Where Has Robert De Niro’s Mojo Gone?

Sep 5, 2012

Robert De Niro’s resume scans as well as anyones, it would be fatuous in the extreme to try to make some sort of finest actor of his generation/all time/New Hollywood/zip code claim, so let’s just keep it simple.

In his back catalogue are some of the finest acting performances ever put on screen and considering how many utterly iconic roles he has played, it is difficult to make a case for many other actors having had such a high batting average over such a prolonged period. Consider the following:-

Mean Streets
The Godfather Pt II
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
The King of Comedy
Once Upon A Time In America
The Untouchables
Midnight Run
Goodfellas
Heat
Casino

That’s twenty years of screen acting. I cannot think of anyone else who has turned in a more accomplished body of work in that sort of timeframe, but here’s the rub – since the last bona fide top-drawer performance on that list, we have had/suffered the following:-

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
Shark Tale
The Meet the Parents “trilogy”
Killer Elite
New Years Eve
Men of Honor

In the interests of fairness and balance, De Niro has also given us Sleepers, The Score, Cop Land and Jackie Brown since his heyday, so he hasn’t wholly lost his way, but the precipitous drop-off in quality remains conspicuous. The question then becomes, wherefore? Or, less pretentiously, why? These sorts of arguments are often assembled and much is made of actors “phoning-in” their performances, ticking along on autopilot to collect a pay cheque and go back to whatever it is they fill their leisure time with these days. What is difficult to understand is why any actor would do that. One would imagine that all actors love their work, their profession and always seek to give of their best, for personal satisfaction if nothing else. Someone of De Niro’s calibre cannot surely need the money any longer and if he no longer has the same burning passion for acting that he once had, why not step back?

Gene Hackman is one actor of extraordinary talent, who has simply stepped back from acting because he is no longer driven by it. It is a crying shame to have lost the man who gave us Buck Barrow, Jimmy Doyle, Harry Caul, Little Bill Daggett and Royal Tenenbaum, but I respect his decisiveness and his integrity. By contrast, De Niro seems to be sullying an otherwise peerless reputation by signing on for roles that are beneath him and then coasting through without having to try very hard.

We last saw him on screen for Red Lights earlier this year and IMDb claims he has another dozen or so titles either in the bag or in varying stages of filming or post-production. That’s an awful lot and although a hike in quantity doesn’t necessarily equate with a drop in quality, it seems to be the case here. I mean, when was the last time we really saw De Niro on screen. When did he last genuinely inhabit a role and deliver a performance of enduring quality and impact? The Good Shepherd? The Score? Flawless? We’re going back over a decade now for something of genuine heft and that is a long time indeed.

De Niro is perhaps, more than most, a victim of his own success. In the same way as it was heart-rending to see Orson Welles slumming it in his later years, having given us Kane, the Ambersons, Touch of Evil and The Third Man and similarly depressing to see Marlon Brando in The Island of Dr Moreau and The Freshman after he had given us Don Corleone, Colonel Kurtz, Malloy and Stanley Kowalski, so De Niro draws attention to just how mediocre the majority of his more recent work has been by having given us such peerless work earlier on in his career.

I’m no Hollywood insider, so forgive my naivety in terms of how its inner workings operate, but surely he still has enough currency with producers, directors and studio heads to be able to put out the feelers for a role, perhaps a final swansong, that befits his considerable talent? Maybe he can put in one last great performance that reminds us of what made him so superlative in the 70’s and 80’s, gather in the accolades and then retire to whatever it is that he really wants to do, since he seems (at least on current evidence) to not really want to stretch himself as an actor any more.

Maybe such a role lies in his long list of underway projects? He is set to be directed by Sean Penn in a tale of an aging comedian and Penn has certainly excelled behind the camera thus far. It is hard to imagine the director who coaxed that performance out of Jack Nicholson for The Pledge letting De Niro get away with coasting. We can only hope and dream.

