Ten best Robert DeNiro films

On the occasion of his 70th birthday I've put together a list of what I consider to be the iconic actor's 10 best films. It should be no surprise that most of these come from the first 25 years of his career, before he began to see films mostly as a way to raise captial to invest in Manhattan real estate. In spite of the fact that all the films on this list were released in the previous century the man himself is still here and working furiously and who knows? He might pull one more rabbit out of his hat before he throws in the towel.

1) Raging Bull - 1980 - A frightening, brutal, thrilling portrayal of a life lived in blood.

2) The Godfather Part II - 1974 - Picked up the baton from Brando and nearly matched him stride for stride.

3) The King of Comedy - 1982 - Just f***ing creepy.

4) Heat - 1995 - In spite of having to play off the woefully miscast Amy Brenneman De Niro manages to bring weight and pathos to the role of a big-time thief trying desperately to get out before time overtakes him.

5) Taxi Driver - 1976 - You lookin' at me?

6) Meet The Parents - 2000 - Not just one of De Niro's best but one of the best adult comedies of the past 20 years.

7) Analyze This - 1999 - In which he found the perfect comedic fodder in his own career and the perfect comedic foil in Billy Crystal.

8) Goodfellas - 1990 - De Niro captures the desperate edge of an outsider navigating his way through the belly of the mob beast.

9) Ronin - 1998 - In this much overlooked effort De Niro turns what could have been a paycheck film into a mid-career highlight. One of the few films he carries by strength of presence rather than quality of performance.

10) Brazil - 1985 - An unexpected bit part in this darkest of comedies pointed the way to a future 2-track career, though no one could have guessed it at the time.

That's it. My list of Robert De Niro's 10 best. Happy Birthday Mr D!