The Alto Knights is the latest in a long line of gangster movies starring the great Robert De Niro, and his efforts in this well-worn genre have ranged from forgettable duds to all-time masterpieces. Throughout De Niro’s storied career, he’s appeared in a wide variety of genres. He’s been in great comedies like Meet the Parents, great war movies like The Deer Hunter, and great action movies like Midnight Run.
- Will There Be KBC Season 16? When Will KBC Start in 2024?
- Is Nicole Briscoe Pregnant? Check Her Age, Husband, Salary and More
- Who are Kurt Browning Parents? Meet Dewey Arnold Browning And Neva Browning
- Drowning Love Ending Explained, Plot, Cast and More
- Who are Lin Manuel Miranda Parents? Meet Luis Antonio Miranda Jr. and Luz Towns Miranda
But the genre that De Niro is most associated with is crime. He’s been in crime movies that have nothing to do with the mafia, like Jackie Brown and American Hustle. But since he’s an Italian-American A-lister and a frequent collaborator of Martin Scorsese, he’s often cast as mobsters, resulting in both timeless gems like The Godfather Part II and bitter disappointments like Analyze That.
You are watching: Every Robert De Niro Gangster Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
13
The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight
Comedic Crime Chaos
Like
Follow
Followed
The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight
PG-13
Comedy
Crime
10/10
Release Date
December 22, 1971
Runtime
96 minutes
Director
James Goldstone
Writers
Waldo Salt
Producers
Irwin Winkler
Cast
See All
-
Jerry Orbach
Kid Sally
-
Leigh Taylor-Young
Angela
The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight is a 1971 crime comedy following a Brooklyn mobster and his incompetent gang as they bumble through their attempts to eliminate their rivals.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
De Niro scored one of his earliest lead roles in the gangster comedy The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. The movie attempts to tell the life story of mobster Joe Gallo as an absurdist comedy, but James Goldstone’s direction is too heavy-handed for the humor to land. The performances are too broad and the gags are overplayed.
12
Analyze That
Therapy and Turf Wars
Analyze That
R
Comedy
Crime
Release Date
December 6, 2002
Runtime
96 minutes
Director
Harold Ramis
Writers
Kenneth Lonergan, Peter Tolan, Peter Steinfeld, Harold Ramis
Cast
-
Robert De Niro
-
Billy Crystal
-
Lisa Kudrow
-
Joe Viterelli
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
Sequels to classic comedies rarely live up to their predecessors, because a joke is never as funny the second time, and that’s the case with Analyze That. Analyze That continues mob boss Paul Vitti’s psychiatric treatment by Dr. Ben Sobel, but there wasn’t much comedic mileage left in that one-joke premise. De Niro’s chemistry with Billy Crystal is just as great the second time around, but there are far fewer laughs.
11
Mad Dog And Glory
Romantic Mob Entanglements
Like
Follow
Followed
Mad Dog and Glory
R
Comedy
Crime
Romance
Drama
Release Date
March 5, 1993
Runtime
96 minutes
Director
John McNaughton
Producers
Barbara De Fina, Martin Scorsese
Cast
See All
-
Robert De Niro
Wayne “Mad Dog” Dobie
-
Uma Thurman
Glory
-
Bill Murray
Frank Milo
-
David Caruso
Mike
Mad Dog and Glory is a 1993 film that follows Wayne Dobie, a reserved police officer nicknamed “Mad Dog,” who rescues crime boss Frank Milo. In gratitude, Milo offers him a week with Glory, a waitress. Despite initial discomfort, Wayne and Glory develop feelings for each other, leading to complications.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
De Niro’s unlikely team-up with Bill Murray in Mad Dog and Glory is marked by casting against type. De Niro plays the timid Chicago detective who’s never drawn his gun, while Murray plays the notorious local gangster.
Related
Robert De Niro’s New Mafia Movie Has Critics & Audiences Divided On Rotten Tomatoes
Robert De Niro’s new Mafia movie is dividing critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes following its theatrical release this past weekend.
Posts
1
When the detective unwittingly saves the gangster’s life, the gangster offers the detective the “personal services” of his moll, played by Uma Thurman, as an unconventional thank-you gift. Mad Dog and Glory works surprisingly well as an oddball romcom, even if the casting isn’t always convincing.
10
The Alto Knights
Upcoming Period Crime Drama
Like
Follow
Followed
The Alto Knights
R
Crime
Drama
5/10
Release Date
April 21, 2025
Runtime
120 Minutes
Director
Barry Levinson
Writers
Nicholas Pileggi
Producers
Irwin Winkler, Jason Sosnoff, Charles Winkler, David Winkler, Mike Drake, Barry Levinson
Cast
See All
-
Robert De Niro
Vito Genovese / Frank Costello
-
Debra Messing
See more : 10 Superhero Movie Flops That Should Have Been Hits
Bobbie Costello
The Alto Knights depicts the rivalry between two infamous New York crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. Formerly close allies, their friendship unravels due to jealousy and betrayal, igniting a violent power struggle. Their conflict not only alters the dynamics of the Mafia but also leaves a lasting impact on American history at large.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
De Niro’s latest gangster vehicle, The Alto Knights, casts him in two roles as rival mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. Although there’s no dramatic reason for De Niro to play both parts, he nails these two characters — especially Vito, who De Niro plays as a hot-tempered Junior Soprano-esque curmudgeon.
