Robert DeNiro vs Al Pacino

[DACrowe]

DeNiro....easy. He has more range, has done more complicated work and save for the Focker movies hasn't spent the last 20 years doing a parody of himself (ever since Scarface, with a few notable exceptions, Pacino has played himself chewing the scenery in every fil msince)..

You watch DeNiro in:

Mean Streets
The Godfather Part II (also Pacino's best work)
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas
Cape Fear
The Untouchables
Focker comedy

etc. you see a man who is more talented than almost any actor ever who transforms his personality and his physical appearence from role to role and brings every film he is in an artistry that is surpisingly above anything before it.

Pacino did some great work early on withi Dog Day Afternoon, the first two Godfathers and his gloriously campy performance in Scarface. But since then with a few notable exceptions (Heat, Donnie Brasco, Scent of a Woman) he has played the same role again and again. And that is the role of Al Pacino hamming it up and screaming at the top of his lungs.

DeNiro is more nuanced and talented. There is no contest, really.

 

[L0ngsh0t]

DeNiro....easy. He has more range, has done more complicated work and save for the Focker movies hasn't spent the last 20 years doing a parody of himself (ever since Scarface, with a few notable exceptions, Pacino has played himself chewing the scenery in every fil msince)..

You watch DeNiro in:

Mean Streets
The Godfather Part II (also Pacino's best work)
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas
Cape Fear
The Untouchables
Focker comedy

etc. you see a man who is more talented than almost any actor ever who transforms his personality and his physical appearence from role to role and brings every film he is in an artistry that is surpisingly above anything before it.

Pacino did some great work early on withi Dog Day Afternoon, the first two Godfathers and his gloriously campy performance in Scarface. But since then with a few notable exceptions (Heat, Donnie Brasco, Scent of a Woman) he has played the same role again and again. And that is the role of Al Pacino hamming it up and screaming at the top of his lungs.

DeNiro is more nuanced and talented. There is no contest, really.

You can spit out the same stellar filmog as Pacino, no I think Deniro is one of the 20 best acotrs who has ever lived...but so is Pacino, both are unrealistically good. And no matter who you choose you are wrong

 

[Poetic Chaos]

As long as we can agree Tom Hanks is better than both, it's all good.

 

[Warhammer]

^No more comparisons.

 

[Gonking]

Is difficult for Robert De Niro to compite with Al Pacino's performance in Scent of a Woman

 

[L0ngsh0t]

Is difficult for Robert De Niro to compite with Al Pacino's performance in Scent of a Woman

Yeah but it is tough For Pacino to compare to Deniros Don Vito, the man did it all in italian. But this is my point exactly, both have had some of the greatest performances ever, and to choose one is better then the other would be an injustice to whom ever loses

 

[livrule]

For the Deer Hunter alone De Niro walks this.

 

[FaT_tONle]

Pacino... not even close

 

[Shuley]

The thing about Pacino is that his earlier stuff is much better Godfather 2,Dog Day Afternoon ect... Now he plays everything over the top,Deniro has always played it low-key which I like.

 

[BatmanBale]

I like both actors but I choose Al Pacino.

 

[Trooper]

great discussion t:

 

[Gonking]

Yeah but it is tough For Pacino to compare to Deniros Don Vito, the man did it all in italian. But this is my point exactly, both have had some of the greatest performances ever, and to choose one is better then the other would be an injustice to whom ever loses

I loved De Niro's performance in Taxi Driver.

 

[pyromaniac]

Great poll actually, when you think about it.

Both are in the same league and invoke similiar declarations of praise and awe.

In the end, I think one has to look at weaknesses, if any and however few, that bring their acting calibre down a slight notch.

Though I probably have seen more DeNiro movies, I find I might prefer Al because the last few movies has seen the former playing a cop or variant of a man upholding the law and while yes, his characters are more variegated even in the guise of a similiar job description, I feel he needs to branch out a bit in today's movies.

OT: Trooper, love the avatar. Been looking for a still of that one, be it wallpaper and/or video format but I couldn't find it anywhere. Well, not much further than what I'd attempted to do in the first place.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

As long as we can agree Tom Hanks is better than both, it's all good.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Maybe in his dreams he is.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Maybe in his dreams he is.

The dream was called Cast Away.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

The dream was called Cast Away.

Aw man, we both know that is not even close to the performances in Raging Bull and Dog Day Afternoon.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

Aw man, we both know that is not even close to the performances in Raging Bull and Dog Day Afternoon.

I just can't agree to that. I rank it as Hanks' top performance and would confidently put it against ANY actors peek performances.