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Robert De Niro vs. Al Pacino

This week, acting legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino square off in the cop thriller Righteous Kill. It's the third time they've shared a credit, although in The Godfather Part II they were never on screen at the same time (De Niro played Don Vito, Michael's father, in flashbacks), and in Heat, their characters only met once, in the famous coffeeshop scene.

Sadly, Righteous Kill is no Heat. Not by a long chalk. They play veteran NYPD homicide detectives, Turk and Rooster, devoted partners whose trust is undermined when the evidence suggests the serial killer they're after may be a psychopathic vigilante cop.

They may be slumming, but at least this gives us an excuse to consider the extraordinary careers of two powerhouse acting talents, born just three years apart in New York City. They were propelled to stardom as they reached their 30s through the impact of The Godfather and (in De Niro's case) The Godfather Part II and became key players in the Hollywood Renaissance of the 1970s. In the period 1972 to 1980 they racked up nine Oscar nominations between them (surprisingly, they only have one Best Actor win apiece).

Heat Of the two, Pacino is the more theatrical actor, an exhibitionist who struts and frets and revels in the power of his voice (he loves to shout!). Unlike De Niro, he's also appeared regularly on stage, performing the works of Shakespeare, David Mamet and Brecht to great acclaim.

De Niro, on the other hand, has proved more versatile, capable of playing braggarts and showboats, psychopaths, charismatic loners, and grey introverts. Although many critics would say his acting peaked with his portrait of Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (a role involving a complete physical transformation), De Niro evidently sensed the direction Hollywood was heading in the more conservative Reagan era, and established himself as a commercial leading man in mainstream films.

The Godfather As a result, he's made more than 70 movies, nearly twice as many as Pacino. If many of them have been forgettable at least this career has allowed him to range freely into comedy, horror, romance, and even children's films, as well as the dramatic and suspense roles for which both are best known.

It may be that we've seen the best of these great talents, but they can still raise their game when they're inspired to do so (who knew De Niro could direct a film of the ambition and complexity of The Good Shepherd?). De Niro hopes to make another movie with Michael Mann next year, and Pacino is playing Salvador Dali for writer-director Andrew Niccol, a project that could bring out the best – and the worst – in this formidable talent.

Tom Charity
tomcharity@lovefilm.com

Clash of the Titans

Al Pacino

Born: 25 April, 1940, New York, New York
Height: 5’7 (in high heels)
Heritage: Italian American

Oscar wins: 1

1. Best Actor: Scent of a Woman (1992)

Oscar Nominations: 7

Best Actor: And Justice for All (1979); Dog Day Afternoon (1975); The Godfather Part II (1974); Serpico (1973).

Supporting Actor: Glengarry Glen Ross (1992); Dick Tracy (1990); The Godfather (1972).

Gangsters:

Strictly business Michael Corleone, The Godfather Trilogy; snarling Cuban coke-fiend Tony Montana, Scarface (1983); larger than life Big Boy Caprice, Dick Tracy (1990); debonair Carlito Brigante, Carlito's Way (1993); sentimental Lefty Ruggiero, Donnie Brasco (1997).

Cops:

Honest Frank Serpico, Serpico (1973); undercover Steve Burns, Cruising (1980); randy Frank Keller, Sea Of Love (1989); dedicated Vincent Hanna, Heat (1995); tired Will Dormer, Insomnia (2002).

Comedy:

With a handful of exceptions (And Justice for All) pacino has done few out and out comedies but there is almost always a playful twinkle in his eye. See his devilish John Milton in The Devil's Advocate (1997).

Romance:

Not a lot, but pacino and Ellen Barkin smoked in Sea of Love (1989) and Michelle Pfeiffer fell for his charms in Frankie And Johnny (1991). pacino robbed a bank for his lover (Chris Sarandon) in Dog Day Afternoon.

Flops:

Revolution (1985); Gigli (2003); Two for the Money (2005).

Key collaborators:

Brian De Palma (Scarface, Carlito's Way); Michael Man (Heat; The Insider); Sidney Lumet (Serpico; Dog Day Afternoon).

Most underrated performance:

pacino won an Oscar for hamming it up in Scent of a Woman, but he deserved one for his subtle, sympathetic mobster in Donnie Brasco. He wasn't even nominated.

Directing duties:

Looking for Richard (1996); Chinese Coffee (2000).

Cultural cache:

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon do their best pacino impersonations at the end of A Cock and Bull Story. Brandon Jackson plays rapper Alpa Chino in Tropic Thunder, and Peter Richardson played pacino playing Arthur Scargill in The Comic Strip Presents… The Strike (1988).

Robert Deniro

Born: 17 August, 1943, New York, New York
Height: 5’9
Heritage: Italian, Irish, French German, Dutch-American

Oscar wins: 2

Best Actor: Raging Bull (1980).

Supporting Actor: The Godfather Part II (1974)

Oscar Nominations: 4

Best Actor: Cape Fear (1991); Awakenings (1991); The Deer Hunter (1978); Taxi Driver (1976)

Gangsters:

Glue sniffing Lloyd Barker in Bloody Mama (1970); loose cannon Johnny Boy in Mean Streets (1973); the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II; loyal Noodles Aaronson in Once Upon a Time in America (1983); angry Al Capone in The Untouchables (1987); disloyal Jimmy Conway in GoodFellas (1990); snappy Ace Rothstein in Casino (1995); professional Neil McCauley in Heat; anxious Paul Vitti in Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002).

Cops:

Not many until recently… Shy Wayne “Mad Dog” Dobie in Mad Dog and Glory (1993); Lt Moe Tilden in Cop Land (1997); then 15 Minutes (2001); Showtime (2002); City by the Sea (2002).

Comedy:

De Niro's comic styling is broad, but it can be very effective, in Brazil (1985); Midnight Run (1988); playing dumb in Jackie Brown (1997); terrorizing son-in-law Ben Stiller in Meet The Parents and Meet the Fockers (2000, 2004) and hiding something in Stardust (2007).

Romance:

Although he romanced Liza Minnelli in New York New York (1977), Meryl Streep in Falling in Love (1984) and Jane Fonda in Stanley and Iris (1990), De Niro's strongest connection has generally been with other men, in The Deer Hunter and Once Upon a Time in America, for example.

Flops:

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2005); Flawless (1999); Once Upon a Time in America.

Key collaborators:

Martin Scorsese (eight films); Joe Pesci (five films).

Most underrated performance:

De Niro was flattered to receive back to back Oscar nominations for Awakenings and Cape Fear (both 1991) but was ignored for two of his finest performances, Heat and Casino (both 1995).