During the last five decades of his life, Robert De Niro has made a name for himself as one of the greatest actors ever. Not only is he a wonderful performer, but he is also quite versatile as an actor. Here are the best Robert De Niro movies of all time.
Despite mostly playing criminals and awful people, his performance is extraordinary. He has played the roles of athletes, comedians, and isolated people, but he delivered some of the most memorable movies ever. Moreover, he has even won an Oscar for playing Francis Ford Coppola in The Godfather, Part II 1974. He has collaborated with some of the greatest directors ever, especially Martin Scorsese. They are collaborating once again for the 2023 movie Killers of the Flower Moon and another one of Scorsese’s favorite actors, Leonardo DiCaprio is also playing in the movie. TechTrends has put together a list of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time, ranked based on their Rotten Tomatoes’ rating. However, we also included the IMDb rating. Without further ado, let’s get to the list.
Best Robert De Niro Movies of All Time
The increcible Robert De Niro gets so immersed in his roles that it is hard to get his real personality. Throughout the almost 50 years of his career, he has become of the most prolific actors and delivered unforgettable performances. Here are the best Robert De Niro movie of all time.
10. Joker 2019
- Genre: Thriller/Crime
- Director: Todd Phillips
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Glenn Fleshler, Frances Conroy
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 68%, IMDb 8.4
One of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time that came out in 2019 was Joker. Joaquin Phoenix was another one of the amazing cast members. He was exceptional in this movie and hid dedication to the film’s cause was mind-blowing. Phoenix had to lose a lot of weight to become really skinny for the role, and they say that some days, he only ate an apple to go buy. His portrayal of the character Joker was so amazing that many are wondering who the best Joker is: Heath Ledger or Joaquin Phoenix. No matter what your opinion on this debate is, you cannot deny that Joker was intense. It is an alternative story of how Arthur Fleck becomes the Joker.
This is more than a thriller crime film as it is also a psychological thriller. It revolves around a sad story of how people’s treatment and society can affect a psychologically ill person. We highly recommend this as one of the best Joaquin Phoenix movies of all time. Robert De Niro was able to steel every scene he was in, playing the role of Murray Franklin, who was a late-night show host. He not only inspires Arthur, Phoenix’s character, but also enrages him. He has a key role in the transformation of the supervillain. The movie got 11 Oscar nominations and is one of the best Robert De Niro films ever.
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9. Casino 1995
- Genre: Crime/Drama
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, Frank Vincent, John Manca
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 79%, IMDb 8.2
Casino was directed by Martin Scorsese and is a pretty ambitious, entertaining film, despite being a mess. De Niro performs as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, who is a Jewish American gangster in charge of the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. This character is based on Fran Rosenthal, the real life mafioso. Although he does his best to remain above the fray, the glamour of sin city destroys him, his wife as well as his friend. At the beginning of going to the Tangiers Casino, he was a great success, but as time goes on, his problems with mob enforcer Nicky, played by Joe Pesci, his wife Ginger, and many other puts Sam in danger. This is one of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time and an adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s book.
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8. Awakenings 1990
- Genre: Drama
- Director: Penny Marshall
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner, Peter Stormare, Alice Drummond
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 86%, IMDb 8.2
Robin Williams plays the role of Dr. Malcom Sayer who is a neurologist. He finds out that L-Dopa is able to cure catatonic patients who became victims of the “sleeping epidemic” that occurred in the 1920s. Robert De Niro portrays the role of Leonard Lowe, who is a man trapped in his body ever since he was a boy and then Dr. Sayer’s treatment reawakens him. However, it is for a short time. For his performance in this movie, Robert De Niro got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. We highly recommend this as one of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time. Don’t miss it.
7. Heat 1995
- Genre: Crime/Action
- Director: Michael Mann
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Diane Venora, Ashley Judd
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 88%, IMDb 8.3
The movie Heat is quite remarkable and De Niro plays the role of a master criminal. Al Pacino portrays the role of a veteran cop, with the two playing cat and mouse game in the three-hour movie. courtesy of the two actor’s commitment, the movie works great and another reason for its success is the mechanics of the plot, which are quite compelling. This film shows how the criminal and the cop are not that different. This also makes it to the list of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time that you might want to add to your watchlist.
