Ronin (1998)
John Frankenheimer’s 1998 Cold War remnant action. De Niro, Reno, Sean Bean. Practical car chases through Paris and Nice.
Robert De Niro
This archive collects the films featuring Robert De Niro reviewed at Master of Worlds — 16 titles spanning “A Bronx Tale (1993)”, “Awakenings (1990)”, “Casino (1995)”, “Goodfellas (1990)”, “Heat (1995)”, “Joker (2019)”, “Mean Streets (1973)”, “Once Upon a Time in America (1984)”, “Raging Bull (1980)”, “Ronin (1998)”, “Sleepers (1996)”, “The Deer Hunter (1978)”, “The Godfather Part II (1974)”, “The Score (2001)”, “The Untouchables (1987)”, and “Wag the Dog (1997)”. Seen together they form a substantial cross-section of Robert De Niro’s screen work, and the reviews approach them as storytelling first. The questions are consistent — what the performance asks of the audience, how it serves the structure of the film, and what holds up on a second or third viewing. Watching one actor across this many roles makes the craft legible in a way a single film cannot: the recurring instincts, the range, the choices that separate a memorable performance from a forgettable one. The collection is curated rather than exhaustive, built from films reviewed in depth at Master of Worlds, and it grows as further titles are added.
Mean Streets (1973)
Scorsese’s 1973 breakthrough. Harvey Keitel and De Niro as Little Italy hustlers. Catholic guilt, street violence, jukebox soundtrack.
A Bronx Tale (1993)
Robert De Niro’s 1993 directorial debut. Father versus neighborhood gangster for boy’s loyalty. Chazz Palminteri play adaptation.
The Untouchables (1987)
Brian De Palma’s 1987 Eliot Ness biopic. Costner, Connery, De Niro as Capone. Mamet screenplay. Connery’s Oscar.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Sergio Leone’s 1984 final film. De Niro, James Woods. New York Jewish gangsters across five decades. Three hours forty-five minutes uncut.
Awakenings (1990)
Penny Marshall’s 1990 Oliver Sacks biopic. Robin Williams as the doctor, De Niro as encephalitic patient. L-Dopa breakthrough.
Wag the Dog (1997)
Barry Levinson’s 1997 political satire. Hoffman and De Niro fabricate a war to bury a presidential scandal. Mamet co-wrote.
Sleepers (1996)
1996 Barry Levinson drama with Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon. Hell’s Kitchen friends face their abusers in court.
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Coppola’s 1974 sequel-and-prequel. De Niro as young Vito, Pacino as Michael. The film that proved sequels could exceed originals.
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Cimino’s 1978 Vietnam drama. De Niro, Walken, Streep, Cazale. The Russian roulette sequences. Best Picture Oscar. Closing of the steel-town American era.