Keitel/ de niro / pesci / pacino

kirk.

How would you rank these guys as actors ?

I've been back watching some of the old /new stuff and Keitel is amazing , great presence

De Niro I dunno id say overrated overall tbh

Pacino and kietel had great presence on the screen .I think kietel made some bad career choices by the look of it

Pesci is awesome too , just gets better and better

Captain Red Beard

DeNiro overrated? I'll fight you.

JayRoc

I happened to click on boards during a break. Watching Raging Bull for the first time in ten years.

We all know De Niro is probably the greatest american actor of his generation but this was the film that made me realise what an actor Pesci is

antfin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900937#Comment_117900937

The man himself said it best... "I'm gonna open his hole like this. Please excuse my French. I'm gonna make him suffer. I'm gonna make his mother wish she never had him - make him into dog meat... He's a nice, a nice kid. He's a pretty kid, too. I mean I don't know, I gotta problem if I should **** him or fight him."

head82

Pesci doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as DeNiro, Keitel (at their peak). He's not even a contender! Pesci is a 'one trick pony'.. an enjoyable character on screen but limited. He's done nothing that could compare to DeNiro/Keitel in the likes of 'Mean Streets' or 'Taxi Driver'.

As for Pacino.. I've always been a big fan and even went to see him live onstage in London in 'American Buffalo' , but there's not much to recommend after 'Scarface'.

Age affects eveyone I guess.

MfMan

I've never been beguiled about De Niro / Pacino in the way the others have. Both did their best work pre 1980 IMO. (I always call Raging Dull thus!) As time has gone on, Pacino tended to chew the screen more and start shouting uncontrollably a lot (e.g. Heat), while De Niro was a slave to method for many years, (which basically meant repeating his lines 3 times). Both have undoubtedly made good movies but I wouldn't count either as the greatest American actor of them all, (nor Mumbles Brando either).

Pesci has shown himself to be very versatile, doing comedy (Home Alone) and chilling as Tommy De Vito. Tended towards the former a bit too much for his own good perhaps.

Always had a soft spot for Keitel (eastern European Jewish rather than Italian background). I think he's not been afraid to make different movie choices and has always projected a sense of repressed anger and danger on-screen. I wonder which of them did Scorcese think would become the bigger star when kick-starting he and De Niro in Mean Streets?

kirk.

Keitel no doubt from mean streets

Way better than de niro

techdiver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902144#Comment_117902144

Disagree with you on Pesci. He can transition seamlessly from a terrifying character of Tommy in Goodfellas to the comic slapstick Harry in Home Alone (both released the same year). He also was wonderful in the Lethal Weapon movies. A very underrated performance in "With Honors" to boot. I was always impressed with how I could watch Goodfellas and Lethal Weapon 2 back to back and not be taken out of his character performance in either.

I do think it's redundant comparing actors anyway. Way too subjective. Suffice to say they are all excellent legends of the screen.

kirk.

Pesci was awesome in the Irishman

Don't think anyone else could bring that gravitas to the role tbh

SimonTemplar

My opinion of Pesci has increased massively since The Irishman.

Regarding his comedic roles in Home Alone and Lethal Weapon, a lot of actors have said comedy is very hard to do well.

Dades

I can't stand Al Pacino.

Some actors can get away with doing the same thing, role after role (Jack Nickolson, Sam Jackson, etc.) - but Pacino's shouty monologue shtick just grates on my nerves. He's been in some amazing movies but his presence makes me avoid them.

DeNiro has the range and the body of work for me to be top of this list.

Think they are all great, people are being hard on pacino to say "since scarface" i think hes got the rage, the charm, the twinkle in his locker still.

DeNiro ive always actually found hardest to warm to, and hes been in as much shite as all of the others put together- brooding intensity or bad comedy isnt really that great a range. But his high points mark some of the high points in american cinema

Keitel has an underlying quiet presence but hasnt always gone for the lead roles he might have

Pesci works to enjoy life and has done for decades, by all accounts a great character in real life, i think hes got a few different strings to his bow and as pointed out above he is brilliant in raging bull and the irishman, neither a straightforward shouty joe performance

All are excellent in the irishman

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117904453#Comment_117904453

I think Pacino is one of those actors whose performance depends on the director in control. His persona can take over a role and as you say, tends towards roaring and shouting with his "hoo-ahh!" schtick. A good director keeps it on check, most recently seen in The Irishman; even Hunters, the Amazon TV show. He played it all with quiet dignity, albeit leaning into some heavy Jewish accenting.

