Robert De Niro: Top 5 Quotes

 

This week it was Robert De Niro’s 71st birthday, and as I was scrawling through Tumblr GIFs and YouTube clips of his most memorable quotes I was reminded of the astounding number of them, all encapsulating iconic characters and films created by the little genius. In this blog post I attempt to whittle these cinematic gems into a top 5, I know you will probably disagree with me, but hey, you think you could do better wise guy?

5. Raging Bull (1980) “Bodder me abott a steak? Huh?”

I remember when I first watched Raging Bull, I was struck by the gritty realness of the arguments (of which there are many!) which is something I hadn’t experienced much growing up watching the latest Tom Cruise Hollywood blockbusters. The scene where Irma under cooks the steak sticks in my mind, you can feel the adrenaline, anger and fear as if you were in the room with them.

4. Meet the Parents (2000) “I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?”

After watching a masterpiece such as Raging Bull you would never in a million years have imagined he would be asking Ben Stiller if he could milk him like a cat. This is why I love this quote so much, it epitomises his diversity and ability to switch to comedy without a flicker of doubt or insecurity as many other ‘proper’ actors might do.

3. Mean Streets (1973) “You too good for this ten dollars? It's a good ten dollars.”

This was the first collaboration between De Niro and Scorsese and it was a career changing performance which paved the way for roles in Godfather II and Taxi Driver. He plays Johnny Boy, an unpredictable troublemaker obsessed with money – and he doesn’t mind blagging to get it! His elaborate and whimsical tales of why he can’t pay back a loan shark comes to a head in this brilliant scene between Johnny Boy and said loan shark Michael.

2. Taxi Driver "You Talkin' To Me?"

I don’t trust anyone who claims they haven’t said this to themselves in the mirror, everybody has! This has to be the most iconic film & quote of De Niro’s, and it is executed perfectly. If you want proof of how well he acts this scene you only have to look at Mr 50 Cents attempt in Get Rich or Die Trying and compare.

1. Goodfellas (1990) “Look at me, never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.”

Yes, I am biased as this is probably one of my favourite films and characters of all time, but Jimmy Conway’s quotes are delivered sharper than Joe Pesci’s machete in the opening scene. Watch it here

Well there it is, my favourite De Niro quotes from his extensive repertoire so far, let's hope he will treat us to many more golden cinematic moments - i have my fingers crossed for Hands of Stone where De Niro plays the legendary boxing trainer Ray Arcel.

See the full blog post here

Top 5 Films starring Denzel Washington! Read all about them:

DENZEL WASHINGTON’S TOP 5 FILMS

With a seemingly effortless ability to bring to life totally unique characters time and time again, it is little wonder Denzel Washington has become one of the most celebrated actors in film today. With award season already in full swing, it is no surprise that his latest film, Paramount’s Flight, and his venture as Captain Whip Whitaker, is once again creating some serious buzz for him. So in honour of this, we have put together a list of Mr. Washington’s Top 5 Films. We just can’t get enough!

GLORY (1989)
Based on the personal letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, Glory dramatises the efforts of the 54th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry – the first African-American unit for the United States during the Civil War. Washington stars as Private Trip, an escaped slave who enjoys breaking the rules and pushing his fellow soldier’s buttons. Washington earned numerous awards for this role, including both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.


MALCOLM X (1992)
This American biographical film saw Washington take on the role of the eponymous character, famous African-American activist Malcolm X. The film charts key events of X’s life from his criminal activities through to his assassination in 1965. Washington’s portrayal was widely acclaimed, earning him both an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – again! The film was also entered into the United States National Film Registry in 2010 as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”; just another achievement Mr Washington can add to his collection!


AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007)
In this release, another biographical film; Washington stars alongside Russell Crowe as gangster, Frank Lucas. Telling the story of Lucas’ career in heading up a heroin smuggling operation into the US using American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, the film was both a critical and commercial hit. Washington was praised for his portrayal of drug lord Lucas, gaining numerous nominations, including a Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.


TRAINING DAY (2001)
In yet another brilliantly gripping film comes Training Day, in which Washington plays LAPD narcotics Detective Alonzo Harris. The film tracks Washington and co-star Ethan Hawke over a 24 hour period in the gang neighbourhoods of South Central, North Western, and Eastern areas of Los Angeles. Gritty and poignant, this film will have you on the edge of your seat throughout. And it is doubly famous for winning Washington the Academy Award for Best Actor, at the time making him only the second African-American Actor to have ever done so, the first being Sidney Poitier who also received an honorary Oscar that very same night!


FLIGHT (2013)
With his role as a pilot with addiction issues, Denzel continues on his course of playing gritty characters as Captain Whip Whittaker in Flight. When a routine flight takes a turn for the worse, Captain Whittaker must draw on his supreme talent to safely crash land the plane in order to save as many passengers as he can – a feat that no one else could have achieved. But things take a swift nosedive when the pilot is quickly thrust into the limelight and his whole life begins to unravel before him. Reaffirming his supreme acting talent, Washington has already been nominated for several awards, once again including a Golden Globe and Academy Award. We can’t wait to see where his career takes him next.


Catch Denzel reaching new heights in Flight, in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from February 1st 2013