Still, as far as Scorsese imitators go, it’s a very entertaining little gangster movie.
The Alto Knights is essentially Scorsese-lite, borrowing all the stylistic hallmarks of Scorsese’s crime films without replicating the depth or raw honesty. Still, as far as Scorsese imitators go, it’s a very entertaining little gangster movie.
9
Analyze This
Psychological Mob Comedy
The sequel may have been a bridge too far, but Analyze This still holds up as a comedy classic. De Niro and Crystal share a hilarious on-screen dynamic as a ruthless mafioso and his put-upon therapist. The script is full of great gags, courtesy of Ghostbusters’ Harold Ramis, but the character work is surprisingly strong, too, thanks to the contributions of legendary playwright Kenneth Lonergan. Analyze This is a prime example of a comedy that fulfills the potential of its juicy high-concept premise.
8
The Untouchables
Prohibition Era Showdown
Like
Follow
Followed
The Untouchables
R
Crime
History
Thriller
9.3/10
Release Date
June 3, 1987
Runtime
1h 59m
Director
Brian De Palma
Writers
David Mamet
Cast
See All
-
Kevin Costner
-
Sean Connery
The Untouchables, directed by Brian De Palma, is a crime drama set during Prohibition-era Chicago. The film stars Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness, a federal agent determined to bring down the notorious gangster Al Capone, portrayed by Robert De Niro. Alongside Sean Connery as seasoned officer Jim Malone, Ness forms an elite team to combat organized crime, focusing on the legal strategy to dismantle Capone’s empire.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
Long after he got his start in Brian De Palma’s early experimental comedies, De Niro reunited with the director to play Al Capone to Kevin Costner’s Eliot Ness in the crime epic The Untouchables. De Palma’s dramatization of the story deviates wildly from the real events, but it delivers some of the genre’s most iconic moments, like Capone savagely beating a lieutenant with a baseball bat. The Untouchables might not be the most accurate gangster movie of De Niro’s career, but it’s one of the most thrilling.
7
Mean Streets
Early Urban Grit
Like
Follow
Followed
Mean Streets
R
Crime
Drama
Thriller
7.7/10
Release Date
October 14, 1973
Runtime
112 Minutes
Director
Martin Scorsese
Writers
Martin Scorsese, Mardik Martin
Cast
See All
-
Robert De Niro
-
Harvey Keitel
Mean Streets is a crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese, following the lives of small-time criminals in New York City’s Little Italy. Starring Harvey Keitel as Charlie and Robert De Niro as the reckless Johnny Boy, the film explores themes of guilt, redemption, and the harsh realities of street life. Mean Streets is noted for its gritty portrayal of urban corruption and the dilemmas faced by those entangled in it.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
De Niro’s first of many collaborations with Martin Scorsese, Mean Streets, is a character-driven two-hander about a young mafioso named Charlie, played by Harvey Keitel, trying to keep his reckless friend Johnny Boy under control in Little Italy.
De Niro turns in a gleefully sadistic performance as Johnny Boy, stealing every scene he’s in, and Keitel is a great deadpan foil. Scorsese and De Niro’s later gangster movies would get much leaner and more ambitious, but Mean Streets perfectly introduced their uniquely authentic take on the genre.
6
A Bronx Tale
Neighborhood Loyalty and Lessons
Like
Follow
Followed
A Bronx Tale
R
Crime
Drama
10/10
Release Date
October 1, 1993
Runtime
121 Minutes
Director
Robert De Niro
Writers
Chazz Palminteri
Cast
See All
-
Robert De Niro
-
Chazz Palminteri
A Bronx Tale is a coming-of-age drama set in the 1960s Bronx and directed by Robert De Niro. The film explores the life of a young boy named Calogero who is torn between the values of his hardworking father and the allure of a charismatic mob boss. Starring Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri, it delves into themes of loyalty, family, and the complexities of moral choices.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
De Niro’s directorial debut, A Bronx Tale, is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story about a young Italian-American man torn between the working-class values of his father and the glamorous lifestyle of a mob boss who takes him under his wing. In the director’s chair, De Niro manages to evoke a wide range of emotions; it has funny moments, heartbreaking moments, and rage-inducing moments. Chazz Palminteri’s semi-autobiographical script, based on his own one-man show, makes A Bronx Tale much more personal than the average gangster movie.
5
Casino
Vegas Vice and Violence
Like
Follow
Followed
Casino
R
Biography
Crime
Drama
8/10
Release Date
November 22, 1995
Runtime
178 minutes
Director
Martin Scorsese
Writers
Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese
Cast
See All
-
Robert De Niro
-
Sharon Stone
Casino is a 1995 crime drama starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, and James Woods. The film is based on the book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi and centers on Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein (De Niro), who is asked to run the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
Casino loses some points for being a stylistic rehash of Goodfellas, copying its cinematic approach to lesser effect. But it’s still a spectacular crime epic in its own right.
