Al Pacino Vs Robert De Niro

[AngelEyes]

Today on AMC they aired the Godfather trilogy. The trilogy is centered around Michael (Al Pacino) and De Niro is also brilliant in the second one as young Vito. I don't know if I've ever seen a better more electric performance than the one Pacino gave in part II. If I were to compare their careers I think I might appreciate De Niro's a bit more however. Who do you think is the better actor and which has had the better career?

[macmac]

Young Deniro is one of the GOATs, I gotta side with him.

Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Brazil, Raging Bull, nuff said

[1987_Lakers]

DeNiro had a more consistent career, but I think Pacino is the better actor, he just catches my attention more. Such a shame we never saw Pacino & Scorsese work together.

Pacino's performance in Dog Day Afternoon is my favorite, he was amazing in that film.

[SAKOTXA]

Young Deniro is one of the GOATs, I gotta side with him.

Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Brazil, Raging Bull, nuff said
De Niro was an early riser, his career went downhill once he started acting in the Fockers or whatever, lol. Al Pacino, to this day is a living legend.

I was a background actor in Ocean's Thirteen back in 05-06 and got to see Al Pacino live for a bit. The guy has that Michael Jordan type assholness to him. Didn't talk to anybody, only concentrated on his role and his role only. I still love the guy, though. :bowdown:

[TheeBeast]

Robert De Niro was in more great movies, but Paccino as an actor is my personal favorite.

Robert De Niro is better as supporting actor, but Paccino easily has more movies with the leading role. That being said, you could say that De Niro's movies have been so great because he was directed by the GOAT Martin Scorsese and mostly gangster films, while Paccino made has more variety to choose form- films in different taste/genre, with different directors.

[Patrick Chewing]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-nmpEaAYNWA/Sejug_OkllI/AAAAAAAABcM/3qekM8R-0Ng/s400/Carlitos-Way_l.jpg

[LBJ 23]

Huh, tough call, but I'm picking Al Pacino just because of this speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKAxnB6Ap4o

[JohnnySic]

I prefer Deniro's understated style to Pacino's flamboyant, over-acting.

[lakers_forever]

There's no wrong answer here. Both are incredible and among the very best ever with Brando (DDL to join soon). Personally, I prefer Pacino.

His prime was amazing: :bowdown:

The Godfather (1972) - Nominated

[Bucket_Nakedz]

both are overrated. harvey keitel >

[TheMan]

I love em both but I gotta go with Bobby, he's been on some of my all time fave movies like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Deer Hunter, King of Comedy, Awakenings, Cape Fear, Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Casino to name a few.

[HardwoodLegend]

If both actors are equally good at being authentic and inhabiting the role with realism, how do you determine which one is better?

It then becomes simply a preference of whose personality you like more, which isn't necessarily "acting skill" that goes above the other.

[TheMan]

both are overrated. harvey keitel >
http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID15166/images/scorsese_keitel_de_niro1229121933.jpg

[ShaqAttack3234]

I really like a lot of De Niro's movies, especially from early in his career, and he had some truly amazing performances, but while Pacino seemed to decline, and started overacting, I still think at his best, he was better than De Niro ever was. Definitely more versatile, imo.

[The Mamba]

I really like a lot of De Niro's movies, especially from early in his career, and he had some truly amazing performances, but while Pacino seemed to decline, and started overacting, I still think at his best, he was better than De Niro ever was. Definitely more versatile, imo.
Dog Day Afternoon as proof.

[LockoutOver11]

Raging Bull muthaaaaaaaaaphyuckers! Raging Bull...


well Scorsese is the GOAT but still De Niro is just incredible. Their works got me into filmmaking <3

[ShaqAttack3234]

Dog Day Afternoon as proof.

Serpico, too. He was completely different at times, but equally convincing. For example, he could be intense enough to pull off a tough guy like Tony Montana, but then be much more low-key. Then there's the progression we see as Michael in the first 2 godfathers, we see him become cold and calculating. Also loved And Justice For All.

[The Mamba]

Also loved And Justice For All.
Underrated flick.

De Niro is an all-time great, don't get me wrong. I prefer Pacino when it comes down to it.

