Robert De Niro is famous for his award-winning portrayals of gangsters, criminals and socially disturbed men who show surprising traces of vulnerability. By analyzing his astonishing roles in iconic films through the years, the documentary reveal the complex actor behind these extreme characters. Because the public knows little about the man who is largely silent about his own life and emotions, this film tries to unwraps one of the most fascinating and enigmatic American actors of all time for the audience. For this the filmakers use clips from his feature films, archive footage of his sparse interviews and probe into his background to illustrate De Niro’s methods for becoming the characters he plays and the reasons he’s able to do so. All of this culminates in a rare exposé of the genesis of the hidden pain that enables the masterful actor to bring such intensity to the big screen.

Robert De Niro: Hiding in the Spotlight

In March 1981, inspired by a dangerous obsession with the film Taxi Driver and actress Jodie Foster, a man named John Hinckley tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. The attack shocked the world and forever changed American history. Found not guilty by reason of insanity, Hinckley spent thirty-five years in a psychiatric hospital. Nearly 40 years later, a judge granted him his unconditional release.  HINCKLEY presents an unsparing profile of a man whose shocking act of political violence forever changed a nation and still resonates today. It examines Hinckley's troubled early life, his obsessions and other attempts at assassination, the leadup and aftermath of his attack on Reagan, and whether or not redemption is possible for one of America's most infamous men, especially in a nation deeply divided by politics and gripped by gun violence.