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“Goodfellas” (1990)
This classic brought the very best out of Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and even Martin Scorsese, but in many ways, “Goodfellas” is above all another eternal notch in Robert De Niro’s belt, proving him to be the rocky center around which everyone, and everything, orbits. Similar to the feat he achieved in “The Deer Hunter” and “Once Upon A Time In America,” De Niro simply embodies the role of Irish gangster Jimmy Conway and brings it down to a subdued level that acts like a pillar of strength off which the manic Tommy (Pesci) and increasingly paranoid Henry (Liotta) bounce around like pinballs. Ever the method perfectionist, De Niro continuously consulted with “Wiseguys” authors Nicholas Pileggi and Henry Hill in order to get down every minute detail about the real-life Jimmy The Gent (a.k.a James Burke), injecting an unusual (even for him) level of authenticity into every single scene. That zoom in the bar, when Jimmy silently contemplates (and decides) what’s to be done with Morris (Chuck Low) as Cream‘s “Sunshine Of Your Love” bursts through the speakers, is as vintage a Scorsese and De Niro moment as anything else the two have done. The epitome of cool in 40 seconds (and one of our very favorite Scorsese Music Moments).
“Cape Fear” (1991)
Far removed from anything he’s done before or since, De Niro’s Max Cady is the very definition of menace, sleaze and vile white trash contempt, all rolled into one repellent character. De Niro contorted Robert Mitchum’s version of the same character (from the 1962 original) into something wholly his own, and the result is disgusting, yes, but also undeniably, overpoweringly hypnotic. Indeed, Martin Scorsese’s version of “Cape Fear” is an overall imbalanced affair mostly due to how bloody brilliant De Niro is compared to, well, everything else—you miss him when he’s not on screen, and you hate him when he is. Cady’s intrusion into the private lives of lawyer Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), his wife (Jessica Lange) and daughter (Juliette Lewis) is the stuff nightmares are made of, and thanks to De Niro’s scorching turn, for which he pulled an anti-“Raging Bull” to bring his body fat level down to 4% and paid a dentist $20,000 for some dental deconstruction on his front teeth, Cady is like a rabid Hitchcockian fairytale villain set loose. Cue much biting of flesh, beating the shit out of people, wielding piano-wire dressed as a housemaid, and general disturbing of the peace through obnoxious laughter and creepy encounters. He’s easily the most towering, sinewing monster from De Niro’s roster, but he also happens to be one of his greatest creations, proving once and for all that De Niro’s range with villains goes from subtle and sophisticated to all-out brute force. “Mad Dog And Glory” (1993)
De Niro tends to go big or go home, and his domineering presence is such that he’s rarely asked to play gentle or timid characters. But the genius of John McNaughton’s comedy “Mad Dog And Glory” is in its casting: the movie pits meek Chicago Police Department crime scene photographer Wayne Dobie (De Niro), sarcastically nicknamed “Mad Dog” by his cop friends, against mob boss Frank Milo (Bill Murray) in the name of amour. De Niro was originally offered the Milo role, but instead insisted on the more ineffectual character who accidentally saves the life of the Chicago gangster who then feels indebted to him. And it’s this casting-against-type, Murray as the heavy and De Niro as the passive, hangdog character, that makes for some terrific comedic sparks and fresh energy from both actors. Their “friendship” is tested when Dobie falls in love with the call girl (Uma Thurman) whom Milo gifts him as a present. Learning she is trying to pay off debts to Milo, Dobie then asks to take on those commitments, but has to eventually fight for her honor. But even when Dobie stands up to battle against the mobster, De Niro manages to still convey fear; he’s motivated by love, principle and honor, but he’s still well aware he’s going to get his ass kicked. De Niro, similar to his stellar comedic turn in “Midnight Run” wisely never goes for the joke—he plays everything totally straight, yet still lands plenty of laughs. De Niro comedy renaissance of the aughts is a lot down to the ‘Focker‘ movies, but this stands as proof of his comedic chops from way before then.
