There are legendary actors, and then there are Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Over the course of their long and storied careers, the pair have made some truly remarkable films. From Scarface to Dog Day Afternoon, from Goodfellas to Meet the Parents, both of these men have given some truly splendid performances over the years, and they rarely disappoint.
With that being said, you might be surprised to find out they actually haven’t been in many movies together. In fact, even though both actors have been working for roughly 60 years, they have only appeared together in four different films. So, for fun, let’s take a look at those four films and rank them from worst to best.
4. Righteous Kill
You read that right, the film you’ve probably never heard of is coming fourth on our list and it is the worst film that both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino have starred in. In fact, it might be on both of their lists separately. Directed by Jon Avnet, Righteous Kill was released in 2008. The pair star as two detectives who are embroiled in the case of a serial killer, someone who is killing criminals involved in their cases.
The movie is stacked with a good cast, with Curtis Jackson, Carla Gugino, Donnie Wahlberg, Melissa Leo, Brian Dennehy, and John Leguizamo. Nobody’s performances are the worst part of the movie — that award might go to either the editing or the script. The editing feels like it’s straight out of 2008, almost like a bootleg version of The Departed or one of the later Saw films. We won’t spoil the twist ending here, but it’s one you can see a mile away and isn’t very good. You don’t need to run to go watch this one if you haven’t seen it. You can stream Righteous Kill on DirectTV, or rent or buy it on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.
3. The Irishman
It pains us to say the only Martin Scorsese film both actors appeared in takes the third spot on our list, but it just goes to show you the caliber of their overall work. Netflix’s The Irishman was released in 2019, and it managed to net Pacino a nomination for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role as Jimmy Hoffa. The movie is based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. It follows the decades-long story of De Niro’s Frank Sheeran and his role as a hitman for the Bufalino crime family.
Also starring in the movie is almost every actor who has ever played a gangster, with Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, Kathrine Narducci, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Graham, and Harvey Keitel all starring. While it is nowhere near Scorsese’s best film, it’s still pretty great, with a brilliant story and phenomenal performances from everybody in the cast. But, it’s quite long at 209 minutes, and that would be fine if the film didn’t drag in places, dragging it down in our rankings as well. You can check out The Irishman on Netflix.
2. Heat
You know your career has been amazing if Heat is coming in at second place. Written and directed by Michael Mann, Heat was released in 1995. Pacino plays an LAPD detective named Vincent Hanna who is tasked with tracking down a master thief named Neil McCauley, played by De Niro. The film has a great story, with an excellent game of cat and mouse between the pair. Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Ted Levine, William Fichtner, Hank Azaria, Natalie Portman, and Danny Trejo all appear, rounding out what might be the best cast on this list.
Heat is one of the tensest movies ever made, and even when there are seemingly boring moments, something about the scene stays interesting, whether it’s someone’s performance or the dialogue. To see Pacino and De Niro play rivals tops the film off as in the other films, they were friendly. The scene with the two of them in the diner remains one of the best scenes in cinematic history. You can stream Heat on Hulu and rent or buy it on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.
1. The Godfather Part II
It’s quite ironic that the best film both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have appeared in is one where the two never shared a scene. Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II was released in 1974, and it earned De Niro the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while it scored Pacino a nomination for Best Actor. The sequel to The Godfather, Part II takes place a few years after the first film in 1958, following Michael’s attempts to turn his crime organization legitimate while getting back at the people who attempted to kill him.
It is intercut with scenes that follow his father Vito Andolini (Corleone), played by De Niro, who has to flee Italy to America after witnessing the death of his family. Seeing both Vito’s rise to power, while concurrently seeing the lengths Michael goes to protect that power, makes for one of the best and most riveting films of all time. Michael attempting to reconcile his family with his “Family” might be the best performance Pacino has ever given, and the same can be said about De Niro’s quiet performance of Vito.
Like the other movies on this list, The Godfather Part II also contains a brilliant cast, with Talia Shire, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Robert Duvall, Lee Strasberg, Gastone Moschin, and Morgana King all starring in the film. There are very few films that could be described as perfect, with the cinematography, story, and performances all at their absolute peak. Not only is The Godfather Part II one of these aforementioned films, but for many, it remains the best film of all time. You can stream The Godfather Part II on Peacock and rent or buy it on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.
How would you rank these (mostly) excellent movies? Hopefully, we will be able to add to this list in the future as it would be good to see the pair share the screen again. For now, we will have to make do with rewatching these fantastic films.