I always believed, and still do to this day, that Robert De Niro still has a few great screen performances left in him. He showed shades of greatness as the obsessive-compulsive dad in "Silver Linings Playbook". That performance was the De Niro we knew as an actor, filling that role with layers of emotions and comedic insight. That film earned him the seventh Oscar nomination of his career. Safe for that David O. Russell film, what else has he done these last 15 years or so that would merit a mention?
Although I'm a diehard fan of his earlier work, and have been disheartened by the projects he's chosen the last two decades or so, that hasn't stopped me from following whatever projects he signs on to next because, well, I'm hopeful and know he still has it in him to deliver something special. Again, look what he did with "Silver Linings Playbook," such a comic, resonant and touching performance which earned him well-deserved praise.
The good news is that his next film will start shooting this spring and that it teams him up with Martin Scorsese, a director who has always brought out the best in De Niro ("Goodfellas," "Raging Bull," "Cape Fear," "The King of Comedy," "Mean Streets," and "Taxi Driver")
What has been your favorite post-2000 De Niro role?
These five come to mind for me: "Meet The Parents," "Silver Linings Playbook," "The Score," "Stone," and "Being Flynn." Yes, these performances show that De Niro can still care about his craft, but they all pale in comparison to his work from the '70s, '80s and '90s.