From "The Fast and the Dead" to "The Survivor": 20 Best Films by Leonardo DiCaprio

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Remember the first roles, collaboration with Martin Scorsese and the coveted Oscar.

Leonardo DiCaprio's acting career began in early childhood. Still very young, he starred in all kinds of commercials, then got into television series. For example, he played the young Mason Capwell in the well-known "Santa Barbara". Also Leo flashed in "The New Adventures of Lassie" and "Roseanne".

The first major role went to him in a very mediocre comedy horror film "Critters-3". But then the actor was waiting for real glory.

1. This guy's life

• USA, 1993.
• Drama, biography.
• Duration: 115 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Caroline's husband left her for a rich woman and took her eldest son. Without a job, she and her youngest child set off on a journey across America in search of a new life. Soon, Caroline meets a pleasant man Dwight and starts an affair with him. But it soon turns out that she brought a real despot to the house, who turns her life into a nightmare.

DiCaprio was lucky to play his first serious role in the film, where Robert De Niro, already famous at that time, became his screen partner.

2. What's eating Gilbert Grape?

• USA, 1993.
• Drama.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

Gilbert Grape lives in a small town where literally everyone knows each other. And it so happened that it was he who had to provide for the whole family: the mother stays at home, the sisters cannot arrange their personal life, and the younger brother is feeble-minded. Gilbert has no chance of getting out of the routine until Becky's girlfriend stops in town. Now his dreams are connected with something completely different.

DiCaprio was not yet 20 years old when he starred in this picture. The role of the feeble-minded Arnie Grape earned him his first Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.

3. Fast and dead

• USA, 1995
• Western, adventure.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

In a small town in the Wild West, only the speed of fire dictates the law. Once upon a time the bandit Herod seized power here, and now he arranges a competition of shooters. A huge sum of money is at stake, and many want to fight for it, including the son of Herod, nicknamed the Kid, and the mysterious Ellen.

4. Diary of a basketball player

• USA, 1995.
• Biography, drama, crime.
• Duration: 102 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

The real story of musician and writer Jim Carroll, based on his autobiography. The main character is a sixteen-year-old teenager. He writes good poetry and plays basketball well. But drugs come into the life of Jim and his friends, and this leads them to degradation, and then to prison.

5. Romeo + Juliet

• USA, 1996.
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Rethinking the classic tragedy of William Shakespeare. The plot and even the text completely repeat the original. But the action itself was transferred to the present, where the story of the tragic love of two teenagers from warring families is revealed.

6. Titanic

• USA, 1997.
• Drama, melodrama, disaster film
• Duration: 194 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

The story of the trip of the luxurious Titanic liner and its wreck. While sailing aboard the ship, a romantic relationship develops between a girl from high society and a poor artist.

It was this film that lifted Leonardo DiCaprio to the top of the cinematic Olympus. James Cameron's picture received 11 Oscars, and although Leo himself was not even nominated, after the release of Titanic, the actor gained millions of fans around the world.

7. The Man in the Iron Mask

• USA, UK, 1998.
• Historical, Adventure, Drama.
• Duration: 132 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 5.

King Louis XIV is confident that nothing can shake his power. He is afraid of only one person, chained in an iron mask and imprisoned. But when the king crosses all the boundaries of what is permitted, the legendary musketeers decide to free the prisoner.

Leonardo DiCaprio turned out to be one of those successful actors who happened to play two roles in one film at once. The images of the king and his twin brother turned out to be completely different, but equally interesting.

8. Beach

• USA, UK, 2000.
• Adventure, drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 119 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

American youth Richard is looking for adventure. Once in Thailand, he gets his hands on a map that can lead him to the island. The commune lives there on the terms of general equality, and everyone is happy. Richard goes to seek this heaven on earth. But then it turns out that even in heaven there can be problems.

9. Catch me if you can

• USA, 2002.
• Biography, crime, drama.
• Duration: 141 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

The film tells about the real criminal Frank Abignale. Even in his youth, he became famous for forging checks and documents. Frank pretended to be a pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, and at the same time wrote fake checks to himself and cashed them. FBI agent Karl Hanratty makes every effort to catch the fraudster, but each time he is one step ahead of him.

10. Gangs of New York

• USA, 2002.
• Crime, drama.
• Duration: 167 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

In New York in the mid-19th century, street gang confrontation flared up with might and main. The leader of the "indigenous", nicknamed the Butcher, kills the leader of the Irish, after which the son of the deceased is sent to a reformatory school for a long time. Many years later, he, already grown up, returns to avenge his father.

