AR 005 - Robert de Niro - Goodfellas

This is another excellent acting reference for animators. In this reference, Robert de Niro is playing the character Jimmy, a mobster from the classic and probably best mafia based film, Goodfellas. In this scene, Jimmy has been annoyed and pestered by another character Morris, played by Chuck Low. By this point in the film, Jimmy can stand Morris anymore and when he sees him something starts cooking in Jimmy's mind. For those of you who haven't seen this film... GO SEE IT! But I won't spoil anything here. By Robert de Niro's performance, what Jimmy is thinking and what he wants to do. Play close attention to how long Robert de Niro holds his pose and the small subtle movement he does with his facial expressions... especially the slight, wicked, smile... This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. What's great about it, is that nothing is said, but we know exactly what is going on.