De Niro vs. Pacino. A tangentially-related post to the Sporadic Series of Movie Reviews

Who was better in the 70's: Robert De Niro or Al Pacino? Who is better now?

Reasons why De Niro was great in the 70's:
Bang The Drum Slowly
Mean Streets
The Godfather 2
Taxi Driver
The Deer Hunter
and I'm gonna throw Raging Bull in there, although it was from 1980.

Reasons why Pacino was great in the 70's:
Godfather 1
Godfather 2
Serpico
Dog Day Afternoon
And Justice For All
and to be fair I'll throw in Scarface although it is from 1983.

It is a very close call, but I'm going to go with Pacino since he was the star in each of his great movies. De Niro was great, but he was also in some movies that had a bunch of other excellent actors in them.

One might say, "But two of Pacino's great movies were The Godfather 1 and 2 that had ensemble casts." Of course, the counterpoint could be made for Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, two of Scorsese's New York movies, where De Niro was the star.


Since the 70's both actors have had some hits and misses:

De Niro Hits:
Once Upon A Time In America - another ensemble movie, great film
The Mission - all Bobby
The Untouchables - ensemble cast
We're No Angels - some say is a miss, but I liked it. Also had Sean Penn and Demi Moore
Goodfellas - WOW
Cape Fear - much better than the original. I don't get Robert Mitchum's brand of scariness
A Bronx Tale - check it out, good even though it has Chazz Palmintieri
Casino - it's not Goodfellas 2 unlike what many people say, it's awesome in its own right
Heat
Sleepers
Analyze This - surprisingly good comedy with Billy Crystal
Meet The Parents - He plays a bit of a cartoon of himself, kind of like how Christopher Walken is getting work now

De Niro Misses, though some would disagree with me:
Stanley & Iris
Backdraft
Mad Dog & Glory - OUCH
Frankenstein - Huh?
The Fan
Cop Land
Wag The Dog
Analyze That
Meet The Fockers. Sadly, these last two are sequels that beat the life out of the one-liners and situations that made the originals so good

Pacino Hits:
Sea of Love - any movie that makes Ellen Barkin a sex symbol must be good
Glengarry Glen Ross - ensemble cast, but Pacino makes himself known on the screen
Scent of a Woman - I can't tell if his character is overblown or just typical Pacino
Heat
City Hall
Donnie Brasco - a different role for Al in that it is obvious that his character is a small-time loser rather than a bombastic "offense is the best defense" type guy
Devil's Advocate - Al makes up for Keanu (which is Hawaiian for "wooden acting").
The Insider
Any Given Sunday
Insomnia - Al's shar-pei look convinces us that he hasn't slept in weeks
Merchant of Venice - I think Pacino is in his element in Shakespeare
Looking For Richard - excellent documentary following Al in his pursuit to make Richard III

Pacino Misses:
Author! Author!
Dick Tracy - Ugh
Godfather 3 (though not his fault. Sofia Coppola ruined that movie)
Frankie and Johnny
Simone
The Recruit - did this movie have to be made? Haven't we seen Al in enough badass guy roles and Matt Damon in enough newbie secret agent roles?
Gigli? I had no idea he was in this one!


So pretty even so far. How about Oscars? Pacino: 9 nominations (5 in the 70's) and 1 win for Scent of a Woman. De Niro: 6 nominations and 2 wins (both wins in the 70's).

I think De Niro has spread out a bit, doing the comedies since the 70's which have been hits and misses. Pacino still knocks our socks off with his performances, while flexing his thespian muscles with some Shakespeare. I guess after all this, I have to stay with Pacino. De Niro is in cooler movies, but Pacino gets my pick as the better actor.

I guess I needed to reason out something I never knew that I needed to know.