Robert De Niro Movies: 11 Crime and Drama-Filled Movies by a Master Actor

robert de niro movies

When we think of Robert De Niro movies , we usually think of crime and mafia-themed movies. Coming from a family of Italian and Irish descent, Robert De Niro has acted in over 100 films during his 61-year career. Robert De Niro, who is also an inseparable duo with the famous director Martin Scorsese , gives life to many cult characters of the cinema world. In this content, we take a closer look at our list of the best Robert De Niro movies based on IMDb scores.

Best Robert De Niro Movies according to IMDb ratings:

  • The Godfather Part II – The Father 2
  • Goodfellas – Best Friends
  • Joker
  • Once Upon a Time in America
  • Taxi Driver – Taxi Driver
  • Heat – The Great Showdown
  • casino
  • Raging Bull – Raging Bull
  • The Untouchables
  • The Irishman
  • The King of Comedy – King of Laughter

11) The King of Comedy – The King of Laughter (1982) | IMDb: 7.8

the king of comedy

  • Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Cast: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott

A little different from the classic Robert De Niro movies, The King of Comedy offers us the chance to watch De Niro in a role that we are not used to. Rupert Pupkin, a strange character who still lives with his family in the movie, is a failed comedian who believes he will one day be famous. Obsessed with appearing on the show of his idol comedy star Jerry Langford, Rupert believes that if he succeeds in appearing on this show, the doors of fame will open.

The King of Comedy, which is very similar to the Joker with its main story line, is a kind of hidden De Niro gem that delicately touches on the loneliness of individuals in society and the hypocrisy of the television/entertainment industry.


10) The Irishman – The Irishman (2019) | IMDb: 7.8

the irishman robert de niro

  • Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Cast: Al Pacino , Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

Adapted from the book I Head You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, The Irishman tells us the events in which the notorious Irish-born hitman Frank Sheeran took part. Frank Sheeran, the hitman of the Bufalino crime family, one of the biggest mafia gangs of the 1900s, also works alongside Jimmy Hoffa, once the tumultuous chairman of the Teamsters Labor Union.

Assassinations and events involving Frank Sheeran during this period are not to be underestimated. Although The Irishman is criticized for distorting some historical events, it is one of the best crime and period films of recent years thanks to the De Niro and Al Pacino duo.


9) The Untouchables – The Untouchables (1987) | IMDb: 7.9

the untouchables

  • Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
  • Director: Brian De Palma
  • Cast: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro

The Untouchables , directed by Brian De Palma, the indispensable director of Hollywood crime films, takes us to 1920s Chicago. We see Robert De Niro in this movie as Al Capone, the famous mafia leader who gained power during the famous alcohol prohibition period of the USA.

In the movie, we follow the story of FBI agent Eliot Ness, who goes after Al Capone, who took Chicago by storm during the prohibition era. Eliot Ness, who was newly appointed to Chicago, was tasked with neutralizing Al Capone, perhaps one of the most difficult tasks assigned to an agent at that time. The Untouchables, which is almost a stargate with its director and actors, is a production that should not be missed by those who love Robert De Niro movies.


8) Raging Bull – Raging Bull (1980) | IMDb: 8.2

raging bull robert de niro filmleri

  • Genre: Biography, Sports, Drama
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Cast: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci

Raging Bull , which won the Best Actor Oscar for Robert De Niro, is about the life of the famous Italian-American boxer Jake LaMotta of the period. Jake LaMotta, the greatest boxer of the 1940s, is an interesting character who stepped into show business after his boxing career, often succumbing to his anger. In the movie, Robert De Niro wears the gloves as Jake LaMotta and enters the ring. At the same time, the turbulent life of Jake LaMotta outside the ring is described in the movie.


7) Casino (1995) | IMDb: 8.2

casino film

  • Genre: Crime, Drama
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Cast: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Italian-born author Nicholas Pileggi, Casino follows Ace, a smart sports bettor, who unwittingly rises in the mafia. Ace, who attracts the attention of the mafia by constantly winning sports bets in the movie, is put in charge of a big casino in Las Vegas, again with the mafia’s compulsion.

