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Actors & Their Niches 1: Robert De Niro – Cop/Gangster

Posted on September 5, 2012 Written by ripitup

robert de niro — Robert De Niro image via newspaper.li

Most actors hate being typecast. They try to take on diverse roles to both satisfy and challenge themselves, and also to show the movie goers that they are capable of pulling off different, difficult roles. But sometimes due to many reasons (money, luck, agent relations, great scripts that can’t be turned down, scripts that sound similar but have different edges…etc.), they end up playing in similar concepts, and/or movies that have similarities with the others.

While some of these choices don’t sit well with audiences or critics or both, several actors bring a unique feel to the screen and we can’t help but be happy that they were involved in these projects. This is an article series featuring actors’ and their “niches”, featuring an actors’ frequented role, premise and/or genre.

Granted, twice-Oscar winner Robert De Niro is the favorite of many directors and movie goers, but sometimes, it seems like he has played one of these two on the screen way too often:

COP

Freelancers – Robert is a new cop’s dead father’s old partner

Righteous Kill – He teams up with other cop Al Pacino to catch a murderer of murderers, who is possibly a cop.

15 Minutes – Cop (De Niro) works with Fire Marshal Burns to bring down a video-taping killer.

Copland – De Niro is an internal affairs officer

Flawless – Cop has to work alongside a drag queen for rehabilitation purposes.

Mad Dog and Glory -Police photographer appreciated by a mobster.

Showtime – Cop forced to work alongside an actor for a reality show.

City by the Sea – Cop with a son who has committed a crime.

GANGSTER/MOBSTER

The Godfather (2, 3)

Goodfellas

Analyze This – gangster who needs a shrink

Analyze That – sequel of analyze this

Casino – gangster

Once Upon a Time in America – gangster who returns home

The Untouchables – Al Capone

2 Outside of The Niche(s) Robert De Niro Movies

Stardust: (My ultimate favorite Robert De Niro performance and movie) You can’t beat a tough, scary captain of pirates who loves to cut hair and get dressed in pretty clothes when the crew isn’t looking…

Limitless: Writer (Bradley Cooper) finds a drug that makes him extra productive, but his new enhanced mind will also get him in some really big trouble.

With so little time, and so many movies, there are a few De Niro movies upcoming and old, that I want to catch, including The Big Wedding, The Last Tycoon and New York, New York.

What are your favorite gangster/cop/outside-of-niche De Niro movies?

Actors’ Pleasantly Surprising Roles feat. Robert De Niro & Mel Gibson

Posted on January 11, 2011 Written by ripitup

This is a sequel to the article Actors’ Pleasantly Surprising Roles feat. Russell Crowe, Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman.

Robert De Niro in Stardust

Robert De Niro is a terrific actor. Everyone knows it. But having been in the business for since the 60s, he has gotten to play a mobster, a psycho or a cop once too often. He does them all well but you start to think even he has fallen into a pattern. He is good but you think over the years, you know what to expect. You think he doesn’t have any surprises left. Great performances and good movies, yes. Surprises? Not so much. That’s until you see Stardust where he plays a masculine captain of a lightning catching ship. Nope, he hasn’t played that one before. But it is not just the occupation that’s unique but also the character. Masculine, tough and ruthless towards his men. Sweet, caring, homely to his guests. And totally feminine when left on his own. Amazing. Stardust is an overall great film experience but Robert’s character is by far the best in the movie. Hats off to De Niro. May he surprise and entertain us so much again.

Mel Gibson in What Women Want

Mel Gibson has played his first remarkable lead role in Mad Max, in 1979. Mad Max went to become a cult series. Now, he played a cop there. The story line is completely different in Lethal Weapon of course. But Lethal Weapon also became extremely popular and the 4^th movie was made. His character’s occupation? Also a cop. Again the genre and the plot is different but he was a cop in his 2010 movie Edge of Darkness. It is not to say he didn’t play an ex-criminal in FBI’S Witness Protection Program (Bird on a Wire), a drug dealer trying to leave his business (Tequila Sunrise) or a man with a low IQ (Tim). He is also no stranger to comedy but…let’s face it we have never seen him like we did in What Women Want where he plays a hotshot advertising executive who is well, a man’s man and a woman’s dream…unless you are working with him or well you are his daughter or if you are trying to be in a relationship with him. But then something really weird happens. You can check out the plot here. Here I will talk about what his new creative director tells him to do. He needs to come up with advertising ideas for feminine products such as tampons, make-up stuff, pantyhose and well… waxing equipment. Since his imagination doesn’t take him anywhere, he decides to try these stuff… This actor tried anything from a kilt to a western outfit.

The movie is one hell of a romantic comedy that doesn’t get romantic for a while. And yes, I believe you have never seen him in a bra and wearing mascara before this flick.

Stone starring Edward Norton, Robert De Niro, Milla Jovovich & Frances Conroy

Posted on January 6, 2011 Written by ripitup

Stone starring Edward Norton, Robert De Niro, Milla Jovovich & Frances Conroy

Whoa. I just watched Stone and I feel a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. Stone ended up being one of the worst disappointments ever.

