Director-actor collaborative duo Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have made ten feature films since Mean Streets (1973). It not only helped Scorsese’s filmmaking career but also De Niro’s reputation as a young actor. As De Niro proved himself to be an influential role in every film, he was the favorable choice for most of Scorsese’s leading roles. Here’s the list of the ten Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro films including their latest collab Killers of the Flower Moon.
Mean Streets (1973)
With the help of director Roger Corman, Martin Scorsese directed the gangster film Mean Streets. It was co-written by Mardik Martin and Scorsese, and starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. The film depicts street life in Little Italy among petty criminals, lower echelon Mafiosos, and punks. In an attempt to free himself from huge debt and its consequences, the protagonist gets help from a friend who is also engaged in criminal activities. The film was registered for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, which deemed it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Taxi Driver (1976)
“You talkin’ to me?”, we are all aware of this popular Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) line. Neo-noir psychological thriller film Taxi Driver stars Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Peter Boyle, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in morally corrupted NYC following the Vietnam War, the film follows taxi driver Travis Bickle and his deteriorating mental state. Scorsese makes a cameo in this film as one of his passengers.
New York, New York (1977)
Based on a story by Rauch, it is a musical tribute featuring songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb as well as jazz standards. New York, New York is “about a jazz saxophonist (Robert De Niro) and a pop singer (Liza Minnelli) who fall madly in love and marry;” however, the “saxophonist’s outrageously volatile personality places a continual strain on their relationship, and after they have a baby, their marriage crumbles,” even as their careers develop on separate paths.
Raging Bull (1980)
Biographical sports drama film Raging Bull stars Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Nicholas Colasanto, Frank Vincent, and Theresa Saldana. It is an adaptation of former middleweight boxing champion Jake Motta’s 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story. The film follows the rise and fall of his boxing career and his personal life beset by jealousy and rage. Robert De Niro won an Oscar for playing his character Jake LaMotta.
The King of Comedy (1982)
The satirical black comedy film The King of Comedy stars Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, and Sandra Bernhard. The film follows a stand-up comedian who is obsessed with another successful comedian whom he met by accident. He dreams of being the comedian’s friend while the other man purposely avoids his stalker. The younger comedian plans to abduct his idol which earns him fame and a published memoir. Scorsese suggested the film “…maybe wasn’t so well received because it gave off an aura of something that people didn’t want to look at or know.”
Goodfellas (1990)
Goodfellas is an adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s 1985 non-fiction book Wiseguy. The film stars Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, and Lorraine Bracco. Young Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) gets deeper into the Mafia world in his working-class Italian-American neighborhood. He begins working for Paulie Cicero and his associates: James Conway (De Niro), an Irish-American gangster, and Tommy DeVito, a fellow juvenile delinquent. Soon Henry realizes this life of luxury has its consequences.
Cape Fear (1991)
Scorsese’s Cape Fear is a remake of the 1962 film of the same name, based on John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel The Executioners. The film follows a convicted violent rapist. By using his knowledge of the law and its loopholes, seeks vengeance against a former public defender. The public defender was the reason behind his 14-year imprisonment as he purposefully used faulty defense tactics. he film stars Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Joe Don Baker, and Juliette Lewis.
Casino (1995)
Casino is adapted from Nicholas Pileggi’s non-fiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. The film deals with themes like deception, greed, murder, money, and power. It stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, and James Woods. Low-level mobster Sam Rothstein (De Niro) gets tapped by his superiors to head the Tangiers Casino. Initially, it worked well however he soon met all the dangers of the corrupted world. Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune said “You can’t praise highly enough the contributions of the ensemble – De Niro and Pesci especially – but it’s Scorsese’s triumph.”
The Irishman (2019)
The epic crime film The Irishman is based on Charles Brandt’s book I Heard You Paint Houses. The film follows Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a labor union leader and alleged hitman for the Bufalino crime family. It also stars Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa, Al Pacino’s first film with Scorsese, and Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Based on David Grann’s 2017 novel of the same name, Killers of the Flower Moon stars Scorsese’s two favorites, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. The plot centers on a series of murders in the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma, committed after oil was found on a tribal island. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, and more.
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