Birthday Special: Have you watched these movies of Robert De Niro?

Celebrate the legendary actor Robert De Niro's birthday by watching his top-notch performance in some of his excellent movies

Robert De Niro – the legendary actor is one of the all-time great performers of Hollywood. One of the significant aspects of De Niro's genius as an actor is the way in which he's been able to build a long career out of the performances he has delivered. He has a storied acting career spanning over four decades, with two Oscar wins and several more nominations.

As an audience, it's hard to deny his impact as one of the best actors of all-time. From starring roles in sprawling crime epics to off-beat dramas and unforgettable thrillers, on his birthday, here are five Robert De Niro movies you can watch from his incredible catalogue:

Godfather 2

Robert De Niro in Godfather 2

Looking back now, who else could possibly play young Vito Corleone other than Robert De Niro? But back then, this was the big break he needed. Watch as he wipes out of the Don Fanucci, the 'Black Hand', then makes his vengeance-fueled trip back to Sicily to settle an old score. Set against his son Michael's current problems in keeping the family together, you can see why some critics think this is one of the few sequels that's better than the first. De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the movie.

Godfellas

Robert De Niro in Godfellas

Goodfellas is arguably the best mob movie of all times and one of the best performances by Robert De Niro. He tends to be fantastic regardless of whether he's the star or supporting actor. Here, he plays mobster Jimmy, who essentially shows Henry the ropes of mob life. Robert De Niro elevated this movie with his presence alone. De Niro is a name synonymous with mob films, and he really delivered one of his best performances in Goodfellas. He's bad, cool and scary all at the same time, which is something he's good at.

Mean Streets

Robert De Niro in Mean Streets

In one of his breakthrough roles, Niro plays an immature man, Johnny Boy, running from his problems. In addition to that, Johnny Boy seems to always create new problems for himself. De Niro is electrifying in the film and plays Johnny Boy's character incredibly in the movie. De Niro gives a performance that feels authentic, with a character that feels live in. Johnny Boy is certainly a pretentious role and De Niro pulled it off without going too far into a sensationalized territory.

Raging Bull

Rober De Niro in Raging Bull

Winning an Oscar for his work, De Niro channels all the rage, machismo, and brokenness of boxer Jake LaMotta in the film Raging Bull. A larger than life personality, LaMotta routinely lets his jealousy, and 'never good enough' mentality put up barriers to his success. De Niro makes LaMotta an unsettling rage monster. Committing all the way, De Niro is brilliant, and not only lets his words do the talking, but he also says a lot with his face.

Taxi Driver

Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver

De Niro delivers his most iconic line in this deeply disturbing drama. "Are you talking to me?". De Niro's most infamous quote, an improvised line, is just one of the many moments where De Niro shines in this Scorsese masterpiece. De Niro's character Travis Bickle doesn't understand the way the world works. Bickle has a proclivity for violence but only in defence of a moral code where he sees himself as the hero. He sees the world as rotting, his social graces often find him making the wrong decisions with women. You could write a book about the fascinating and complex nature of Bickle. The biggest take away from the film though is De Niro is excellent.

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