Travis Bickle Started It All
Clearly one of the best actors in motion picture history. Robert DeNiro's classic roles in iconic movies over the years establish him as everyone's favourite "Anti-Hero”. The man won an award for his classic anti-hero performance as the cult favourite Travis Bickle in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976). See BBC News article.
It was his most famous anti-hero, but Travis Bickle was not the only one. There are many films in which DeNiro is the rogue that is irresistible, despite associations with organised crime, violence, voyeuristic obsession and evil. Two other famous Scorsese films have DeNiro playing characters who are charming enough to overlook what the everyday life of said characters entails.
Scosese Collaberations Always Result in a Rogue
Both Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995) have De Niro in roles of organised crime, portraying corrupt, violent and money obsessed mob-men Jimmy Conway and Sam “Ace” Rothstein respectively. What compels us to root for these characters boils down to the sheer charm and class of Jimmy Conway and his pure devotion to childhood friend Tommy (Joe Pesci) in Goodfellas and the undying love for his deviant sham wife Ginger (Sharon Stone) despite her uncontrollable self-destruction in Casino.
DeNiro is Untouchable
Another iconic and critically acclaimed outing featuring DeNiro as mobster Al Capone, is Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987). The ruthless and pompous character was undeniably entertaining in his brief but shining scenes in the movie, and hence we excuse his murderous traits. FrontPage magazine article about the typical western hero clearly gives reference to the anti-hero status of DeNiro's portrayal of Al Capone.
Ronin
In the excellent action thriller Ronin, we empathise with DeNiro's Sam.. Criminals pitted against other criminals in a web of deceit and betrayal is the premise of this film, but guess who comes out top as the favourite? That's right; we hope that Sam and Vincent (Jean Reno – another anti-hero actor) come up trumps at the end.
Heat
One of the greatest films of its genre, Michael Mann's Heat (1995) sees DeNiro and his counterpart Al Pacino face to face in a classic cop vs. criminal cat chase. Neil McCauley (DeNiro) and his crew carry out big money, high profile hits in the city of L.A. and after McCauley's crew fumble a job and are betrayed by Waingro (Kevin Gage), Lt. Vincent Hanna (Pacino) is on the trail.
From the start viewers enjoy McCauley at work as he is very cool, calm, cunning and thorough, as well as deeply loyal to his comrades. We see the sensitive side of McCauley's character and the emotional conflict he struggles with after he meets Eady (Amy Brenneman) and falls for her. Inevitably his life of crime comes first and Eady suffers as a result. McCauley ultimately meets his demise and inadvertently ends the relationship due to his dedication to the job.
DeNiro and his Legacy
As now evident, Robert DeNiro not only plays many anti-heroes in a variety of timeless and important movies, but he excels at it. A similar eye could be cast on many of the roles of Al Pacino, but DeNiro is simply the king of this niche. Let's hope there are more sublime performances of this ilk ahead for Mr. DeNiro.