I admit I had high expectations. Although I didn’t expect an original plot, I wanted interesting characters, a good direction (John Curran was directing) and a flowing story. I got none.

Here’s what happens in the film:

Stone (Edward Norton) is a convict, serving time for arson. He has to persuade the seasoned parole officer Jack (Robert De Niro) that he deserves early freedom. But he believes that it will be easier if his gorgeous wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) seduces Jack as well.

At first Jack is wary and unresponsive to Lucetta, but it doesn’t take that long for her to get him to have sex with her. But with two people as unstable as Lucetta and Stone, can Jack prevent his wife (Frances Conroy) from finding out?

Ok, the plot did seem entirely predictable before watching but I was relying on the director John Curran to make it worth. After all, he and Edward Norton gave us the wonderful The Painted Veil. But while not being as predictable as anticipated, Stone doesn’t deserve the label thriller at all. Yes, it is drama but I am not sure it even deserves that title. After all dramas are supposed to give you at least one character worth worrying about? Worth caring for?

Jack lives with his depressed, over-religious wife. But he alone is the one to blame for such a soulless existence. He treated his wife like she wasn’t even there over 4 decades ago and when she wanted to leave, he almost threw their kid out of the window. No, this really happened. He literally took his own child from the bed and threatened to throw her out! His wife freaked and stayed. And that scene was the only interesting scene of the movie.

Milla Jovovich plays Stone’s sex-crazed wife who seems to be mad about her husband- so mad in fact that she would seduce the much older Stone. But even before Stone, she gets to f*** some guy out of the blue. And in the daytime, she is a school teacher, teaching young children. Ouch.

And Stone sounds like stoned through the whole movie. Yes, Edward creatively invents a character but his rants grow old and boring pretty quickly.

The movie is soulless and well, I mostly blame it on the writer Angus MacLachlan.

Frankly, there are tens of other Norton and De Niro movies you should watch before you should waste time on this one. And hey, if you are in the mood for Norton’s weird rants, and all the weird religious talk on the radio…

Currently, at 6.0 on IMDB, it is annoyingly overrated. And this is coming from a major Norton fan.

Also on Edward Norton

Edward Norton Trivia

Leaves of Grass

Kingdom of Heaven

Down in the Valley

25th Hour

Fight Club

The Illusionist

The Painted Veil

American History X

Primal Fear

The Incredible Hulk

Pride and Glory

Also on Robert De Niro

Coming Soon: Limitless starring Bradley Cooper & Robert De Niro

City by the Sea starring Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco

Stardust, The Air I Breathe, Playing by Heart, The Good Shepherd, Hairspray & He’s Just Not That Into You: 6 Good Movies with Brilliant Casts

20 Reasons to Love Stardust- feat. Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro & Charlie Cox

Also on Milla Jovovich

A Perfect Getaway starring Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn & Milla Jovovich

Limitless starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel & Robert De Niro

Posted on December 25, 2010 Written by ripitup

Limitless starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel & Robert De Niro. Image via screenrant.com

Plot

Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is your average, messy and not-so-lucrative writer – until he starts taking a pill. This pill gives him the chance to become the best version of himself – he becomes ultra productive, stylish, attractive, smart and successful.

But of course things can’t go on so well forever and soon Eddie is the target of hitmen and he also has to deal with drawbacks such as short-term memory loss.

Reasons to see it

I love a good thriller and I really liked the story idea. It is based Alan Glynn’s 2002 book The Dark Fields

It was adapted to screen by Lexie Dixon- who has written some of my favorite movies – The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 version starring Pierce Brosnan), Hairspray (2007 version with John Travolta), Pay It Forward (a lovely Kevin Spacey effort that features Jon Bon Jovi as a violent husband), Just Like Heaven (starring Mark Ruffalo & Reese Witherspoon)….I just realized I have seen a lot of her work – she should get her own individual post.

The Cast.

I am a writer so I am just drawn to stories about writers. The part in the trailer where he finishes a novel in 4 days….Ah, the dream…

The Director: Neil Burger. He directed the lovely drama The Lucky Ones starring Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams, as well as one of my favorite Edward Norton movies- The Illusionist.

After seeing the movie: LOVED IT!

Before deciding whether you’ll like this movie or not, just remember:

1) I am a writer. So:

2) I wish I had a magic pill that would make me smarter, more productive and creator so that I could do everything I wanted to do with my writing and my life. I also wouldn’t mind the extra shot of skills that would make me richer. Yes, it is a fantasy and I’d never take a drug to accomplish this. But I joined Limitless for the ride, and lived the fantasy (and the nightmare), without suffering any side effects myself.

3) I’d have loved to have written a story like Limitless.

4) I like Bradley Cooper.

5) Robert De Niro’s name does make me want to check out the movie.

6) I think Abbie Cornish is my generation’s Charlize Theron.

7) I love entertaining thrillers!

8) I expected to have fun watching this movie, and I had a blast. Will watch it again.

Final notes:

Entertainment Value: 9/10.

The Ending: 10/10.

IMDB User Rating: 7.3/10.

Give it a shot!

The Trailer