Al Pacino’s favorite Robert De Niro film might surprise you, and it’s a brilliant choice

Al Pacino And Robert De Niro are often closely linked, as both rose to prominence in the 1970s when the “New Hollywood” movement took over the industry. Both De Niro and Pacino stood out compared to the other leading actors of their generation for their willingness to take risks by playing anti-heroes who would not normally star in a studio film; Pacino created an iconic gangster The Godfatherand De Niro invented the modern cinematic antihero Taxi driver. Based on the number of collaborations they had later in their careers, it is obvious that these two great actors had great respect for each other’s work. While cinephiles may argue about which is the absolute best, Pacino said Angry bull is that De Niro film that “dominates” for him.

Why did Al Pacino love “Raging Bull”?

While De Niro and Pacino had technically appeared in the same film together when they played the lead roles The Godfather: Part IIDue to the film’s separate timelines, they were not seen in any scenes together. However, they may not have had any screen time together by then Michael Mann brought them together heat in 1995, Angry bull had a clear impact on the way Pacino perceived De Niro’s acting abilities. Both actors had taken on controversial characters before, but Jake LaMotta was an abusive, toxic embodiment of the consequences of jealousy and anger. Not only did De Niro’s performance win him the Oscar for Best Actor, but it was so powerful that it even had an impact on the real LaMotta.

Pacino may have been impressed by the lengths De Niro went to to immerse himself in the role, as it was shocking to see how physically transformative the performance was. In addition to learning how to actually box, De Niro also gained significant weight, which greatly affected his physical and mental well-being. Angry bull was not just another performance for De Niro, but a crucial part of his ongoing collaboration with Martin Scorsesewho had given him his groundbreaking role Medium streets. De Niro was actively involved in the creative process Angry bull He also even got into a bitter feud with the screenwriter Paul Schrader about a controversial scene that was ultimately cut from the film.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have a legendary partnership

The respect that De Niro and Pacino have for each other is what made them such great film partnersas they have developed skills that complement each other. The physical transformations De Niro was able to make are simply unprecedented, but Pacino also has a background in theater that allows him to bring even more depth to the characters he played. There was so much hype around the idea of ​​the two stars appearing on screen together that it led to their first meeting heat was immediately hailed as one of the greatest scenes of all time. It’s rare that two actors can hold their own in such an intense moment, because simply by focusing on the dynamics of the performances, Mann managed to create sustained tension.

The relationship between De Niro and Pacinos has come full circle The Irishmanan epic crime saga that Scorsese has been trying to make happen for decades. It was a big deal that Pacino could finally work with Scorsese again, and it also offered him a bit of redemption, since his last collaboration was with De Niro in the 2008 crime drama Just Killing was met with devastating reviews. The Irishman is a deeply thoughtful film that examines the legacy of gangsters, allowing De Niro and Pacino to play younger versions of themselves thanks to advances in computer-generated imagery and digital aging. The Irishman is an amazing tribute to the careers of two of the greatest actors of all time, but it wouldn’t have been possible without De Niro’s performance Angry bull didn’t leave such a lasting impression on Pacino.

Angry bull is currently streaming on Prime Video in the US

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