5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reasons why some are left out, August 4, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Robert De Niro Collection (Analyze This/A Bronx Tale/Goodfellas/Heat/Wag The Dog) (DVD)
I can't begin to think that others don't bother to realize that the reason this collection is available with these titles is because Warner Bros. produced all five titles. The reason why other titles is because (a) they were produced by another studio [e.g. Cape Fear, Universal; The Untouchables, Paramount, etc, or (b) they are part of a series that are already in their own boxed set [e.g. The Godfather], or both reasons. I think that all of these movies are good when looked at by themselves, not as a whole. This is because Wag the Dog and Analyze This are comedies, while GoodFellas, A Bronx Tale and Heat are all crime dramas.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here's the deal, May 11, 2005
This review is from: The Robert De Niro Collection (Analyze This/A Bronx Tale/Goodfellas/Heat/Wag The Dog) (DVD)
A lot of people have complained about this collection because they claim it doesn't house De Niro's best films. Let me break it down this way: Warner Bros. released this box set (as well as an Al Pacino version) and they are only allowed to include films licensed through WB. Therefore, most Martin Scorsese/De Niro classics such as Raging Bull (MGM), Taxi Driver (Columbia), Casino (Universal) etc. cannot legally be included. They'd have to make some sort of deal with all the major movie studios, and that's practically impossible.
So, for what's included here, it's a great place to start a De Niro collection. You can usually find it on the market for $59.99 -- divide it by five... yeah, it's a pretty cheap deal when you consider the fact that these DVDs by themselves cost around $11 - $12 in the average video store.
ANALYZE THIS -- Not a great film, but De Niro is very funny and it's an essential De Niro movie as it's not only one of his best comedic performances, but one of his most popular films. If you're a De Niro buff, and you don't own this, you might get some skeptical glances from other fans.
WAG THE DOG -- An underrated, sharp satire with a great ensemble cast, well directed by Barry Levinson ("Rain Man"). I can see why some might not like it, but if you enjoyed "Bulworth" and similar political satires, you'll like this. (For the record, I thought it was far subtler and more intellectual than "Bulworth" was, although they're both fine comedies.) Dustin Hoffman is actually better than De Niro in this in my opinion - he's really funny.
GOODFELLAS - This has since been released on a Special Edition DVD but this standard-disc version is still good enough... it's got the same transfer as the SE version and the trailers as well... it doesn't have the commentary or the documentaries, but I heard the commentary -- split into different sections -- is a waste of time and the docs are only so-so... at $10 it's a pretty good deal and one of the top five De Niro films of all time. You can always upgrade letter.
HEAT -- This has also been re-released recently but nevertheless this disc is pretty good for an older DVD release... the movie itself is awesome. The new DVD is better, but again, you can always upgrade if you enjoy it enough.
A BRONX TALE -- Robert De Niro directed this and in my opinion it's one of the greatest gangster/Mafia films ever made, and unique because it deals with different aspects of the genre that even Martin Scorsese doesn't touch upon in some of his films. De Niro is excellent in it and he does a terrific job behind the camera. I'm thrilled to hear he's directing a film next year -- after seeing this I was in awe of just how talented he is behind the camera.
So overall if you're new to De Niro this is a good place to start, and if you're building up a collection there's a good chance you're going to want most of these films sooner or later... at a pricetag of $60 it's a pretty good deal and I'd recommend it to anyone. The only other De Niro film I know of that WB had the rights to and should have included here was "Sleepers," also directed by Levinson ("Wag the Dog")... you should seek that out after buying this, it's a good movie.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Robert De Niro @ His Best!!!, October 14, 1999
This review is from: The Robert De Niro Collection (Analyze This/A Bronx Tale/Goodfellas/Heat/Wag The Dog) (DVD)
If you are a Robert De Niro fan, you need this set of DVDs! I enjoyed every single one of these films, from the hilarious 'Analyze This' to Wag The Dog, and a little bit of Mob Action in 'Goodfellas' and tie it together with 'A Bronx Tale' and, my personal action favorite, 'HEAT'. Five Stars! Superb!
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