job than during his role as Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas.
We first meet De Niro’s character along with fellow criminal Henry Hill, who is played by Ray Liotta. Anyone who watches Goodfellas is immediately struck by the charm, suave, and sleek nature of De Niro’s character.
5. The Deer Hunter – Russian Roulette Sequence
There are some films you have to see in a packed movie theatre to truly experience, and The Deer Hunter is one of them. Even though the entire movie is a thrill ride, the opening Russian roulette sequence is one of the most enjoyable that most film buffs can recall.
De Niro plays Michael in the film, who is leading a breakout from a Viet Cong prison camp near a river. War movies are always a challenge to rate, as they can provoke such strong emotions, but De Niro does an outstanding job at showing us the intensity and depravity of his character.
As the shootout unfolds in the opening scenes of the film, the tension is almost unbearable, before the audience cheers on the success of De Niro’s character.
Celebrating the greats of cinema
One of the most exciting aspects of watching a movie is getting to see some of your favorite actors take on new roles.
Actors such as Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Daniel Day Lewis often stand out for their ability to play characters who are vastly different from each other.
As you read through our list of the very best De Niro movie scenes, you may be tempted to re-watch some or all of those movies.
Revisiting an older movie, even if you’ve seen it before, is a wonderful way to rekindle your love of cinema.
Honouring the great actors and actresses that have lit up the big screen for decades is a true celebration of the films that shaped our world.