The only movie I actually like his OTT style, and think it matches, is Heat. Pacino's cop is clearly unravelling as we watch him - and may be coked up to the eyeballs - while a thematic counterpoint to DeNiro's icy, emotionally detached criminal.

magicbastarder

I remember reading an interview many years ago with Abel Ferrara about bad lieutenant; it was along the lines of 'we've all seen movies about drunk cops, or corrupt cops, or violent cops, or drug taking cops; I wanted to make one about a drunk, drug addicted, corrupt violent cop, but Harvey came along and somehow made it about some Jesus redemption **** on me'.

Been many years since I've seen the movie, not exactly easy viewing.

Tony EH

Keitel - Pretty much the same thing in everything, even if it's interesting to watch.

De Niro - The best actor of his generation, but got really, really, lazy in the 90's

Pesci - Pretty mush the same thing in everything, even if it's interesting to watch.

Pacino - Great in the 70's, turned meh to ridiculous in the 80's. Got on the revival boat that De Niro managed to miss. Can't stand the Hoo Hah crap though.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117961289#Comment_117961289

Keitel outshone de niro in mean streets

Pesci was awesome in the Irishman

Totally different character to goodfellas

Also de niro took a career change and wasn't that bad at it

rob316

DeNiro is so bad with money that he has to constantly do these well paid fluff films unlike the carefully selected roles he played in his earlier years. You need to go back to 1997 to Jackie Brown to see his last good film. This is the man who starred in Godfather, Raging Bull, Deerhunter, Cape Fear, Taxi Driver, Once Upon a time in America, Untouchables, Goodfellas, Casino, Heat, King of Comedy. Just a fantastic actor

Funny you need to go back to 1997 to find Pacino, last decent role too, Donnie Brasco.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117961553#Comment_117961553

Johnny Boy made DeNiro famous for a reason and Charlie didn't do the same for Keitel. Johnny Boy is what people remembered about 'Mean Streets' because of DeNiro's explosive performance. Harvey Keitel's character was largely just an everyman with a dose of Catholic guilt.

Pesci, as Russell Bufalino, was probably the best character he's ever played, if only because it was slightly different than anything else he's ever done. But his Bufalino is just Tommy, Joey, Leo and Vinny grown up a little. He's a one trick pony for the most part, even if that pony is interesting to watch. I like Pesci, but he's a character actor. In fact the best bit of acting he's ever done was old man Bufalino in prison.

DeNiro's "career change" was down to him just phoning performances in because he found out that he could trade on his name and not have to put so much effort in in later years. But his choices have been curious to say the least. Even so, his best years were most definitely behind him by the time the mid 90's came around. His last truly great role was probably Neil McCauley in 'Heat'.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117962272#Comment_117962272

Whats de niros problem with money

Pacino had alcohol and drug issues,so explains some of it

Tony EH

Dunno. There was some malarkey about taxes a few years ago. But I couldn't tell any more.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117962575#Comment_117962575

A litany of terrible investments, maintaining a lifestyle for himself and is now ex wife, he cant afford. Owes the IRS millions

Do you see the level of work he is doing at his age? That's a man that has to work

off topic a bit but none of them can hold a candle to DDL

I wonder will he come out of retirement ever?

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117964793#Comment_117964793

Doesn't really seem like someone who would second guess any decision he makes. His selection process for doing a film is meticulous

growleaves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902996#Comment_117902996

Pesci did comedy well in My Cousin Vinny and in Goodfellas for that matter though the latter is dark comedy.

growleaves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117962799#Comment_117962799

Most of it muck but his cameos in David O. Russell's films are good.

bigar

De Niro definitely has the largest range of all four. He can do comedy (Midnight Run), action (Ronin), drama (Awakenings), crime (Goodfellas) even a musical (New York, New York).

As mentioned, all four gave a masterclass in acting in The Irishman, reminding us why they are in such high regard.

faceman

Ah some of the comments here are rookie at best :)

There are Al Pacinos - Pacino pre Revolution and Pacino post Sea of Love. Pre-Revolution Pacino was an acting god. Numerous classics. Post Sea of Love, he was shouty. Not all movies post Sea of Love were turkeys, some were great, but he had changed.

De Niro started taking any role to fund his other businesses decades ago. Sadly the turkeys he has been in have diluted his awe inspiring roles.

Pesci is great but gets typecast

Keitel just doesn't get enough roles but is great.

bodhrandude

What was that weird movie Keitel was in where he was wearing a red dress, strange movie I think Kate Winslet might have been in it too.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981890#Comment_117981890

Holy Smoke. Awful, awful film. If it weren't for the nudity, I would have switched it off after 10 mins. 😀

Hangdogroad

Keitel has been in a lot of under the radar or independent films over the years, very underrated actor. I think he got burned by Bernie Maddoff which is why you saw him doing those awful ads where he does a version of his character in Pulp Fiction.