[KevinNYC]

Huh, tough call, but I'm picking Al Pacino just because of this speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKAxnB6Ap4o

This movie was absolutely atrocious and its only value was the young Phillip Seymour Hoffman getting some work. The worst side of Pacino's acting that comes out when he works with a weak director. I prefer when he is acting and not ACTING!

So sad they finally gave him an Oscar for this one and not for Donnie Brasco which came out a year later and was one of his better late career performances.

I think DeNiro in certain roles is better, but I think Pacino has more range.

[KevinNYC]

Speaking of Serpico, the guy who Tony Roberts played, Detecitve David Durk, who was a superhero cop in his own right just passed away this month.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/nyregion/david-durk-detective-who-exposed-police-corruption-dies-at-77.html?_r=0.

The book and the movie portray him as a sellout, but he was actually the driving force behind the investigation into NYPD corruption for years before he met Serpico, but he never could have gotten as close to the corrupt cops because everyone knew his reputation.

I actually live quite close to the building where Serpico got shot and I was in a bar talking about this about two years ago and this guy turns around and says he lives in that building and his roomate became obsessed with Serpico when he found that out and actually tracked him down somehow and had a phone conversation with him.

[Jackass18]

De Niro no problem. Pacino overreacts from time-to-time and just doesn't have the great movies that De Niro has, and of course being in Gigli hurts. I prefer De Niro's performances more, as well. I'm not sure either did a really great movie in the 2000s. There were some good, but not great movies.

[HardwoodLegend]

Blaming an actor for a bad movie is even dumber than blaming a star basketball player for failing to advance in the playoffs on a weak roster.

Tons of people bear the responsibility for a bad film, and being in Gigli shouldn't hurt Pacino's legacy at all.

[DeuceWallaces]

De Niro was an early riser, his career went downhill once he started acting in the Fockers or whatever, lol. Al Pacino, to this day is a living legend.

I was a background actor in Ocean's Thirteen back in 05-06 and got to see Al Pacino live for a bit. The guy has that Michael Jordan type assholness to him. Didn't talk to anybody, only concentrated on his role and his role only. I still love the guy, though. :bowdown:

Lol, so you're retarded. You must have missed 88 minutes and the rest of the trash from this past decade?

[imdaman99]

pacino had a better prime, but de niro has had a better career.

[magic chiongson]

both great actors. de niro is more versatile.

[bladefd]

Both are in my list of top 5 greatest actors I have ever seen. You cannot go wrong with either one.

De Niro was in way more movies and has more successful movies than Pacino.

Pacino was in less movies but a much higher percentage of his movies were successful.


IF Pacino was in as many movies as De Niro and had kept his % of successful movies, Pacino would be the better actor very very easily (top 2 greatest ever). Along with that, if Pacino had also worked with Scorsese couple times, he would probably be the greatest actor ever.

Without the "if" card above though, De Niro has the better career easily. Due to that, I rank De Niro higher than Pacino by ~2 ranks. I am still a bigger Pacino fan than De Niro though. If only he was in more movies..

[1987_Lakers]

harvey keitel >

Keitel's performance in Bad Lieutenant is one of the greatest ever, it just doesn't get the recognition because it was an independent film that was NC-17.

[SAKOTXA]

Lol, so you're retarded. You must have missed 88 minutes and the rest of the trash from this past decade?
Praise the "Stone" and Little Fockers. :bowdown: imbecile.

Oh and how could i forget Hide and Seek and What Just Happened.

[ShaqAttack3234]

Underrated flick.

De Niro is an all-time great, don't get me wrong. I prefer Pacino when it comes down to it.

Yeah, I'm in complete agreement.


Keitel's performance in Bad Lieutenant is one of the greatest ever, it just doesn't get the recognition because it was an independent film that was NC-17.

Amazing performance, can't believe I heard they remade it with Nicolas Cage who can't hold a candle to Keitel.

[Jackass18]

Blaming an actor for a bad movie is even dumber than blaming a star basketball player for failing to advance in the playoffs on a weak roster.

Tons of people bear the responsibility for a bad film, and being in Gigli shouldn't hurt Pacino's legacy at all.

He chose to be in it. He made his bed. I'd say Pacino is overrated on here.

[DFish]

Jack Nicholson
Marlon Brando
Robert De Niro
Paul Newman
Al Pacino
Robert Duvall


So the answer is De Niro.

