Though sometimes hard to define, the crime genre does have a rich background throughout the history of cinema, and few actors are as iconic within the genre as Robert De Niro. To give a more descriptive definition: these films typically revolve around gangsters, heists, and police procedures. Those are the most common sub-genres of crime.
And the films featured on this list were made by the biggest directors Hollywood had to offer, from Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino to Brian De Palma and Francis Ford Coppola. Other prominent actors to work deeply within the crime scene include guys like Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, and Denzel Washington. A few of them show up several times here as costars of Robert De Niro. Several movies with those names involved likely come to mind off the bat. But, all that said, this is a ranking of every single crime film featuring Robert De Niro.
27 The Bag Man (2014)
No kidding: this film didn’t even garner $1 million at the worldwide box office. That’s pretty rough, especially when considering the caliber of its cast. Sure, a lot of the actors are relatively unknown, but it does have De Niro in a supporting role, along with John Cusack appearing as the lead character named Jack.
He’s a professional hitman, hired by a gangster named Dragna (De Niro) to pick up an indiscriminate bag from an undisclosed (to the audience, at first) location. Hence, the title of the film. The Bag Man (2014). Pretty rough premise, right? Well, obviously, the execution wasn’t any better, as this forgettable neo-noir crime thriller falls in last place.
26 Showtime (2002)
Despite co-starring a juggernaut of the comedy industry in Eddie Murphey, this buddy-cop comedy will make you cry of boredom before it induces any sort of laughter. It sounds harsh, but not everyone can always show up in the best films ever made. Not even De Niro.
This particular flick holds an approval rating of 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, and received two nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Actor for Murphey, and Worst Screen Duo for them both. For those that aren’t familiar with the Razzies, they honor the worst films of their respective year. It’s the Oscars equivalent for the worst movies the industry can offer, and Showtime (2002) undoubtedly fits that bill.
25 Righteous Kill (2008)
After two films that will appear later on in the list, this was the third on-screen collaboration between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. They star here in Righteous Kill (2008) as two detectives from the New York City Police Department that are hot on the trail of a serial killer.
That’s as classic a plot as crime thrillers come, but this piece in particular also blends heavy elements of action. And in the end, the genres failed to come together in any sort of meaningful fashion. Critics absolutely dogged the script, and with good reason — there really is little to write home about with regard to Righteous Kill.
24 Heist (2015)
There are a few exceptions to this line of thinking, but for the most part, you can stay away from any Robert De Niro crime films that come from the last twenty or so years. The 21st century, for the most part. That’s the only time period covered so far, and it’s what the next several entries of the list will encompass. The trend continues here with Heist (2015), directed by Scott Mann.
Hardly anything came together here to a qualitative degree. But based off the script and general lack of true desire to make the film in the first place from the higher-ups of production, the overall caliber of this film shouldn’t come as any real surprise. You can definitely skip this one.
23 The Comeback Trail (2020)
Obviously, De Niro needs to stay away from the crime-comedies, but even in the 2020s, he’s showing up in duds like The Comeback Trail (2020). And just based off that initial impression, it’s safe to say that you can skip this entry, as well. Its characters fail to make any headway in developing rapports with one another, and any evolution thereof feels contrived at best in the end.
It costars Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman, and Zach Braff, and despite that impressive amount of name value, their managers should be ashamed. None of them had any business showing up in this romp, but then again, if they didn’t make their respective appearances, it’s likely nobody would know this film even exists.
22 The Family (2013)
Historically, French director Luc Besson knows how to make a crime joint. Leon: The Professional (1994) is his most famous work in the genre, though he’s also known for sci-fi flicks such as The Fifth Element (1997) and Lucy (2013). All of those films are of much higher quality than The Family (2013), which features De Niro alongside an impressive roster of actors like Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones.
The project shifts tones more than a John Carpenter flick, and while that sounds like a negative critique on the famous American director of horror and science fiction, make no mistake: Carpenter was a master of blending genres and styles, while Besson failed on that level here with The Family unlike ever before. Again: this one you can skip.
21 15 Minutes (2001)
Famous American painter Andy Warhol is credited with saying, "In the future, everybody will be world-famous for 15 minutes". The antagonists of the film at hand took that quote to heart, as a pair of murderers from Eastern Europe aim to record their crimes in order to accrue life-changing funds while simultaneously reaching worldwide levels of fame.
