Robert de Niro's 10 best films revealed - The Godfather not number 1

From mean streets to mob legends, Robert De Niro's career is one that helped define modern cinema.

Whether playing tortured loners or charismatic gangsters, De Niro's work across five decades remains some of the most influential and lauded in Hollywood history.

With a blend of street-smart authenticity and pure acting brilliance, De Niro helped change how leading men were seen in American movies. Collaborating with directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Michael Mann, he brought layered intensity to nearly every role he touched.

Here, we rank Robert De Niro's ten best movies , as well as their critics consensus:

10. The Untouchables (1987)

Directed by Brian De Palma, The Untouchables is a stylish crime drama set during Prohibition-era Chicago. De Niro took on the role of real-life mob boss Al Capone, delivering a performance filled with menace and charisma despite limited screen time.

The film was a commercial hit, earning Sean Connery an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. De Niro's transformation, including weight gain and detailed character work, added another layer of authenticity to the characterisation of Capone.

Critics Consensus: Slick on the surface but loaded with artful touches, Brian DePalma's classical gangster thriller is a sharp look at period Chicago crime, featuring excellent performances from a top-notch cast.

9. Meet the Parents (2000)

Switching gears into comedy, Meet the Parents proved De Niro's comedic timing was as sharp as his dramatic chops. Playing Jack Byrnes, an intimidating ex-CIA agent and suspicious father-in-law, De Niro earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.

The film was a box office smash, spawning two sequels and introducing De Niro to a new generation of fans. His straight-faced delivery of absurd lines was also one of the film's most memorable elements.

Critics Consensus: Despite sometimes sitcom-like execution, Meet the Parents is a hilarious look at familial relationships that works mostly because the chemistry between its two leads is so effective.

8. Heat (1995)

Directed by Michael Mann, Heat paired De Niro with Al Pacino in a legendary face-off between a career criminal and a relentless detective. Their famous diner scene remains one of cinema's most iconic moments. Heat was praised for its intense action sequences, emotional depth, and realistic depiction of heists.

Though De Niro and Pacino only share a few scenes, the mastery of their performances helped Heat become a crime classic and a critical favorite, influencing countless films in the years that followed.

Critics Consensus: Though Al Pacino and Robert De Niro share but a handful of screen minutes together, Heat is an engrossing crime drama that draws compelling performances from its stars-and confirms Michael Mann's mastery of the genre.

7. The Deer Hunter (1978)

In Michael Cimino's Vietnam War epic, De Niro plays Michael, a Pennsylvania steelworker whose life is upended by the horrors of war. The Deer Hunter won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

De Niro's performance earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, in recognition of his ability to bring resilience and deep emotion to the screen.

Critics Consensus: Its greatness is blunted by its length and one-sided point of view, but the film's weaknesses are overpowered by Michael Cimino's sympathetic direction and a series of heartbreaking performances from Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken.

6. Cape Fear (1991)

In this remake of the 1962 thriller, De Niro underwent another intense physical transformation to play Max Cady, a tattooed, vengeful ex-con.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Cape Fear allowed De Niro to explore pure villainy, earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. The film was a commercial hit, and De Niro's chilling performance has since been considered by some to be one of the best movie villains of all time.

Critics Consensus: Smart and stylish, Cape Fear is a gleefully mainstream shocker from Martin Scorsese, with a terrifying Robert De Niro performance.

5. Taxi Driver (1976)

Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver delivered one of De Niro's most iconic roles as Travis Bickle, a mentally unstable Vietnam veteran spiraling into violence. De Niro's preparation included obtaining a real cab driver's license and working 12-hour shifts.

The film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and received four Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for De Niro. His line, "You talkin' to me?" became one of the most famous quotes in movie history.

Critics Consensus: A must-see film for movie lovers, this Martin Scorsese masterpiece is as hard-hitting as it is compelling, with Robert De Niro at his best.

4. Raging Bull (1980)

For Raging Bull, De Niro underwent one of the most famous physical transformations in movie history, gaining 60 pounds to portray aging boxer Jake LaMotta.

Directed by Scorsese - again -, the black-and-white biopic won De Niro his second Academy Award, this time for Best Actor. Often cited as one of the greatest films ever made, Raging Bull is a raw, brutal look at violence, fame, and self-destruction.

Critics Consensus: Arguably Martin Scorsese's and Robert De Niro's finest film, Raging Bull is often painful to watch, but it's a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero.

3. Casino (1995)

Returning to the world of crime with Scorsese, Casino casts De Niro as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a calm, methodical casino boss navigating the dangerous underbelly of Las Vegas.

While comparisons to GoodFellas were inevitable, Casino was praised for its grand scope, detailed storytelling, and intense performances, especially from De Niro, Sharon Stone (who earned an Oscar nomination), and Joe Pesci. The film has grown in appreciation over the years since its release.

Critics Consensus: Impressive ambition and bravura performances from an outstanding cast help Casino pay off in spite of a familiar narrative that may strike some viewers as a safe bet for director Martin Scorsese.

2. The Godfather Part II (1974)

De Niro won his first Academy Award (Best Supporting Actor) for his portrayal of the young Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II. Delivering much of his dialogue in Sicilian, De Niro's subtle, commanding performance complemented Marlon Brando's legendary turn in the original.

The Godfather Part II became the first sequel to win Best Picture at the Oscars, and De Niro's work helped solidify the film as one of the greatest in cinema history.

Critics Consensus: Drawing on strong performances by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola's continuation of Mario Puzo's Mafia saga set new standards for sequels that have yet to be matched or broken.

1. GoodFellas (1990)

Topping the list is Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas, where De Niro plays Jimmy Conway, a senior figure in the mob underworld. While Ray Liotta's Henry Hill anchors the story, De Niro's steady, dangerous presence looms large throughout.

Nominated for six Academy Awards and considered by some to be one of the best films ever made, GoodFellas solidified De Niro's standing as a master of the gangster genre. His effortless charisma in the film have influenced countless crime dramas since.

Critics Consensus: Hard-hitting and stylish, GoodFellas is a gangster classic-and arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese's career.