10 Best Robert De Niro Villains, Ranked by Evilness

Robert De Niro’s an performing legend who’s been a staple within the movie trade way back to the Sixties, although his breakout position arguably got here within the Nineteen Seventies, with Imply Streets. He performed a younger prison in that movie, his first of many collaborations with Martin Scorsese, and although it didn’t result in him being typecast essentially, he has ended up taking part in quite a few criminals, antagonists, and morally sketchy characters because the many years have gone alongside.

It is exhausting to spotlight all of them, a lot in order that two of his greatest roles that may match will should be honorable mentions. These movies are Heat, the place he plays an antagonist, technically speaking, however doesn’t really feel tremendous villainous, after which Taxi Driver, the place it feels troublesome to label Travis Bickle a method or one other; he’s a uniquely tortured and controversial lead character, and it’s possibly greatest to go away it at that. The next roles, nonetheless, all see him taking part in villains, serving the position of antagonist in a narrative, or being the central character, albeit not a “good” or “heroic” one. These film roles are ranked beneath, beginning with the very evil and ending with the terrifyingly villainous.

10 Al Capone

‘The Untouchables’ (1987)

Robert De Niro has performed quite a few real-life figures all through his performing profession, although the model of Al Capone he performs in The Untouchables feels somewhat cartoonish, however by design, and in a manner that’s form of enjoyable. The entire movie is somewhat simplistic with its cops vs. criminals storyline, however that old style spirit additionally makes it entertaining and thrilling, even perhaps being one among the most thrilling gangster/crime movies ever made.

Brian De Palma’s style shines through and provides to this sense, after which De Niro – in addition to different actors like Kevin Costner and Sean Connery – additionally give The Untouchables this sense of heightened actuality. Capone, as depicted on this movie, is technically risky and violent, however the over-the-top nature of De Niro’s efficiency reduces how terrifying he will be, in a manner, (however once more, not in a nasty manner; it really works for the movie and its general tone).

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9 Louis Gara

‘Jackie Brown’ (1997)

Quentin Tarantino’s motion pictures are often defined by great dialogue, references to older motion pictures, entertaining but morally doubtful characters, and a great deal of ultra-violence. Jackie Brown stands out somewhat, dialing down the bloody violence to some extent and making the references to older motion pictures much less in-your-face, however nonetheless shining relating to dialogue and that includes nice characters.

Robert De Niro has a memorable supporting position because the seemingly low-key Louis Gara, who’s form of schlubby and humorous till he snaps, at one level, and reveals his true colours. The suppressed rage Louis has all through the movie turns into extra apparent on rewatches, and whereas De Niro performs him in a manner the place he doesn’t essentially really feel villainous all through, his nature is finally proven to be violent, along with his anger inevitably bringing about his downfall.

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8 Jake LaMotta

‘Raging Bull’ (1980)

The primary of many motion pictures to feature both Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, Raging Bull is a biographical sports activities film that sees the pair taking part in brothers: Jake and Joey LaMotta, respectively. The previous’s a boxer whereas the latter’s his supervisor/youthful brother, and the movie largely facilities round Jake LaMotta’s aggressive habits each inside and outdoors the boxing ring, and the results of such anger.

Although Jake LaMotta may not be a villain within the conventional sense, Raging Bull doesn’t shrink back from highlighting how horrible of an individual he will be, and the way he’s vulnerable to lash out violently towards these near him, typically and not using a second’s discover. It’s a devoted efficiency from De Niro, taking part in a terrifying central character who’s nonetheless a tragic one, within the sense that he brings about all of the unhealthy issues that finally befall him in life, particularly as soon as he begins getting older and has to go away his boxing profession previously.

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7 Dwight Hansen

‘This Boy’s Life’ (1993)

This Boy’s Life is a somewhat underrated movie, proving to be an incredible showcase of the expertise Leonardo DiCaprio had as a younger actor, in addition to it being humorous in hindsight how he starred alongside De Niro earlier than turning into one thing of a Twenty first-century De Niro for Scorsese, beginning with 2002’s Gangs of New York. In This Boy’s Life, the 2 are at odds, although, with De Niro playing the tyrannical stepfather of DiCaprio’s character.

It is primarily based on a real-life memoir, which makes issues much more harrowing, and This Boy’s Life actually doesn’t shrink back from the abuse inflicted on each the younger boy on the movie’s heart and his mom (Ellen Barkin). De Niro’s character may not inflict as a lot harm to society as he would possibly in different motion pictures, antagonizing two individuals moderately than many, however the evil he topics them to remains to be despicable, to not point out uncomfortably private, and he performs maybe one of the vital villainous stepfathers of any movie made previously few many years.

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6 Frank Sheeran

‘The Irishman’ (2019)

Exhibiting that age doesn’t seem to slow down Robert De Niro, nor stop him from giving an incredible efficiency, The Irishman reunited the actor with Martin Scorsese for his or her first characteristic movie made collectively since 1995’s Casino. In The Irishman, De Niro performs an growing old hitman named Frank Sheeran, with the movie largely being a collection of flashbacks exhibiting the violent way of life he lived when he was youthful.

Frank Sheeran is a chilly and indifferent character, committing quite a few murders in a fashion so unfeeling that it’d even make a Terminator blush (properly, if these futuristic cyborgs had a built-in blush operate, that’s). It’s attainable that he feels regret for at the least one of many murders he’s proven to commit, and viewers might pity Sheeran by the movie’s ultimate few scenes, however they’re the one saving graces… and even then, such issues don’t make an excessive amount of of an impression when he carried out so many different killings with seemingly little concern in any respect.

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5 Jimmy Conway

‘Goodfellas’ (1990)

Goodfellas might properly be Martin Scorsese’s greatest film, not to mention his most quotable, too. It stars Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, a low-ranking mobster who particulars his tumultuous life within the mafia, with different characters both being primarily based on real-life individuals or impressed by them. In the case of Robert De Niro’s character, he performs a personality nearly named after a real-life particular person: within the movie, he’s Jimmy Conway, with the equal in actual life being a gangster named James Burke.

Probably the most risky character of the movie might be Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito, however De Niro’s Jimmy Conway is extra calculating and possibly did extra harm once you keep in mind the murders he didn’t commit himself, however ordered. Although nobody in Goodfellas is known as a good fella, Jimmy emerges because the villain by the movie’s finish, with the hazard he poses to Henry Hill being a big issue within the latter ratting on his former mobsters earlier than going into witness safety.

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4 Louis Cyphre

‘Angel Coronary heart’ (1987)

Spoiler warning for a film that’s almost 40 years outdated, as a result of whereas Robert De Niro’s character in Angel Coronary heart all the time feels suspicious, the extent of his evil isn’t actually made obvious till nearer to the movie’s finish. The reveal that he’s the Satan may not be too stunning (Louis Cyphre sounding like “Lucifer” and all), however it’s nonetheless saved till close to the tip of the film.

So, technically, Louis Cyphre would possibly properly be the evilest character De Niro’s ever performed, given the Satan is about as evil as characters get, however that will be making an allowance for issues that he presumably does exterior the occasions of Angel Coronary heart. He actually wrecks lives within this neo-noir/supernatural mystery/thriller film, however given the main focus of the movie is just on a couple of characters, he form of must be judged purely on what he does right here (nonetheless very evil; please don’t misread).

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3 William Hale

‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023)

William Hale marks one other occasion of Robert De Niro taking part in a real-life historic determine, although his evil right here is much extra insidious than the cartoonish villainy seen in his tackle Al Capone in The Untouchables, and the harm he causes is bigger than what Jimmy Conway does in Goodfellas. That is becoming, as a result of Killers of the Flower Moon is a bleak and harrowing exploration of mundane, systemic evil and homicide, a lot of it orchestrated by Hale, who goes out of his solution to disguise who he actually is to most individuals in his life.

The movie is another winning historical crime epic from Martin Scorsese, narratively following how the Osage individuals have been regularly murdered all through the Nineteen Twenties, all as a result of Hale – and others – wished the wealth they’d obtained by oil reserves being found on their land. Hale doesn’t get his arms soiled, as a substitute puppeteering numerous different individuals to do the bloody work for him, and he emerges as probably the most vile and merciless character in Killers of the Flower Moon, in consequence.

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2 David “Noodles” Aaronson

‘As soon as Upon a Time in America’ (1984)

Not solely being the most epic of gangster movies, As soon as Upon a Time in America additionally gave Robert De Niro the possibility to play probably the most horrible and evil of all his gangster characters. It’s exhausting to weigh up the issues Noodles does towards the issues that William Hale does in Killers of the Flower Moon, with each being able to being answerable for indiscriminate violence and cruelty, however Noodles being somebody who actively will get his arms soiled in his prison pursuits.

As soon as Upon a Time in America is usually a exhausting watch, owing to what De Niro’s character and his fellow mobsters do, seemingly by no means caring about their actions past some attainable remorse at a life wasted, as soon as they’ve reached outdated age. The decades-spanning narrative is engrossing, and the movie is gorgeous, however the primary characters – particularly Noodles – are nevertheless rotten to their very cores.

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1 Max Cady

‘Cape Concern’ (1991)

Max Cady sees Robert De Niro going over-the-top as soon as extra when taking part in a villain, however one thing about how he does it in Cape Concern makes him genuinely terrifying; maybe one of many most horrific in thriller/horror movie history. He’s a just lately launched convict who vows revenge towards the general public defender he blames for his imprisonment, focusing on each the person and, finally, his household.

A being of pure evil, thrilled with each the chase of his prey and the eventual kill, Max Cady fairly presumably couldn’t be extra violent and terrifying an individual than he’s right here. Cape Concern is relentless largely as a result of Robert De Niro performs the central antagonist the way in which he does, and he gave a villainous efficiency for the ages. Certainly, Max Cady is probably going probably the most vile of all of the villains De Niro’s ever portrayed.

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