Pairing Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando, two of the greatest method actors of their respective generations, and having them share the screen in a film would spark interest among cinephiles, casual audiences, and critics. And yet, The Score, a heist thriller starring De Niro as veteran safecracker Nick Wells, who receives a lucrative $4 million payoff from his old friend and fence, Max (Marlon Brando), to steal the French scepter stored in the Montreal Customs House, was the only time they collaborated on-screen.
The first time these two characters meet in Nick’s jazz club, you can feel the undeniable on-screen dynamic between them without relying on obligatory flashbacks to show how long they have known each other. It’s a masterclass in the less-is-more approach, eschewing their backstories in favor of watching their contrasting mannerisms unfold throughout their verbal exchanges in real time—De Niro’s Nick is poised and calculated, as opposed to Brando’s Max, who is more flamboyant and eccentric by comparison.
No flashy editing or fancy camerawork, just the two of them sitting at the table, interacting casually over a drink before getting down to business. The tension gradually builds from the moment Max wants Nick to steal the aforementioned priceless artifact. Except the location happens to be the Montreal Customs House, a risk too great for Nick to accept since he still remembers that Max used to tell him, “Steal outside the country, in the States, Europe, but Montreal, live in Montreal.”
It takes Nick a lot of hesitation before he finally accepts the job, realizing that retiring from his safecracking profession and settling down as a legitimate businessman managing the jazz club without worrying about financial difficulties requires a large sum of money.
The Godfather Almost Paired De Niro and Brando Decades Earlier
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, it’s amazing how long it took for De Niro and Brando to team up in a film, but it’s not like studios and directors hadn’t tried in the past. Even though the two were associated with The Godfather Part II, it was only because De Niro played the young Vito Corleone in the prequel segment, a role previously portrayed by Brando as the older version in the 1972 original film.
Francis Ford Coppola, who directed both movies to multiple Oscar victories, initially offered the role of Captain Benjamin Willard to De Niro for Apocalypse Now, which would have seen him sharing the screen with Brando, who played Colonel Kurtz, for the first time. But De Niro couldn’t do it since he was already locked in to play Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver at the time. Coppola ended up bringing in Martin Sheen after firing Harvey Keitel, feeling that the latter wasn’t the right actor for the role. It didn’t help, either, that the production itself suffered extensive delays despite beginning shooting in 1976. It ultimately stretched on longer than expected before Coppola managed to release it three years later, in 1979.
Interestingly, The Godfather Part II may have paved the way for De Niro’s first Academy Award win in the Best Supporting Actor category. However, can you imagine the unbelievable what-if scenario that De Niro originally auditioned for Sonny Corleone, the supporting role that eventually went to James Caan, despite Coppola himself admiring the former’s screen test?
Had De Niro been cast as the volatile Sonny Corleone, he would have shared a few scenes with Brando in The Godfather. Except De Niro was unknown at the time, and studio executives at Paramount Pictures preferred someone more established like James Caan. Still, that didn’t stop Coppola from trying to get De Niro into The Godfather, casting him as Paulie instead—a significantly smaller character by comparison—which ultimately ended with the actor backing out in favor of The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight.
Brando Clashed With Director Frank Oz — So De Niro Stepped In
Coming back to The Score, one would have wished this wasn’t the only time De Niro and Brando were paired together. However, the movie turned out to be Brando’s final film role before he passed away at the age of 80 on July 1, 2004. Still, filming The Score with Brando wasn’t as smooth as expected.
The legendary actor reportedly didn’t get along with director Frank Oz, even going as far as calling him “Miss Piggy” since the director used to be the puppeteer for the The Muppet Show character in both film and television. Brando didn’t like the way Oz told him how he was supposed to play his character, resulting in De Niro stepping in to direct Brando instead. The strategy worked, as the two actors had mutual respect and understanding for each other, while Oz watched their performances on a monitor instead.
It wasn’t the only time Oz’s directing style clashed with a strong-willed star—he’d run into similar friction a decade earlier on a very different set, with very different stakes.
The Score Beat the Box Office but Got Shut Out at the Oscars
The Score also features Edward Norton in a supporting role, playing the arrogant thief and mastermind Jack Teller, who manages to stand on his own, even with heavyweights De Niro and Brando in the movie. Despite the movie’s acting pedigree spanning three different generations, it didn’t open at the top of the US box office, settling for No. 2 instead with $19 million during its first three days, behind Legally Blonde‘s $20.3 million. The movie was a modest success, grossing over $113 million worldwide.
The Score may rank among the best heist movies of the 2000s, combining meticulous heist mechanics with deliberate tension and great acting. Unfortunately, the Academy barely recognized the effort, shutting it out of every possible nomination at the 74th Academy Awards, the year A Beautiful Mind and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring dominated the ceremony.
Where to Watch The Score Today
The Score is available to stream on Paramount+, and to rent or buy on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
