October 11, 2008 --
LONGTIME fans of Robert De Niro wish the actor would be more discriminating in picking his roles and stop making so many mediocre movies like his latest, "Righteous Kill" with Al Pacino.
"De Niro has made 59 movies since 'The Godfather, Part II' in 1974, sometimes three in one year. There no reason he has to take these parts. He should slow down," said one fan. "He hasn't made a really good movie since 'Casino,' and that was 13 years ago."
Early on, De Niro won accolades portraying brooding gangsters, cops and other wackos in masterpieces like "Taxi Driver," "The Deer Hunter" and "Goodfellas" - only picking the best scripts. But in recent years, he's made such stinkers as "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle," "15 Minutes," "Showtime" and "The Godsend."
But some say: Give the guy a break. "I don't think 65-year-old actors, even the ones who are legends, get too many good roles sent their way," said Gitesh Pandya, editor of movie-tracking site Box Office Guru. "Outside of his successful rebranding for comedies like 'Meet the Parents' and 'Analyze This,' there's really just one type of role that filmmakers want from De Niro, and his agents are able to score top dollar for that."
David Mumpower, an analyst at Box Office Prophets, said: "When he tried 'Stardust,' he was going for something different, playing a transvestite pirate, and nobody goes to see it . . . With 'Righteous Kill,' he probably knew that it wasn't the best script in the world, but it was a chance to work with Pacino and probably a nice way for him to spend three months."
Fashion and entertainment p.r. guru Linda Mann of Mann Media said, "De Niro enjoys the luxury of any living icon - he has nothing to prove. Since when is Hollywood not about greed? Even Marlon Brando admitted he was a 'whore,' working to support his crazy lifestyle and an island in the South Pacific."
COMMENTS