De Niro’s fraught on-screen dynamic with a career-best Sharon Stone is the highlight of the movie.
This one takes Scorsese to Las Vegas to examine the illicit ins and outs of the gambling industry, which he uses to tell another cautionary tale of a gangster’s rise and fall in organized crime. De Niro’s fraught on-screen dynamic with a career-best Sharon Stone is the highlight of the movie.
4
Once Upon A Time In America
Epic Gangster Saga
Like
Follow
Followed
Once Upon a Time in America
r
Crime
Drama
9.5/10
Release Date
June 1, 1984
Runtime
229 Minutes
Director
Sergio Leone
Writers
Harry Grey, Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Stuart Kaminsky, Sergio Leone
Cast
See All
-
Robert De Niro
-
James Woods
Once Upon a Time in America tells the story of a group of Jewish gangsters in New York City over several decades, from their youth in the 1920s to their final days in the 1960s. Robert De Niro and James Woods star in the 1984 crime drama directed by Sergio Leone.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
Spaghetti western pioneer Sergio Leone finally managed to realize his long-gestating passion project as his final film. Once Upon a Time in America chronicles the lives of two Jewish gangsters, played by De Niro and James Woods, as they rise through New York’s criminal underworld. Clocking in at nearly four hours, Once Upon a Time in America isn’t as tight as Leone’s previous films — there are plenty of flaws in its disjointed pacing and unfocused narrative — but it’s an impressive artistic achievement nonetheless.
3
The Irishman
Late-Career Reflection
Like
Follow
Followed
The Irishman
R
Biography
Drama
Crime
9/10
7.9/10
Release Date
November 27, 2019
Runtime
210 minutes
Director
Martin Scorsese
Writers
Steven Zaillian
Cast
See All
-
Bobby Cannavale
-
Jack Huston
Based on the nonfiction book “I Heard You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt, The Irishman follows Frank Sheeran and his time working for the Italian mafia. In recounting his past, the mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
Scorsese and De Niro’s gangster movies are all cautionary tales warning viewers against a life of crime, but this thesis reached its apex in The Irishman. Every new character is introduced beside their grim cause of death.
De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, a mob hitman who claimed to have killed union boss Jimmy Hoffa.
Whether that’s true or not, the movie uses it as a springboard to explore the guilt of an aging gangster. The Irishman is much longer, slower, and more somber than Goodfellas, but that’s by design; it’s a meditation on the misery that awaits all career criminals.
2
The Godfather Part II
Expanding the Corleone Legacy
Like
Follow
Followed
The Godfather Part II
r
Crime
Drama
10/10
28
8.9/10
Release Date
December 20, 1974
Runtime
202minutes
Director
Francis Ford Coppola
Writers
Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino
Prequel(s)
The Godfather
Cast
See All
-
Al Pacino
-
Robert De Niro
Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather II continues Michael Corleone’s story as he expands the Corleones’ presence as a crime syndicate. The film is also half devoted to the backstory of Vito Corleone, following his rise to power in 1920s New York City. While The Godfather is considered one of the greatest movies ever made, The Godfather Part II was able to live up to the original and secure six Oscars at the 1975 Academy Awards.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
De Niro inherited the role of Vito Corleone from Marlon Brando in The Godfather Part II. Michael’s moral downfall in the sequel storyline is masterfully contrasted with his father’s rise to power in a prequel storyline.
The Godfather Part II is the go-to example of a superior sequel for a reason. It takes the first film’s grand scale even further, explores its poignant themes of morality even deeper, and uses Vito’s origin story to expand on the original movie’s depiction of the dark side of the American Dream.
1
Goodfellas
Iconic Mob Chronicle
Like
Follow
Followed
Goodfellas
R
Drama
Crime
10/10
26
8.9/10
Release Date
September 19, 1990
Runtime
145 minutes
Director
Martin Scorsese
Writers
Martin Scorsese, Nicholas Pileggi
Producers
Barbara De Fina
Cast
See All
-
Ray Liotta
Henry Hill
-
Robert De Niro
James Conway
GoodFellas chronicles the life of Henry Hill, a young Brooklynite with half-Irish, half-Sicilian heritage, as he rises through the ranks of a Mafia family. As he navigates the criminal underworld, he is mentored by seasoned gangster Jimmy Conway amidst the backdrop of organized crime in New York.
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
The Godfather Part II comes very close, but Robert De Niro’s greatest gangster movie, and maybe the greatest gangster movie ever made, is Goodfellas. The manic energy of Scorsese’s direction — the freeze frames, the voiceover narration, the zippy editing, the ever-changing soundtrack, the dizzying camera movements — perfectly captures the delirious whirlwind of life in the mafia. De Niro’s Jimmy Conway isn’t the lead character, but he has some of De Niro’s finest acting moments, like when he kicks over a phone booth out of grief, or the giddy glint of murderousness in his eye when he decides to kill Morrie.
Robert De Niro
Birthdate
August 17, 1943
Birthplace
Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, USA
Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment