Fine selection of Robert De Niro's movies

CAIRO – 17 August 2017: In honor of the Hollywood legend Robert De Niro's birthday Thursday, August 17, we will be taking a close look at some of his roles across his long, rich career;


The Godfather II (1974)


Godfather II Poster ft Al Pacino via IMDB

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Coppola's follow-up to his groundbreaking crime masterpiece proved the notion that follow-ups would always be inferior wrong. Starring Al Pacino and Marlin Brando, the film follows De Niro's character Vito Corleone in his youth, serving as a prequel to the events of the first film as it outlines Corleone's early life in New York's seedy underbelly as his son, Michael (Pacino), follows his own path in the family business. The film won De Niro an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.



Taxi Driver (1976)


Taxi Driver poster via IMDB

Director: Martin Scorsese
This film features De Niro in the lead role as Travis Bickle, a lonely NYC taxi driver and Vietnam veteran who takes the law into his own hands while attempting to save an under aged prostitute. This dark trek through New York's decaying heart was nominated for four Academy Awards, with De Niro being nominated as Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film even gave pop culture the famous 'Are you talkin' to me?' quote.



Goodfellas (1990)


Goodfellas poster via IMDB

Director: Martin Scorsese

Another Scorsese/De Niro collaboration, Goodfellas stars De Niro alongside Ray Liotta as an exploration of the lives and workings of the Italian-American crime syndicate. Liotta stars as Henry Hill and the film follows Hill's early life and entry into the Mafia, with De Niro playing his mentor-in-crime, James Conway.



Casino (1990)


Casino poster via IMDB

Director: Martin Scorsese

Scorsese and De Niro continue to prove that they are an actor/director match made in heaven. Casino is a tale of how crime, lust and greed ruins lives, with De Niro playing Sam "Ace" Rothstein, the owner of a Casino in 1970's Las Vegas that is run by the Mafia. Ace's friend, Nicky Santoro (Played by Joe Pesci) spirals further into drug abuse and violent crime, and the inclusion of a woman in Ace's life, Ginger (Sharon Stone) only threatens to further complicate an already messy situation. Casino provided a dark, believable look at how the Mafia infiltrated Casinos during that time period.



Silver Lining Playbook (2012)


Silver Lining Playbook poster via IMDB

Director: David O. Russell

This more recent of De Niro's films might be different than what you have come to expect from him, but make no mistake, De Niro proves he has still got talent in him even long after his heyday. The film is a funny and sad look into the struggles of mental illness and romance, and stars Bradley cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence.

The plot concerns Pat Solitano (cooper), a teacher who was sent to a mental hospital after his divorce and goes to live with his parents, including De Niro as his father, Pat Solitano Sr., De Niro's role is of a stern yet caring figure in Pat's life, who tries to get his son to attend an Eagles game he bet on for good luck. Things only get more complicated when the young Pat meets Tiffanny (Lawrence), a woman with problems of her own, who eventually gets him to be her partner in a dance competition. De Niro was nominated for an Oscar as Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.