10 COMMENTS

Luke Richardson Sep 5, 2012 At 13:32

Interesting and impossible-to-argue criticism about the demise of Robert de Niro’s acting career, Dave.

I always like to think that the slew of terrible films is caused by de Niro’s being too preoccupied with the Tribeca film festival to pick up any roles that are anything as testing as his career highlights.

Oh well, at least we still have Al Pacino. Oh, wait…
John Sep 5, 2012 At 13:36

“I’m no Hollywood insider”
That’s clear enough, yet you’re questioning Hollywood royalty?
Never-mind where his mojo is. Where is yours?
The man’s won an Oscar and been part of films that remain in many top 10 lists.
Where has his mojo gone? Wrong question. Better would be: “Has his mojo gone?”
It hasn’t.
Nothing left to prove, he has no reason not to indulge his whims.
You don’t think he could raise his game if he wanted to?
Compare trophies.
benny toint Sep 5, 2012 At 14:58

I would submit that it’s not just DeNiro, but all the actors of his generation. And when you look at it like that, it’s really a question about the film industry in general. Those gaining fame in the 70’s were blessed with a wealth of exceptional material. You could similarly pick holes in the careers of his bunch – Walken, Pacino, Dafoe and even the megastars of the 80’s like Stallone and Arnie are joked about in terms of the gash they’ve done. Previous posts have been valid – DeNiro has contributed to the industry with Tribecca and gone with the flow in terms of populist tastes. I wish there were more Copland’s for DeNiro, more Insomnia’s for Pacino, but that would be listed under a different article, called ‘Where has Hollywood’s Mojo gone?’
Mike Zaine Sep 6, 2012 At 12:39

The mans a legend and his latest films ain’t that bad,I enjoyed fockers and killer elite,and not forgetting the heartwarming everybody’s fine,he is still great my fav actor
Raul Sep 6, 2012 At 14:00

His mojo hasn’t gone anywhere. The obvious observation is that he is a lot older now, and doesn’t have the energy or drive to be the lead actor in a film anymore. In most, if not all of his recent work, he has been in a supporting role. Yes, he’s in these roles, so obviously, there’s still a desire to perform. However, not to the Oscar-worthy level that we saw in the top-10 films of his impressive resume.
DanE Sep 17, 2012 At 13:14

He was amazing in Being Flynn (2012)!
BottomGun Sep 18, 2012 At 07:31

Dave, you just came out and said it!!! You broke the unspoken agreement we’ve all kept to for 20 years! Now you’ve gone and done it.
Anon Oct 19, 2012 At 21:30

The Score was dreadful.
asnen Oct 21, 2012 At 21:57

De Niro has a lot of bills to pay, especially for the numerous charities he supports, including film charities. This does account for many of the thin roles he takes on for the money. There is also the old acting ethos that an actor acts. It isn’t necessarily true that one “retires” and starts doing something else. Peter O’Toole recently retired, but he did so because he physically couldn’t handle it any longer. De Niro still has enough physical energy to keep going, and I’m sure that as long as he can handle it, physically, he will–good roles and bad. I agree with you in that he bad roles stink. But I believe he does them to keep those dollars rolling in to those charities, pure and simple. BTW, he is also a BIG political donor.
QT Dec 17, 2012 At 19:53

He puts a lot into every role he plays. He’s a little old to keep playing Travis Bickle, Jake LaMotta and Johnny Boy roles. To expect him to continue doing roles like that at his age is just silly. Most great artists do their best work when they are young. He’s playing the role of dad and grandfather now while still managing to act, direct, produce, run a film festival and generally make the world a better place. When you are a little older you will understand. He was awesome in Being Flynn. The Parents/Fockers trilogy are fun for what they are… family comedies you can take your kids to. The man is a versatile actor and has shown he can take on many kinds of roles in different movie genres. Perhaps the question you should be asking is where is the next generation of great actors.