Yes, lookin’ at you

Re Kenneth Turan’s “Does De Niro Have a Script for His Career?” (Feb. 13): Yes, Robert De Niro does definitely have a script for his career: “How to Make a Lot of Money Without Having to Work on My Craft.”

I do not think De Niro is a great actor. His performance in “Raging Bull” was certainly great, but before that and endlessly after he has given us the same performance -- the same expressions, the same inflection in the voice, the same limited range. If Robert De Niro is so exceptionally talented, as Turan proclaims so profusely, then how exceptional is Gary Oldman, Daniel Day-Lewis or Ian Holm, etc.?

Great actors, who are mostly English and not spoiled by the huge allowances given to American actors in Hollywood, take risks and hone their craft with every role. American actors take the easier and certainly more profitable road -- that of the movie star.

Giuseppe Mirelli

Los Angeles