Extremely hard question for me to answer personally, as he's my favorite actor of all time. He's played a great variety of roles, and successfully pulled them off famously.
My top three: 'The Godfather part II', 'Raging Bull', 'A Bronx Tale'
If I have to pick just one, which I am in this case, then I'm going to have to go with 'Raging Bull'. It was one of those performances for the ages, and I honestly can't picture anyone else portraying Jake La Motta. It was a brutal, savage, sincere, and moving performance. I remember the first time that I watched it vividly, as I was completely riveted in my chair. His energy and mannerisms (for those that saw old Jake fights and interviews) just leapt from the screen, and I felt at times that I was really watching Jake La Motta reincarnated.
"I'm gonna open his hole like this. Please excuse my French. I'm gonna make him suffer. I'm gonna make his mother wish she never had him - make him into dog meat... He's a nice, a nice kid. He's a pretty kid, too. I mean I don't know, I gotta problem if I should f#*!^ him or fight him." - classic!
It's extremely hard to narrow down to just one choice, as his career has been marked with many great films and performances. I have no doubt in my mind, that he'll go down as one of the greatest actors to ever grace the silver screen (if he's not already there). He's just one of those types of people that has an aura about him that is inescapable and powerful, and it translates well into cinema.
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