Who Had The Better '90s: Robert De Niro Or Al Pacino?

I don’t know what it is, but if you were around during the ‘90s, then Robert De Niro and Al Pacino were ostensibly linked. Perhaps it was the fact that they both starred in one of Francis Ford Coppola’s best films, The Godfather Part II back in the ‘70s.

Or maybe it was that they both starred in numerous gangster films, with Pacino famously connected to one of the coolest ones, Scarface, and De Niro, of course, starring in multiple Scorsese gangster flicks, like Casino and Goodfellas. But, whatever the reason, when you think of De Niro, you likely also think of Pacino, and vice versa (again, that’s if you were around during the ‘90s).

Speaking of the ’90s, both actors had a really interesting decade. But, whose was better? Well, you’re about to find out.

Robert De Niro in Goodfellas — (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Robert De Niro Made Far More Films In The ’90s Than Pacino

Do you know how many movies Robert De Niro made in the ‘90s? Twenty-five. Yes, you heard that right. Of those films, I’d say the REALLY big ones were Goodfellas, Backdraft, Cape Fear, Casino, Heat, The Fan, and Analyze This. Of the medium-sized (and probably more importantly, respected) movies, I’d say Awakenings, This Boy’s Life, A Bronx Tale, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Wag the Dog, Sleepers, Jackie Brown, and Ronin.

That is a LOT of movies, and noteworthy ones at that. All counting, I’d say De Niro was in 15 meaty roles, with many of them still being talked about today (Most notably in Goodfellas, which is definitely one of the best movies of the 1990s). However, I did say he was in 25 films, and many of them you might not have heard of before. Here are just a few of them: Stanley & Iris, Mistress, Night and the City, Mad Dog and Glory, Cop Land, and Flawless, just to name a few.

Now, I’m not saying that these other movies aren’t good (I especially love Cop Land), but sometimes an actor can be in too many films, and you start to wonder how big of a role they actually played in all of them.

For example, yes, he is in Goodfellas, but is he the first person you think of, or is it Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta? Yes, De Niro’s in one of my favorite Tarantino movies, Jackie Brown, but is he the lead, or supporting cast? These are all important questions to ask when considering who had the better decade!

Al Pacino in Carlito's Way

(Image credit: Universal)

That Said, Pacino Might Have Had More To Do In This Same Time Period

Okay, so let’s look at Pacino’s ‘90s now, shall we? When it comes to films, he was in 14. That said, I’d say that they were probably meatier roles than De Niro’s for the most part. For example, of the big movies, Pacino starred in The Godfather Part III, Scent of a Woman, Carlito’s Way, Heat, Donnie Brasco, The Devil’s Advocate, The Insider, and Any Given Sunday. For smaller roles, he was in Dick Tracy, Glengarry Glen Ross, and City Hall.

However, it doesn’t stop with film, because unlike De Niro, Pacino also did some theater in the ‘90s, such as Chinese Coffee, Salome, and the Eugene O’Neill play, Hughie, which he also directed. Not only that, but he also did documentaries (De Niro did one in the ‘90s, that being narration for Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth) such as Madonna: Truth or Dare, and Looking for Richard (which Pacino also wrote and directed).

I think this is important, because it shows that Pacino branched out more than De Niro in the ‘90s, as the latter stayed mostly in front of a camera. That said, was The Godfather Part III anywhere near as impactful as Goodfellas, or even Casino (which I still don’t think gets enough credit)? Of course not. But, Pacino carried that film. Inversely, Pesci did a lot of the legwork in those aforementioned De Niro movies.

Which is a salient point. Because besides Cape Fear and Ronin, I feel like De Niro was more of a supporting actor in the ‘90s. A damn strong one, sure, but more supporting than leading. Not so with Pacino. He led in most appearances.

Chazz Palminteri in A Bronx Tale

(Image credit: Savoy Pictures)

De Niro Made His Directorial Debut In The ’90s

Here’s a big one. De Niro beat Pacino to the director’s seat by a few years, as A Bronx Tale, which was De Niro’s directorial debut, came out in 1993, whereas Pacino’s directorial debut (if we’re talking featuring length films and not documentaries) was 2000’s Chinese Coffee, which was based off of a two character, one-act play that he starred in back in 1992.

However, Chinese Coffee is rather small in scope, which I assume is similar to the play (I’ve never seen it). A Bronx Tale, on the other hand, is very ambitious in scope, and it feels like the work of somebody who has been in the director’s seat for years.

Also based on a play (this one a one-man show written and performed by Chazz Palminteri, who plays mob boss, Sonny, in the movie), A Bronx Tale is about a teenager named Calogero (Lillo Brancato Jr.) who becomes enamored with a life of crime, but also wants to do better because of his hard-working father, played by De Niro himself. There’s also racial tensions between Black people and Italians in the story, and it’s a pretty potent film.

And, the story broadened years later when it was turned into a Broadway musical. Now, the musical is based more on the original play, but De Niro co-directed the Broadway show in the 2010s, and it’s almost like it’s the story that keeps on giving for him, so there’s that as well. That said…

Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell sitting at a table, wearing suits in Scent Of A Woman

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Pacino Won Best Actor In The ’90s

Not too long ago, I wrote about how I thought Scorsese’s best decade was the ‘80s, and I’d say the same for De Niro. That was the decade when he won his Best Actor Academy Award for Raging Bull, and also the decade he starred in one of my favorite Scorsese movies, The King of Comedy.

It’s also the decade where he was in three of my favorite De Niro movies, those being Brazil, Once Upon a Time in America, and The Mission. All of this is to say that I think De Niro had a stronger ‘80s than ‘90s, even though he did substantially fewer films.

So, he didn’t win any Best Actor Awards in the ‘90s. But, do you know who did? Al Pacino for 1992’s Scent of a Woman, which is about a blind, retired Lt. Col. who bonds with a preparatory school student (Chris O’Donnell) over the holidays.

I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t even like Scent of a Woman. When Elaine from Seinfeld makes fun of it (“Hoo-ah”), you know you’ve lost. That said, Pacino DID win Best Actor for his performance, which is a crowning achievement for any actor. So…