Meanwhile, Robert De Niro shows up in 15 Minutes (2001) as the lead character alongside Edward Burns as a police detective and a fire marshal, respectively. And, unfortunately for those talented individuals involved, this buddy-cop action flick failed to come together on its intriguing premise. You can definitely skip this one, if you hadn't planned on it already.
20 Killer Elite (2011)
An action thriller with Jason Statham, Robert De Niro, and Clive Owen sounds on paper like a recipe for success. But unfortunately for crime fans, this tale of assassinations does land in the bottom tier of the list for a multitude of reasons, frankly.
The talented cast and crew of Killer Elite (2011) skipped out on target practice one too many times and ended up missed their marks in just about every imaginable respect of storytelling. Its results at the box office proved all of those assertions on paper in tandem with its mediocre reception from critics. And while those numbers can often be misleading, they definitely tell the entire tale of Killer Elite.
19 Stone (2010)
In this lesser-known crime stint, Robert De Niro plays a parole officer who is constantly outsmarted by a dastardly prisoner portrayed by Edward Norton. This entry marks a jump in caliber for the rest of the list, with another shift to come.
If everything listed before Stone (2010) should be avoided like a prison sentence, then this next string of entries features titles that should be watched only if they pique your interest. And that’s definitely the case here. If the plot sounds up your criminal-infested alley, then definitely give it a go. The two famous leads sell their characters to a tee, and the plot will hold your attention through and through.
18 The Good Shepherd (2006)
A spy film called The Good Shepherd (2006) marks the first instance on this list of the inclusion of a film that was actually directed by Robert De Niro himself. And for the most part, his efforts were admirable when it comes to critiquing the actual project. But just too many elements of filmmaking missed their mark for this to be considered among the elite of De Niro’s crime movies.
It follows a CIA officer named Edward Wilson (who’s portrayed by Matt Damon) as he traverses the brutalities of World War II and learns counterintelligence. Ultimately, the film had an impressive cast — with other names including (on top of Damon and De Niro) Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, and Joe Pesci. But those impressive talents weren’t quite enough to save The Good Shepherd from a qualitative standpoint.
17 True Confessions (1981)
The Black Dahlia murder case of 1947 served as an influence on the plot of True Confessions (1981), which was written and directed by a Belgian-born filmmaker named Ulu Grosbard. And although it flew under the public radar with only $13 million garnered on a $10 million budget, this neo-noir crime drama is of higher quality than those numbers might suggest.
It co-stars Robert De Niro as a priest named Desmond Spellacy alongside Robert Duvall as his older brother, a police detective named Tom. While the reverend is undergoing a real estate deal, Tom finds a connection between his brother’s endeavor and the case of a savage murder he was recently assigned to. The result is a well-crafted neo-noir flick that will definitely hit home with fans of the crime genre.
16 Angel Heart (1987)
Written and directed by Alan Parker, this neo-noir psychological horror film was adapted from William Hjortsberg’s novel called Falling Angel (1978), and it co-stars Robert De Niro alongside Mickey Rourke. In terms of success upon release, Angel Heart (1987) hardly even made its money back at the box office. However, critics generally agreed that it was a project of legitimate quality.
One of the most prominent filmmakers of modern Hollywood, English director Christopher Nolan cites Angel Heart as a direct influence on his own neo-noir thriller Memento (2000). This Parker picture still holds up today, too, and that’s in large part due to the plot twist generated by Robert De Niro’s character. It’s definitely among his best.
15 Cop Land (1997)
Written and directed by James Mangold, the American filmmaker originally envisioned Cop Land (1997) being led by a relatively unknown cast to avoid any sort of star appeal taking away from the story’s thoughtful concepts. And in the end, this cast was anything but unknown: Sylvester Stallone led a crew of A-list supporters in De Niro, of course, along with Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, and Cathy Moriarty.
Everyone fits right at home here in Mangold’s sophomore feature about a sheriff (played by Stallone) of a small town in New Jersey butting heads with a corrupt cop from New York City. De Niro appears as the latter, named Moe Tilden, who also narrates the film. And although Mangold was wary at the start, this cast if anything facilitated the thoughtfulness of the film itself.
14 The Score (2001)
Directed by Frank Oz, this heist film is largely remembered today as the final film of legendary American actor Marlon Brando. But the rest of the cast was just as talented, with guys like De Niro (of course) and Edward Norton showing up alongside Angela Bassett. And they all performed to a wonderful extent, really driving most of the film’s intrigue from start to finish.