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6. The King of Comedy 1982
- Genre: Crime/Drama
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 90%, IMDb 7.8
The King of Comedy is a cautionary story for anyone who has ever wanted the spotlight at the expense of everything else. Robert De Niro plays the role of Rupert Pupkin, who is a delusional comic exercising his average routines in the basement. The nation’s greatest late-night host, portrayed by Jerry Lewis, is his ideal and he follows him relentlessly, with his friend, who is also as unstable. Once his stalking is out of control, he kidnaps the host and does not want to release him unless he gives him a spot on the show. The King of Comedy is yet another one of the best Robert De Niro movies ever.
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5. Silver Lining Playbook 2012
- Genre: Romance/Drama
- Director: David O. Russell
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Chris Tucker,
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 7.7
Jennifer Lawrence portrays the role of Tiffany, who is a young widow trying to help Bradley Cooper’s Pat get his life together following his stay at a psychiatric hospital. The two try to get their lives back on track and participate in a dance competition. Despite Pat being the main character, Lawrence was able to steal some scenes for herself with her charm. Robert De Niro, on the other hand, is the father of this bipolar man who gets released from a mental hospital. Despite having a supporting role, he performed amazingly well among a great cast. He also plays an older man who is eager to have a bond with his son. This is yet another one of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time.
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4. Raging Bull 1980
- Genre: Sport/Drama
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, , Joe Pesci, Martin Scorsese
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 93%, IMDb 8.2
The list of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time would not be complete without the movie Raging Bull, which is another example of him collaborating with Martin Scorsese. In this movie, he plays the role of boxer Jale La Mortta, who is a wounded, prideful man with excellent talent when it comes to appearing in the ring. However, outside the ring, he is pretty self-destructive. This incredible movie is about failure and success and it became one of the most acclaimed movies of not only actor De Niro, but also director Scorsese. We highly recommend it as one of Robert De Niro’s greatest movie roles. Don’t miss it.
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3. The Irishman 2019
- Genre: Crime/Drama
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 95%, IMDb 7.8
Notwithstanding the shocking Oscar snub, Robert De Niro delivered one of the best performances of his life in another one of the Martin Scorsese movies. The movie is three-and-a-half-hours long and this is a great one among the many themes the director and De Niro have worked on during their careers, going far beyond the glamorous gangster effects they explored before. De Niro plays the role of Frank Sheeran, who is a low level truck driver. He then becomes a hitman when he crosses paths with Teamsters head Jimmy Hoffa, portrayed by Al Pacino and Mafia Russell Bufalino, played by Joe Pesci. The special effects are mind-blowingly good and through make up, De Niro was able to portray the character over many decades, starting from his humble character to his tragic end.
Although it did not get nominated for Best Actor, he did receive an Oscar bid in the category of Best Picture. This is indeed one of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time.
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2. Taxi Driver 1976
- Genre: Drama
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 96%, IMDb 8.2
There are not many chilling scenes like the one Robert De Niro (portraying Travis Bickle) looks into the mirror and asks, “Are you talking to me?” In the movie Taxi Driver, De Niro is quite frightening. Martin Scorsese and De Niro collaborated once again and the film revolves around an alienated cabbie as he goes through the streets at night driving his yellow chariot. De Niro’s character suffers from insomnia and is a loner, taking a job as a cabbie in New York City. While going through the streets at night, he began to be entirely detached from reality and aimed to clean up the filthy city. When he meets Betsy, played by Cybill Shepherd, who is a campaign worker, he becomes obsessed with saving the world.
Therefore, he makes a plan to assassinate a candidate for presidential election, then he thinks about saving a 12-year-old prostitute named Iris, played by Jodie Foster. For this role, Robert De Niro got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. This is yet another one of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time that you do not want to miss.
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1. Goodfellas 1990
- Genre: Crime/Drama
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 96%, IMDb 8.7
Another one of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time directed by Martin Scorsese is Goodfellas, which creates a sense of family among criminals. Aside from money, girls and great food, there is the feeling of acceptance from peers that makes Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta want to be a wise guy. He forms a bond with fatherly Jimmy Conway, played by Robert De Niro, and Tommy DeVito, portrayed by Joe Pesci, who won the Oscar for his performance. For this reason, the ending of their brotherhood is kind of tragic. However, prior to that, it is a quite lively and a very entertaining mafia movie, courtesy of The Godfather.
Despite not having the showiest role in Goodfellas, his performance was crucial to the tale of the movie. the movie revolves around Henry Hill, a mafia who has a good relationship with De Niro’s character. Although he mostly appeared as protagonists in Scorsese’s movies, his role in this film was charming and insidious. Goodfellas is yet another one of the best Robert De Niro movies of all time.
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