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Untouchable: A Biography of Robert DeNiro

Untouchable: A Biography of Robert DeNiro

List Price: $15.95
Your Price: $11.17
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An indepth insight into the genius of DeNiro.
Review: Although the book tends to contradict itself, it does it's best to give us insight into the very elusive actor. The book is nothing more than a compilation of articles and interviews DeNiro has given during his career. Personal recollections of those who've worked with him are thrown in in an attempt to balance the reporting but it is far from a personal history of the most talented actor working today. However, Andy Dugan does his best to print both sides of the less flattering characterstics and adds personal commentary of his own to allow the reader to make their own judgement of what's true and what's slanted criticism. Because it is hard to find any information about DeNiro it is definately worth reading.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Compelling reading. This is about the most interesting
Review: biography I have read in a long time. Mr De Niro is a credit to his chosen career.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Untouchable...
Review: I'm a big fan of Robert DeNiro.This book help me to see him in different view.The way he's prepare for each role his endeless hard work and great performing.He's know as a private person and the book is not only talk about his great movies,but tell a lot of his private life.I learn so much and I recomended everybody who loves him.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great book. One mistake.
Review: In chapter 8 (p65 paperback), Dougan says De Niro "is the only person in the Godfather films who utters the immortal phrase about non-refusable offers. 'I'll make him an offer he don't refuse.'" This is incorrect. Brando says it in The Godfather, to explain how he's going to get that washed-up actor the role he wants. It is ironic that Dougan missed it and wrote about the phrase in a chapter called "The New Brando". Nonetheless, the book is, without question, very well-written and a fast read. I hope Mr. De Niro is happy with it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great book. One mistake.
Review: In chapter 8 (p65 paperback), Dougan says De Niro "is the only person in the Godfather films who utters the immortal phrase about non-refusable offers. 'I'll make him an offer he don't refuse.'" This is incorrect. Brando says it in The Godfather, to explain how he's going to get that washed-up actor the role he wants. It is ironic that Dougan missed it and wrote about the phrase in a chapter called "The New Brando". Nonetheless, the book is, without question, very well-written and a fast read. I hope Mr. De Niro is happy with it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GOOD BOOK LOTS OF INFO.
Review: It took me a long time and I mean a very long time about 6 mths. to actually get into this book but after I did I enjoyed it and found out alot of information that I never knew about Deniro. The one thing that bothered me about this book and took me so long to get into it was the grammar in this book I mean I am no English lit. teacher but at least proofread the book before publishing it. I mean come on there was alot of mispelling of words and missing words that you just kind of had to fill in for yourself along the way, and it was a little confusing the way the author went back and forth with certain events and movies you really had to follow along every single step of the way. Overall I liked it because it was a good book as far as info. was concerned. I really only bought the book because I love Deniro as an actor and think he is THE sexiest man alive!!!

DEE-Cleveland,OHIO

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GOOD BOOK LOTS OF INFO.
Review: It took me a long time and I mean a very long time about 6 mths. to actually get into this book but after I did I enjoyed it and found out alot of information that I never knew about Deniro. The one thing that bothered me about this book and took me so long to get into it was the grammar in this book I mean I am no English lit. teacher but at least proofread the book before publishing it. I mean come on there was alot of mispelling of words and missing words that you just kind of had to fill in for yourself along the way, and it was a little confusing the way the author went back and forth with certain events and movies you really had to follow along every single step of the way. Overall I liked it because it was a good book as far as info. was concerned. I really only bought the book because I love Deniro as an actor and think he is THE sexiest man alive!!!

DEE-Cleveland,OHIO

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "Anytime, anywhere."
Review: It took me a while to decide whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. As you can see, I decided on the lower number. I have many reasons for this:
1. This is an interesting book, but only because it is about Robert De Niro. Not because the information is presented in an interesting fashion. In fact, my Calculus textbook presents its information more interestingly than this bio. Mr. Dougan either doesn't know how to write, or had his 9 year old write this book for him. The language of his writing is awful. The way he states things is bad (he also uses the word "keen" at least once every 2 pages-what's up with that?)You'll understand what I mean
if you have read this.
3. He doesn't do everything in chronological order. For example, he'll go on for a few pages about a movie De Niro was doing, than he'll suddenly go back five years and tell us about De Niro's relationship with one of his wives or something like that. He could definately have done this in a way so that it isn't so grating on the reader.
4. He uses quotes that are at times unrelated to what he's talking about.
5. He repeats the same information multiple times. For example, I think that he has John Belushi dying about 5 times in 2 chapters. In fact chapters 22 and 23 three begin with almost the exact same sentence ("The death of John Belushi was a devastating blow for De Niro." and "Since the death of John Belushi, De Niro had been taking stock of his life." Tell me that those two chapters don't sound like they are both about the same thing, De Niro dealing with Belushi's death.)
6. He uses unrelated things to make the book seem bigger. For example, a little over two chapters are devoted to John Belushi's life, his relatationship with De Niro, his death, and the investigation after his death.
7. He doesn't have enough actual information about De Niro preparing and making his movies. He tends to spend much more time quoting reviews that various critics gave of De Niro's performances. In fact, I'd say that the critic quotes outnumber actual facts about making the movies 3 to 1.
8. He has absolutely no interviews that he specifically did for this book with anyone who would know anything about De Niro's life, preparing for roles, making his movies, anything! Instead he relies on past interviews that other people have conducted with De Niro and people who know him.
So, overall this was an interesting book since it is the first bio of Robert De Niro that I read. However, that is the only thing it has going for it. Unless you can't find ANYTHING at all better, don't read this. If you have to read this because your library doesn't have any other bios on De Niro (the unfortunate situation that I fell into), then I guess this is okay.
Oh, I almost forgot one more thing:
9. He gets a lot of his facts wrong. For instance, he says that De Niro, playing Vito Corleone in Godfather II, was the only one to say the famous "offer he can't refuse" line. While in fact, Brando says it in the first one when telling Tom Hagen what to do about Woltz, the movie producer, AND Michael (Pacino) also says it in the first one when Fredo asks how he will convince Moe Greene to sell the casino. And those two are just off of my head (he does say that Pacino "alluded" to the famous line while telling Kay about Luca Brasi and the band leader during the wedding scene, but he says that that apparently doesn't count).