This film marked the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and the famous director Martin Scorsese. The picture received 10 Oscar nominations, but due to excessive cruelty was not awarded a single statuette.

11. Aviator

• USA, Germany, Japan, 2004.
• Biography, drama, historical.
• Duration: 170 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Another biographical picture in the filmography of DiCaprio. This time - the story of Howard Hughes, who from a young age devoted himself to aviation and designed aircraft. And at the same time, he made an expensive film, acquired a casino and set a high-speed flight record. But in parallel with this, Hughes developed obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The second collaboration between Leo and Martin Scorsese. And immediately 11 nominations for "Oscar", in five of which "Aviator" won.

12. Apostates

• USA, 2006.
• Crime, drama, thriller.
• Duration: 151 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

The two best police academy graduates are not who they say they are. One of them was sent to law enforcement agencies from childhood to leak data from the mafia. Another deliberately commits crimes in order to get into a gang and pass information on to the police. Both of them are forced to pretend. But gradually it turns out that the world on both sides is very ambiguous.

This time the company of Scorsese and DiCaprio was a whole galaxy of excellent actors. The Departed stars Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga and many others.

13. Blood Diamond

• USA, Germany, 2006.
• Adventure, drama, thriller.
• Duration: 143 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

A civil war is raging in Sierra Leone. And in the midst of all this chaos, the skilled smuggler Danny Archer is wielding diamonds. Faced with a local fisherman who had his son taken away from, Danny decides to help him. First - in order to get to a rare gem.

14. The body of lies

• USA, 2008.
• Action, drama.
• Duration: 128 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Roger Ferris is a US national intelligence agent. He searches for terrorists all over the world and prevents dangerous events. CIA veteran Ed Hoffman constantly monitors him via satellite. Wanting to catch the dangerous terrorist leader, Ferris comes up with a risky plan. But, as it turns out, the bosses can play their game behind his back.

15. Isle of the Damned

• USA, 2010.
• Psychological thriller, detective.
• Duration: 138 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

Bailiffs are sent to a closed island to investigate the disappearance of a patient in a psychiatric clinic. The investigation leads them to a whole web of lies and hidden evidence. In addition, a hurricane hits the island, cutting it off from the rest of the world.

16. Beginning

• USA, UK, 2010.
• Science fiction, detective, thriller.
• Duration: 148 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 8.

Cobb is able to steal secrets directly from the subconscious of a person using lucid dreaming. These abilities turn him into a master of industrial espionage, but make him an outcast in society. Now Cobb has to do exactly the opposite - not to steal a thought from a person's head, but to implement it.

Christopher Nolan's film became one of the main events of 2010, sparking a lot of controversy about the nature of sleep and the reality shown on the screen. As a result, the picture was nominated for many prestigious awards and was included in the ratings of the most interesting science fiction films.

17. Django Unchained

• USA, 2012.
• Western drama.
• Duration: 165 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

The bounty hunter King Schultz frees the black slave Django, who was once separated from his wife. This couple begins to hunt fugitive criminals, and at the same time decides to take revenge on those who destroyed Django's life.

The collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino was bound to be a highlight. Of course, here he does not play the main role, but the image of the arrogant slave owner Calvin Candy is remembered by many no less than Django himself.

18. The Great Gatsby

• USA, Australia, 2013.
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 143 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Nick Carraway, after moving to New York, settles next door to the famous millionaire Jay Gatsby, who constantly throws parties. Soon Nick himself finds himself in the center of bright events and chic festivities. But then he realizes that behind all this luxury lies a real human tragedy.

Leo has already worked with director Baz Luhrmann during the filming of Romeo + Juliet. A real extravaganza was expected from "", and the film did not disappoint the audience.

19. The Wolf of Wall Street

• USA, 2013.
• Biography, crime, comedy.
• Duration: 180 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

Jordan Belfort knows how to sell. An assertive and persuasive style of communication with clients quickly elevates him to the top of the business world. Jordan, together with his friends, opens his own company, not forgetting to have fun and have a full blast in his free time. But then the FBI begins to follow his company.

Another collaboration with Scorsese almost brought DiCaprio the long-awaited Oscar. It is ironic that Matthew McConaughey starred in a small scene here, who eventually intercepted the coveted statuette.

20. Survivor

• USA, 2015.
• Adventure, Action, Biography
• Duration: 156 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Hugh Glass, the hunter, is seriously injured in the wilderness of the Wild West. His comrades leave him to die alone, but he is determined to survive. And for this he will have to fight the forces of nature, wild animals and people.

There are many virtues to this painting. But The Survivor will be remembered primarily as the film that brought Leonardo DiCaprio the Oscar.