Ranking De Niro's Performances In Scorsese Films

When you cast Robert De Niro, you know for sure he’s going to go all in (pre-1996 or so, anyhow). He’s not quite Daniel Day Lewis level of method, but he commits wholeheartedly. And there’s no better example of that than Scorsese’s 1991 remake of Cape Fear. As if dropping to 4% body fat wasn’t enough, De Niro paid a dentist $5,000 to grind his teeth down for added menace, followed by a further $20,000 to fix them afterwards. For a fairly minor Scorsese film, that’s real dedication.

Bobby has played some pretty scary individuals, but rarely if ever descends into straight horror. He does so here, and with gusto, taking Robert Mitchum’s slick psychopath from the 1962 version and transforming Max Cady into a swamp dwelling monster. De Niro is vengeance come to life here, an unstoppable killing machine. The killer who keeps coming back is somewhat of a hoary trope, but when played with the intensity the actor brings here, it’s genuinely frightening.

Max Cady lacks the subtlety of the actor/director combo’s finest work - Cape Fear is not supposed to be a subtle film - but the performance shows what you can achieve when you’re as talented as Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Neither is known for their work in the horror genre, but they manage to create about as creepy and frightening a villain as you’re likely to see.

Even after The Simpsons’ note perfect spoof, De Niro’s performance still hits all the right terrifying notes.