But what makes The Score (2001) stand out from its heist film counterparts from this very era is that it also largely focused on the plot, the development of its characters like Nick Wells (a professional safecracker, played by De Niro) and Jack Teller (a fellow thief, played by Edward Norton). And in the end, its quality shines through in just about every fashion.
13 Sleepers (1996)
The plot of Sleepers (1996) isn't for the faint of heart, as it chronicles four boys who were beaten and sexually abused by four guards who worked at their teen reform school. And obviously, these scarring interactions followed them into adulthood — this is what the bulk of the film revolves around: them seeking vengeance and closure, essentially.
As a priest, Robert De Niro appears in a supporting role here in Sleepers, written and directed by Barry Levinson. De Niro's character Father "Bobby" Carillo was a troubled teen himself, and now acts as a sort of mentor to the four boys. It results in one of the more underrated films from everyone involved, from Kevin Bacon and Dustin Hoffman to Brad Pitt and Minnie Driver. And the product as a whole undoubtedly holds up today.
12 The Untouchables (1987)
This was De Niro's third collaboration with American director Brian De Palma, and the script was written by Sidney Lumet — two absolute veterans of the crime genre in their own rights thanks to films like Scarface (1983) and House of Games (1987), respectively. De Niro shows up in The Untouchables (1987) as the primary antagonist, Al Capone. And, sure, his performance wasn't necessarily worth writing home about to the extent of other actors in this prolific gangster flick. But the project as a whole undoubtedly ranks among the best crime films he's appeared in.
If you somehow missed this one upon release, it still holds up to this day, without a doubt. And those familiar with the real-life endgame case of Al Capone would likely recognize the name of Elliot Ness, who's portrayed by Kevin Costner here as he attempts to end Capone's infamous streak of criminal activities. Plus, Sean Connery absolutely nails his role as Jim Malone — it's one of many impressive elements by the creatives of this project.
11 The Irishman (2019)
If the previously touched upon Stone (2010) marked a shift in the list from bad movies to good, then The Irishman (2019) starts the next series of De Niro crime films, which could be considered “great”. Despite its lengthy runtime and years spent in development hell, this most recent Scorsese flick featured several of his most frequent collaborators — not just Robert De Niro, but also Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel.
Based on real events (and the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt), the film itself follows De Niro’s character Frank Sheehan as a truck driver-turned-hitman who starts doing work for a mob boss named Russell Bufalino — Joe Pesci’s character. And Al Pacino’s portrayal of labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa rounded this cast out to a tee.
10 The King of Comedy (1982)
Alright, if you didn’t already anticipate this: get ready for a ton of Scorsese collaborations. They worked on nine total movies together, with their tenth coming out later this year, and of those nine, five of them have been crime films — six, even, if you count Cape Fear (1991). Although, that one is generally classified as a thriller. Separate genre entirely.
But with regard to The King of Comedy (1983): it’s perhaps the most underrated that Scorsese and De Niro worked on together. It follows De Niro’s character Rupert Pupkin as he attempts to burst onto the scene of entertainment as a standup comedian. And the film itself is undoubtedly worthy of the acclaim it received upon release despite bombing at the worldwide box office. Can’t always have the best of both.
9 Mean Streets (1973)
This was De Niro’s first of those famous, aforementioned collaborations with American director Martin Scorsese. And much like the previous entry, Mean Streets (1973) is without a doubt one of the most underrated projects thereof. It stars Harvey Keitel as Charlie Cappa living in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City, while De Niro plays “Johnny Boy” Civello.
They build a tremendous dynamic as Johnny Boy is totally unpredictable in his actions and animated in his demeanor, while Charlie remains level-headed through and through. And as the former refuses to work, owes money to loan sharks, and ultimately drags Charlie down throughout the plot, De Niro did receive widespread acclaim for his role. And thus commenced one of the greatest filmmaking partnerships of all time.
8 Casino (1995)
Although this project could be considered among the more underrated projects of Scorsese and De Niro’s collaboration much like the prior entry on the list, Casino (1995) definitely received more love upon release than Mean Streets. Even today, the film at hand is considered by most critics and hardcore fans to be one of their best collaborations, easily.
As per usual, Scorsese cast De Niro in the starring role, and in this case, he plays Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a professional gambling handicapper. He’s in charge of a Vegas hotel and casino’s day-to-day operations, and the film chronicles the mafia’s involvement therewith. And, as with many De Niro/Scorsese films, Casino does in fact co-star Joe Pesci.