Martin Scorsese mixed results, gangster epic "Goodfellas" (1990) was a return to form for Scorsese and his most confident and fully realized film since "Raging Bull". De Niro and Joe Pesci offered a virtuoso display of the director's bravura cinematic technique in the film and re-established, enhanced, and consolidated his reputation. After the film was released Roger Ebert, a friend and supporter of Scorsese, named "Goodfellas" "the best mob movie ever" and is ranked No. 1 on Roger's movie list for 1990, along with Gene Siskel and Peter Travers, the film is widely considered one of the director's greatest achievements. The film
Robert De Niro Festival in 1997, he was awarded an Honorable Prize for contribution to cinema. De Niro would reference "In the Line of Fire", along with "Dirty Harry" (1971) and "Magnum Force" (1973), two more of Eastwood's films, in "Righteous Kill" (2008). He also appeared in the crime drama "Cop Land" (1997). He starred in the police action-thriller "Heat" (1995), along with fellow actor and long-time friend, Al Pacino. The duo drew much attention from fans, as both have generally been compared throughout their careers. Though Pacino and De Niro both starred in "The Godfather Part II" (1974), they shared no screen