[LA Lakers]

Minus the recent"gotta get a paycheck" Meet The Fockers roles, De Niro takes it for me. I like Pacino when he plays it understated via The Godfather and Donnie Brasco as opposed to screaming over the top via Scarface. Both had title runs in the 70s. I mean, Serpico, Dog Day and The Godfather and The GodfatherPart 2; Mean Streets, The Godfather Part 2, Taxi Driver and The Deer Hunter. Tough, but overall Ill take De Niro i guess...

[LA Lakers]

Jack Nicholson
Marlon Brando
Robert De Niro
Paul Newman
Al Pacino
Robert Duvall


So the answer is De Niro.
Great list. Nicholson is definitely my favorite actor as well.

[robert de niro]

I want to thank all my fans and neg those who didn't pick me :cheers:

[OldSkoolball#52]

All these "oh he did meet the fockers wtf" morons acting like comedy isn't still acting? Stop trying so hard, please.

Meet the Parents was a funny movie and a legitimate comedy, even the sequel was reasonably entertaining. There's zero shame in having been in it. It's not as if he was a major character in Pineapple Express or Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins.


Dumb hipsters takin themselves too seriously..

[BRabbiT]

Pacino

[MiguelSanchez]

Both amazing actors. I tend to go back and forth with who I think is the best. A case can obviously be made for either but for now I'm going to say De Niro. It was awesome seeing them together in heat.

[Myth]

Today on AMC they aired the Godfather trilogy. The trilogy is centered around Michael (Al Pacino) and De Niro is also brilliant in the second one as young Vito. I don't know if I've ever seen a better more electric performance than the one Pacino gave in part II. If I were to compare their careers I think I might appreciate De Niro's a bit more however. Who do you think is the better actor and which has had the better career?

I preferred Al Pacino's earlier work more, but De Niro has done better later in life. Scarface is my favorite movie that either of them have been in.

[KevinNYC]

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID15166/images/scorsese_keitel_de_niro1229121933.jpg

BTW, apartments in that building now go for about 3,000 a month for a one bedroom. There's a local furniture chain store (http://www.gothiccabinetcraft.com/) on you can see in the background, that still has the same sign from those days.

About 6 blocks away is the street where they recreated Old Little Italy in the Godfather movies.

The campaign office from Taxi Driver is now a Starbucks.

[TheMan]

http://egocentricmovieblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/raging-bull.jpg

[riseagainst]

this thread is very similar to Kobe vs lebron. One has the better career, the other has the better prime.

:oldlol:

[BasedTom]

Even in Scarface, there were a couple of scenes where Pacino's New York accent slips out. Both are guilty of half-assing a few roles over the course of their long careers.

But they're both two of the GOATs, no doubt about that.

[TheReal Kendall]

I love both of these guys. I can't really choose.

I subscribed to this thread though cause you guys are naming movies I've never seen before so I'll come back to this and watch those listed

[1987_Lakers]

Pacino will be in a Tarantino and Scorsese film this year. :eek:

[eliteballer]

De Niro's been playing the same character for the last 30 years.

[Bawkish]

De Niro could play a loud, intense & active role (Untouchables, Cape Fear, Raging Bull) and as a subtle,quiet & reserved (Heat, Godfather 2, Once Upon a TIme in America) with great results

he's also a better villain than Pacino (Cape Fear, King of Comedy, Untouchables)

[egokiller]

Tom Hanks just shits on everyone.

GOAT actor and it

[Rocket]

Both are great actors but De Niro has made himself look stupid with his political commentary in the last few years.

[Hotlantadude81]

Robert De Niro is the most overrated actor.

[Nikola_]

Al Pacino peaked in G2

[Smoke117]

Deniro is a huge fruit cake now with his cringe worthy hating Trump bullshit, but he's a much better actor overall than Pacino. Al was great in the 70s for about a 6 year period, but then he fell into drugs and fell off the radar and when he came back with Scarface he basically stopped actually acting with any nuance and just started yelling a lot. His acting throughout the 90s is just him yelling like that makes something emotional. Besides Donnie Brasco his acting throughout the 90s and early 2000s before he got old is just blah. Literally if something calls for some kind of emotion he just starts yelling and hollering. No subtly at all to his acting for 90% of his roles since Scarface.