Ace, who has doubled the income of the casino he manages with his knowledge and experience in matters such as gambling and betting, all he wants is to live calmly before anything happens to him. But Ace’s life, which starts to get into trouble with his greedy friend Nicky, will change in a way he never wanted when he falls in love with Ginger.


6) Heat – The Big Showdown (1995) | IMDb: 8.2

heat büyük hesaplaşma

  • Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
  • Director: Michael Mann
  • Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer

A movie that GTA game lovers will watch without taking their eyes off, Heat revolves around three bank robber friends and a police detective. Successful thief Neil McCauley and his two friends, who use their luck to the fullest in every heist and manage not to be caught, are out of luck in the last heist.

Detective Vincent Hanna, who is in pursuit of this small gang who unwittingly left a clue behind, however, finds the opportunity he seeks thanks to this clue. From this point on, a breathtaking chase begins between detective Hanna and McCauley’s team.


5) Taxi Driver – Taxi Driver (1976) | IMDb: 8.3

taxi driver travis bickle

  • Genre: Crime, Drama
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Cast: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd

Taxi Driver , one of the films that best describes the devastating effects of the Vietnam War on human psychology, also hosts one of the most unstable characters in the cinema world. Travis Bickle , who has just returned from the war, is an introverted and lonely man who suffers from insomnia as a result of his traumas.

Bickle, who turns this insomnia into an opportunity and starts to work as a taxi driver at night, begins to witness the corrupt face of the city more at night. As a result, Travis, who started to deteriorate psychologically, becomes a violent individual who is determined to ensure his own justice.


4) Once Upon a Time in America (1984) | IMDb: 8.4

once in america

  • Genre: Crime, Drama
  • Director: Sergio Leone
  • Cast: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern

Once Upon a Time in America, signed by Sergio Leone , the legendary director of western movies, was a very unlucky movie during its release. The movie, which almost crashed at the box office due to Sergio Leone’s forcibly cut scenes, later became a cult following the director’s release of his own version.

In the movie, the life and gang of Jewish gangster David “Noodles” Aaron, starting from his childhood, are covered. This movie, in which the life of the gangster nicknamed Noodles flows like a real film strip, is also an adaptation of the novel The Hoods written by Harry Gray.


3) Joker (2019) | IMDb: 8.4

joker murray franklin

  • Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
  • Director: Todd Phillips
  • Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz

We mentioned that The King of Comedy, the first movie of our list of Robert De Niro movies , is very similar to the Joker in terms of plot. In Joker, which is considered the best anti-hero theme of recent times, the roles of comedians with Robert De Niro are almost changed.

Joker in the movie; De Niro becomes Murray Franklin, the owner of the TV show. Joker, which has an unprecedented realism to the Joker and a comic book character in general, is one of the movies you should take to the top of your list if you haven’t watched it yet.


2) Goodfellas – Best Friends (1990) | IMDb: 8.7

goodfellas robert de niro filmleri

  • Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci

Goodfellas , one of the best mafia films in the history of cinema, is a production that almost brings together the five Italian families who almost conquered New York in the mid-1900s. Focusing on the Lucchese family, one of New York’s five crime families, the film tells the life of Italian-American gangster Henry Hill.

Henry Hill, who grew up in the apprenticeship of Irish gangster James Burke working for the Lucchese family , is especially known for the famous Lufthansa Heist, which he is confused with. This robbery and the events that followed are discussed in the movie.


1) The Godfather Part II – The Father 2 (1974) | IMDb: 9.0

baba 2

  • Genre: Crime, Drama
  • Director: Francis Ford Coppola
  • Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall

At the end of our list of Robert De Niro movies, we are greeted by The Father 2 , to whom De Niro owes his fame. Robert De Niro, who applied for the role of Sonny in his first Father movie early in his acting career, was not called for this role.

Then in the second movie; As in the book, director Francis Ford Coppola, who wanted to shoot the Father’s flashback scenes, chose De Niro, who was auditioning for the first film, for this role. This is how Robert De Niro’s career in mafia films began, which left the audience open with his role as the young Vito Corleone .


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