Top 10 Leo DiCaprio Performances

Greetings, reader!

Yesterday was the 46th birthday of Leonardo DiCaprio - one of the greatest actors working today, in the opinion of me and many others. Today I will share my list of his greatest acting performances thus far.

Here are my honorable mentions: Cobb in Inception (2010), Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997)

10. Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Catch Me If You Can tells the true story of a notorious con artist, with the specific point of view that his rough childhood and broken family lead to his questionable morals. This allows DiCaprio to play the lead role as a fleshed-out antihero, who is perceived as charming and even likable throughout his slick criminal activities, while one manages to simultaneously root for the FBI agent (Tom Hanks) trying to bust him. All in all, a very impressive role by the young DiCaprio.

9. Billy in The Departed (2006)

In Martin Scorsese's The Departed, Leonardo DiCaprio plays undercover cop Billy Costigan. The premise of his story mirrors that of Colin (Matt Damon), as Billy is a loyal police officer who becomes a mole in Boston's Irish mob, while Colin is an Irish mob loyalist who becomes a mole in the police force. The differences and similarities between the characters are fascinating to behold, and DiCaprio does a remarkable job as a believable police officer, while using his acting chops to become an equally believable criminal that his character is pretending to be.

8. Teddy Daniels in Shutter Island (2010)

An ambiguous performance for an ambiguous film with an ambiguous ending. DiCaprio's character, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, looks mysterious and confused for a majority of the film, which fits in perfectly with the cryptic and unsettling atmosphere. His chemistry with co-star Mark Ruffalo is awesome, and the film's flashback sequences have a lot of emotional power to them thanks to DiCaprio's gripping performance. The film's ending puts the entire role into a slightly different context, making it all the more impressive.

7. Calvin Candie in Django Unchained (2012)

Who would've imagined that the lovable pretty-boy from Titanic and Romeo + Juliet would one day expand his range all the way to a despicable full-fledged villain role? Surprising as this casting choice was, DiCaprio did a great job as the film's main antagonist, a wildly racist slaveowner called Calvin Candie. He is frighteningly believable in the role, proving that he is a truly multi-talented actor who is very willing to step out of his comfort zone.

6. J. Edgar Hoover in J. Edgar (2011)

Stepping into the shoes of a well-known historical figure is always a tough job for any actor, and the role of notorious FBI director J. Edgar Hoover certainly poses some challenge. But DiCaprio was the man for the job, tapping into his talents in villainy like in the previous entry, but with more tact and subtlety. Clint Eastwood's biopic doesn't paint Hoover as the over-the-top warmonger that many might expect, but rather takes a psychological and even humane look at why he became the way he was.

Of course there are moments of angry yelling, dramatic rants and megalomaniac behavior, and DiCaprio pulls them off well. But a majority of the film focuses on the more intricate and fragile side of the man, and he does even better with those sequences. Overall, a very powerful and well-studied performance.

5. Romeo in Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of the classic play has an intriguing premise that posed quite a challenge to the actors: the film takes place in a modern setting, yet it retains the original Shakespearean dialogue. A young DiCaprio got to prove his acting chops with this early performance, as he did a fantastic job in the titular role. Reciting that style of dialogue is challenging enough, but the actor did it while really throwing himself into the role with a lot of emotional range.

4. Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004)

As is bound to happen in any biopic directed by Martin Scorsese, The Aviator really dives into the deepest and darkest aspects in the life of its protagonist. DiCaprio dives headfirst into the complex role of Howard Hughes, a legendary movie director and aviator from the 1930's and 40's. The film puts a lot of emphasis on Hughes's gripping mental decline especially towards the end, and the actor plays the part to perfection. He earned his first Best Leading Actor -Oscar nomination for the role, and it was thoroughly deserved.

3. Rick Dalton in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

It is always challenging for an actor to play an actor. In Birdman (2014), it is very impressive how well Edward Norton plays an extremely talented actor. In The Disaster Artist (2017), it is very impressive how well James Franco plays an absolutely awful actor. But Leonardo DiCaprio, always one for nuances, was able to pull off quite the specific role: his character Rick Dalton is a successful and skilful actor, who isn't quite at the top of his game anymore.

There are scenes where he's struggling to remember his lines and fumbling his delivery. There's a phenomenal scene where he delivers a perfect monologue; it's a scene that would be Oscar-worthy for Rick Dalton in the film's fictional universe, and it certainly is Oscar-worthy for the fantastic real-life actor who brought to life the washed-out fictional actor doing his best to deliver a great performance.

2. Jordan Belfort in The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

He's great as a charming hero, he's surprisingly awesome as a villain, and he's absolutely perfect as a fleshed-out antihero. No matter what you think of the film and whether it romanticizes or demonizes the corrupt and extravagant lifestyle of Wall Street tycoons, you can't argue with the fact that Leo DiCaprio is amazing in the leading role. He plays notorious stock-broker Jordan Belfort with a dazzling chaotic energy, leaving the audience in awe with his insane confidence and drug-fuelled misadventures.

Humorous, gripping and everything in between all at once, Belfort's story comes to life in a complex and memorable fashion, thanks to the remarkable acting performance by DiCaprio. Hot take: as great as Matthew McConaughey was in Dallas Buyers Club (2013), I believe that year's Academy Award for Best Actor In A Leading Role should have gone to DiCaprio's Wolf Of Wall Street role instead.

1. Hugh Glass in The Revenant (2015)

For much of The Revenant's duration, DiCaprio's character doesn't speak much, as he's alone in the wilderness trying to survive. But the man doesn't need dialogue (often the utmost tool for actors to prove their talent) to prove what he's capable of. Between learning to shoot a musket, apply ancient healing techniques and speak two Native American languages for the role and actually performing feats like eating a raw slab of bison's liver and sleeping in an animal carcass, he certainly did the groundwork for the role. One could argue that an actor doesn't need to do all that for a performance to feel real, but who can blame the man for wanting to maximize the realism in his reactions and mannerisms?

A film like The Revenant would be inescapably boring despite its strengths, if it didn't star an actor who can really carry the lengthy survival sequences in an engaging manner. DiCaprio was the best man for the job, and I was glad to see him finally winning his long-overdue Oscar for this breathtaking performance.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next Thursday for my list about the greatest animated children's movies of all time.