5 Best Robert De Niro Movies Streaming On Netflix

Robert De Niro

is one of the most experienced and well-rounded stars in Hollywood, and his excellent career choices don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. The actor famously made a name for himself in the crime genre, collaborating with well-known filmmakers like Martin Scorsese throughout the ’80s and ’90s, but he’s branched out to many more genres and styles since then. Some of Robert De Niro’s best movies fall outside this window that many audiences would label his “peak,” proving just how talented and consistent he is.

Thankfully, many of De Niro’s strongest projects are now available on streaming — a liberty that wasn’t available when the actor first started working. This has allowed younger audiences to retroactively connect with some of his most acclaimed works, keeping the actor relevant and giving his career yet another boost. Even better, Robert De Niro’s career has been an extensive and exhaustive one, meaning there are plenty of hidden gems to discover in his filmography on streaming.

5

Meet The Fockers (2004)

As Jack Byrnes

Although Meet the Fockers isn’t as sharp or engaging as its predecessor, it’s still a great movie that deserves recognition for its hilarious performances and excellent cast chemistry. The film does everything that a good sequel should do: It brings back everything that worked about the original (in this case, the brilliant dynamic between Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro) while adding new elements and expanding the story. This narrative follows Stiller’s protagonist as he introduces his parents to his argumentative father-in-law, played expertly against type by De Niro.

4

Hands Of Stone (2016)

As Ray Arcel

Hands of Stone is one of Robert De Niro’s most underrated movies, following the story of real-life boxing coach Ray Arcel as his latest mentee gets into a public feud with another successful boxer. It’s totally unlike anything else in De Niro’s filmography, but that’s exactly what makes it such an interesting watch. It may not be one of the movies that defined Robert De Niro’s career, but it’s an excellent hidden gem for those who are already familiar with his more well-known projects.

3

The Good Shepherd (2006)

As General Bill Sullivan

The Good Shepherd is one of the few projects that De Niro directed himself, and while it opened to fairly mixed reviews at the time, it’s found a comfortable home on streaming where audiences can now reevaluate it. The story centers around Matt Damon’s protagonist — an undercover CIA spy — who is caught between his loyalty to his country and his love for his family when tensions begin to arise during the Cold War. The film is most noteworthy for its staggering ensemble, which also features actors such as Angelina Jolie, Joe Pesci, and Alec Baldwin.

2

Meet The Parents (2000)

As Jack Byrnes

Meet the Parents was arguably the defining movie of Ben Stiller’s career, but it’s an equally impressive film for De Niro, allowing him to step into the world of comedy for the first time. The movie brought out a completely different side of the actor, which audiences weren’t used to seeing after his dramatic turns in films like Taxi Driver and Casino. The story is one that’s aged surprisingly well, following Stiller’s protagonist as he spends a weekend with his girlfriend’s parents before proposing to her.

The most effective part of Meet The Parents is, of course, the comedic dynamic between Stiller and De Niro, whose polar opposite personalities work brilliantly together. Stiller’s eccentric, slapstick comedy clashes hilariously with De Niro’s more reserved, dry sense of humor in a way that could easily have been disastrous — but thankfully, both actors fully understand the comedy of the situation and know how to make it work.

1

The Irishman (2019)

As Frank Sheeran

Scorsese and De Niro have worked together several times, and each of their collaborations has been a resounding success. However, The Irishman certainly feels like their most personal and important piece of work to date. This absorbing drama tells the story of real-life truck driver Frank Sheeran who gets involved with a dangerous Philadelphia crime family and climbs the ranks to become an infamous hitman.

The Irishman has a non-linear structure that jumps between the past and present, allowing Scorsese to effortlessly comment on themes such as legacy, aging, and the persistence of guilt in a way that his more action-packed films don’t always manage. While it’s just as violent, engaging, and well-written as his earlier crime movies, it’s a much tamer and more responsible examination of the genre as a whole. Robert De Niro delivers one of his more emotional and vulnerable performances, exploring the ugly side of criminality.