by R.I. Ornelas

Created on: October 31, 2008

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are two of the best in the film industry. These two actors boast, for the most part, a successful film career. So who is the better of the two? It's a no brainer; De Niro is the greater actor. Yes, Pacino was grand in The Godfather (so was De Niro), in Carlito's Way and Scarface. The man does have his merits, but can he be successful portraying another type of character? Probably not. For Pacino it was hard to shake off the violent gangster stereotype after The Godfather films. In an ironic twist, he managed to starr in one of the best (The Godfather) and worst (Gigli) mobster films of all time. His performances, aside from Michael Corleone, Carlito Brigante, and Tony Montana are not that impressive.

What makes Robert De Niro the greater of the two? The man makes his characters believable, he steers his performances in the right direction. And he does this with such ease it's scary sometimes. Besides mobsters, he's also portrayed the concerned father in A Bronx Tale, a disillusioned taxi driver, abusive stepfather, US Navy diver, overprotective father of bride to be, deranged fan, a priest in Sleepers, well you get the picture. Unlike Pacino, he was able to shed the gangster stereotype throughout his film career. There's a difference between being commercial and being successful. Robert De Niro is obviously a great character actor. Watching him in "This Boy's Life" as such a bitter man, you felt the tension whenever he had one of his tantrums. His portrayal of a hateful stepfather and abusive husband was so full of rage, his character Dwight was right to assert in the end, "You'll remember me!"

And who can forget his performance in Taxi Driver as Vietnam vet Travis Bickle? You can sense the guy's aching inside, his pathetic existence becoming a greater burden as each day passes. The turmoil in his eyes lets you know the desperation he feels when he comes to the realization that he will forever be a nobody. De Niro knows his craft. It's no wonder he's worked with acclaimed director Martin Scorsese more than once.

His hilarious performances in Analyze This, Meet the Parents, and later in Meet the Fockers were a welcome surprise. He has this tough guy exterior and for him to put himself out there like that was comedic genius. He did not disappoint. Who would've known he had it in him if it weren't for these films. He was always taking on far more serious dramatic characters. To see that he could work on comedic roles just as well proves his acting range; at this point in his career though, he doesn't have to prove a thing to anyone.

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