Counting down Robert De Niro's 10 best performances

As the actor celebrates his seventh Oscar nod, we round up his career highlights.

By Guy Lodge Tuesday, Feb 5, 2013 3:38 PM

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10. Louis Cyphre in "Angel Heart" (1987)
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10. Louis Cyphre in "Angel Heart" (1987)

I suspect this won't be a popular choice, as one might see De Niro's lip-licking turn as an ill-disguised Satan in Alan Parker's lurid but luscious horror-noir -- combined with his equally flamboyant Al Capone cameo in "The Untouchables" the same year -- as the bridging point to his flagrant misuse of his talents over the past two decades. But there's genuine, bright-eyed relish to his economically rationed study in feyly articulate evil, and he sure has a mesmerizing way of peeling an egg. Film's a lot better than its rep, too.   

Nomination: Best Supporting Actor, Saturn Awards

Photo Credit: Sony Pictures