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "Anytime, anywhere."
Review: It took me a while to decide whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. As you can see, I decided on the lower number. I have many reasons for this:
1. This is an interesting book, but only because it is about Robert De Niro. Not because the information is presented in an interesting fashion. In fact, my Calculus textbook presents its information more interestingly than this bio. Mr. Dougan either doesn't know how to write, or had his 9 year old write this book for him. The language of his writing is awful. The way he states things is bad (he also uses the word "keen" at least once every 2 pages-what's up with that?)You'll understand what I mean
if you have read this.
3. He doesn't do everything in chronological order. For example, he'll go on for a few pages about a movie De Niro was doing, than he'll suddenly go back five years and tell us about De Niro's relationship with one of his wives or something like that. He could definately have done this in a way so that it isn't so grating on the reader.
4. He uses quotes that are at times unrelated to what he's talking about.
5. He repeats the same information multiple times. For example, I think that he has John Belushi dying about 5 times in 2 chapters. In fact chapters 22 and 23 three begin with almost the exact same sentence ("The death of John Belushi was a devastating blow for De Niro." and "Since the death of John Belushi, De Niro had been taking stock of his life." Tell me that those two chapters don't sound like they are both about the same thing, De Niro dealing with Belushi's death.)
6. He uses unrelated things to make the book seem bigger. For example, a little over two chapters are devoted to John Belushi's life, his relatationship with De Niro, his death, and the investigation after his death.
7. He doesn't have enough actual information about De Niro preparing and making his movies. He tends to spend much more time quoting reviews that various critics gave of De Niro's performances. In fact, I'd say that the critic quotes outnumber actual facts about making the movies 3 to 1.
8. He has absolutely no interviews that he specifically did for this book with anyone who would know anything about De Niro's life, preparing for roles, making his movies, anything! Instead he relies on past interviews that other people have conducted with De Niro and people who know him.
So, overall this was an interesting book since it is the first bio of Robert De Niro that I read. However, that is the only thing it has going for it. Unless you can't find ANYTHING at all better, don't read this. If you have to read this because your library doesn't have any other bios on De Niro (the unfortunate situation that I fell into), then I guess this is okay.
Oh, I almost forgot one more thing:
9. He gets a lot of his facts wrong. For instance, he says that De Niro, playing Vito Corleone in Godfather II, was the only one to say the famous "offer he can't refuse" line. While in fact, Brando says it in the first one when telling Tom Hagen what to do about Woltz, the movie producer, AND Michael (Pacino) also says it in the first one when Fredo asks how he will convince Moe Greene to sell the casino. And those two are just off of my head (he does say that Pacino "alluded" to the famous line while telling Kay about Luca Brasi and the band leader during the wedding scene, but he says that that apparently doesn't count).

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The usual inquirer garbage.
Review: Robert DeNiro is, without a doubt, one of the most engrossing actors ever.

When I noticed that there was a new biography out by Dougan, I was immediately interested in reading it. However, the book has many faults: inconsistent reference to "Robert DeNiro Snr, Robert DeNiro, Robert DeNiro Jnr, Bobby DeNiro" -- to such an extent that the reader at points has to guess to whom the name is referenced! Secondly, the book refers to a painting by Virginia Admiral as having sold for $100, but in the picture caption after page 152 lists $1000 as the selling price. This is just what a reader does NOT need in a biography. When some details are obviously in disagreement, I become much more dubious about any other fact that I don't already know. Defeating, since one usually chooses to buy a biography to learn new things about the subject.

Also, while there are 16 pages of pictures, probably 75% of them are from the British Film Institute -- very common acting pictures. There are no pictures of DeNiro's mother/father/children, and only one picture of each wife. Disappointing.

For a reader who knows relatively little about Robert DeNiro and can overlook the minor inconsistencies, this book will suffice. However, if you are as discerning with the quality of the literature you read as the actors you choose to follow from the theatre, skip this one.


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