A very successful career in the 1990s, for both Pacino and De Niro, followed.
Pacino continued his successful comeback with supporting Oscar nominations for his gleefully animated turn in Dick Tracy (1990), and a pitch perfect, curse filled performance as salesman Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). Finally, came an overdue Oscar win for his role as the blind, cranky, and suicidal Lt. Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman (1992).
Other notable performances were his reprisal as an aged Michael Corleone in The Godfather Pt III (1990); a reunion with Brian De Pala as reformed gangster Carlito Brigante in Carlito’s Way (1993); spectacularly chewing up the scenery as Satan in legal thriller The Devil’s Advocate (1997); an equally funny and moving turn as lowlife hitman Lefty Ruggiero in Donnie Brasco (1997); and back to his crusading anti-hero roots in the exceptional, The Insider (1999).
De Niro also received Oscar nominations for his work as a comatose patient brought back to the land of the living in Awakenings (1990), and a ripped, heavily tattooed rapist out for revenge against his attorney, in Martin Scorsese’s remake of Cape Fear (1991).
Also of note were his two other –and thus far - last Scorsese collaborations, as brutal gangster Jimmy Conway in the modern crime masterpiece Goodfellas (1990), and smooth casino owner Sam “Ace” Rothstein in Casino (1995); as a brutal step father to a young Leonardo Di Caprio in This Boy’s Life (1993); underplaying to pristine perfection in Quentin Tarantino’s blaxploitation heist film Jackie Brown (1997); and flexing his comedic muscles as a mobster with emotional issues in Analyse This (1999).
The 1990s also saw both men make their directorial debuts; De Niro with a surprisingly heart warming adaptation of fellow actor Chazz Palmintiri’s play, A Bronx Tale (1993); and Pacino showing his love for Shakespeare in the docu-drama, Looking For Richard (1996).
With their careers on parallel paths once again, there was enough momentum for the two to team up for a project.
Heat (1995) was the brainchild of writer/director Michael Mann. The story focused on the parallel lives of career thief, the cold and meticulous Neil McCauley, and dogged hotdog police detective Vincent Hannah. Both McCauley and Hannah were written with De Niro and Pacino in mind, and Mann pulled off something of a coup by getting both men to sign on the dotted line.
The buzz around the production was palpable, and although Heat became a critical and commercial success, it is remembered for something else entirely: here are two masters of their craft at the peak of their artistic and professional careers going head to head. Never has film history have two actors been so frequently compared in critic circles. Both Italians Americans, keen students of the method form of acting, successors to Brando, and most importantly, they are seen as actors first and move stars second.
Heat also marked the time when both men established themselves as elder statesmen of their profession, who –again, like Brando before them – became the ideal of how an actor should approach his craft, in the process becoming the idol to millions, some of whom would eventually be their co-stars and peers.
Truth be told, Pacino had already set himself as a mentor of sorts to his younger co-stars while shooting The Godfather Pt III (1990). He once famously quipped to a clearly struggling Soffia Coppola, the daughter of writer/director Francis Ford Coppola, cast in the pivotal role as Michael Corleone’s daughter, Mary: “When you get the urge to act, lie down and wait for it to pass”.
Ditto Andy Garcia, who played the role of Michael’s nephew and successor to the Corleone crown, who still to this day affectionately calls Pacino his “Uncle Michael”.
Various other roles would follow, with Pacino playing off against an equally talented younger actor in films such as Donnie Brasco (1997), where Johnny Depp stated afterwards: “He’s one of those actors who remind you how much you love what you do, what a pleasure it is to do the job”.
Not to be outdone, De Niro has also received equally high praise for his body of work, with The Score (1999) co-star Edward Norton stating: “(De Niro’s) one of those people who live up to the hype in the best way. He’s serious and meticulous and he’s maintained just an incredibly impressive level of discipline about his approach to work after so many years of doing it.”
The 2000s have proven to be a rocky decade for both thus far. De Niro’s success with comedy saw him deliver some truly memorable -Analyse This (1999), Meet the Parents (2000) – and some truly horrible –Showtime (2002), Analyse That (2002), Meet the Fockers (2004) - comedic turns. Other stinkers such as The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), Godsend (2004), and Hide and Seek (2005), did not help the reputation of a man who once said: “The talent is in the choices”.
Pacino also starred in some real turkeys. Every captivating turn in Insomnia (2002), Angels in America (2003), or The Merchant of Venice (2005); was countered with S1M0NE (2002), People I Know (2002), and the straight to DVD 88 Minutes (2007).
Hoping to curve the tide, De Niro and Pacino teamed up once again for serial killer thriller Righteous Kill (2008), where they play a pair of aging police detectives on the hunt for a killer doing in the bad guys. It was a commercial and critical flop.
Now well into their 60s, both men continue to work whether on screen, stage, or behind the scenes. Future projects for De Niro includes a re-union with Michael Mann for Frankie Machine (2010); and a long overdue reunion with Martin Scorsese, in an as yet untitled project.
Pacino too has a busy plate, placing the finishing touches to docu-drama Salomaybe? –a look at Oscar Wylde’s Salome – and filming is to begin soon in Dali and I (2009), where Pacino will play eccentric painter Salvador Dali.
Whether any of these projects will see the pair capture their past glories really should not make a difference. While their careers at the moment may not be the most inspirational, their body of work has established a legacy unrivalled in terms of box office takings, and more importantly, influence in the art of acting, which has encouraged a plethora of acting talent to take centre stage, just as Brando did to them.
Perhaps no other pair of actors has changed the cinema landscape as much as these two have. Sure, there are strong contenders, but as far as discipline to their craft and quality of work goes, Pacino and De Niro are unrivalled. Expect, of course, to each other.
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