I enjoy De Niros roles and movies far more than Daniel Day Lewis but I can't ignore that DDL is simply leagues above De Niro in ability. Even his boring roles like Phantom Thread are so nuanced it's beyond belief. Where as De Niro has carved out an effective niche where even his non gangster roles draw on similar traits like in Limitless or even the hardass dad in Meet the Fockers. Even his non gangster stand out roles like Travis Bickle Max Cady and Jake La Motta are all small variences on a similar trope.
Oldman is definitely far better than Pacino who also has the same issues as De Niro where once he's out of his typecast comfort zone he falls flat.
Hopkins has arguably better individual roles and memorable characters but more skilled an actor than Spacey? Take away Hannibal Lecter and what do you have left? Variations on a theme. His portrayal of William Parrish in Meet Joe Black is almost indistinguishable from him as Robert Ford in Westworld and Odin is just them in fancy golden armour. Most of the rest of his career is a litany of mediocrity. Spacey on the other hand. John Doe in Se7en, Jack Vincceness in L.A Confidential, Verbal Kint/Kayser Soze in The Usual Suspects, Lester Burnham, David Gale, Frank Underwood.
Nicholson I agree with but again has done well with a degree of typecasting purely because of that legendary look he has in his eyes and eyebrows. But he's equally brilliant in roles like The Shining as he is in As Good as it Gets and equally suited for roles like The Departed as he is in The Bucket List.
Hoffman's overrated.
__________________ Sweating on the streets of Woking
The way I see it, is that Deniro has a wider range (maybe I'm saying this wrong), but Lewis is better at drama. Deniro can do comedy, I have yet to see Lewis do anything remotely funny, and Deniro's best roles (Raging Bull , The Awakenings, for example) are just as good as DDL, IMO. Deniro has a lot of shitty roles, but in his prime, Deniro is just as convincing as DDL.
Hoffman, I believe has a wider range (He's actually in the Guinness Book of World Records for that). He can do comedy and drama equally as good, if not better than Bale, IMO.
My only issue with that logic is that just because De Niro has done comedy roles doesn't mean he's actually any good. You wouldn't exactly say his performance in Rocky and Bullwinkle is Oscar worthy. Then there's the fact that most of his comedy work is just him playing the same type of roles he gets praise for. Namely Analyze This, The Family and The Fockers movies where his character is just lifted from his gangster movies. If we have your arguments logic to its conclusion we'd be saying that The Rock and Mark Wahlberg are better actors than Day Lewis.
Oldman comes from the same part of South London I do, and I've probably posted this tidbit before ive sat in the same cafe in Deptford high street whilst he had a coffee. Our accents are very similar.
Yours is probably better at this point, I recall reading that he had to hire an English-British linguist to help him regain his accent as he's lost some of it living in the States for so long. For his role in Darkest Hour, iirc.
Most comedy roles don't even get nominated for Oscars, anyway. Point is, Deniro IS funny, and I think it's hard to make an audience laugh. Deniro can do both quite well. Is every comedy role a slam dunk? Nope, but he's been doing it since the King of Comedy, directed by Marty.
Bingo. I felt exactly the same about Phantom Thread. Incredible dedication and subtlety. Daniel Day Lewis is a master of the craft.
I've never been a big Spacey fan. But you mentioned Elephant Man (one of the all-time great movies), so I think John Hurt is superior even to Anthony Hopkins (though I love Hopkins).
What about Tom Hanks? Where would he fit in? He deserves some credit. Not sure if he'd be considered classic or contemporary, though..
A duo of Daniel Day Lewis and Gary Oldman could solo this shiznit
__________________ Chicken Boo, what's the matter with you? You don't act like the other chickens do. You wear a disguise to look like human guys, but you're not a man you're a Chicken Boo.
I liked Hoffman in Hook and now I'm struggling to think of anything else I liked him in. In a main role, I mean.
__________________ Chicken Boo, what's the matter with you? You don't act like the other chickens do. You wear a disguise to look like human guys, but you're not a man you're a Chicken Boo.
Last edited by Surtur on Mar 21st, 2019 at 06:56 PM
Interesting, I dont get why so many British Cultural icons come from a few areas in the UK. Guess it's because we are a small country. Michael Caine, Jagger and Bowie are all from near me too and Dudley Moore and Ray Winstone aren't far away. Well Bowie and Moorevare dead but, you know.
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Last edited by Putinbot1 on Mar 21st, 2019 at 06:58 PM
Who do you think is better when it comes to acting skill, Pacino or De Niro?
I can think of a few non-gangster roles for De Niro I enjoyed, but I can't do the same with Pacino. All I have is Glengarry Glen Ross.
__________________ Chicken Boo, what's the matter with you? You don't act like the other chickens do. You wear a disguise to look like human guys, but you're not a man you're a Chicken Boo.
Last edited by Surtur on Mar 21st, 2019 at 07:03 PM
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