When looking at the top names in the world of acting, Leonardo DiCaprio is a performer that has stood out for years now. He rose to prominence as a younger performer in the 90s and has continued to add to his impressive legacy through the years by starring in amazing films while taking home huge awards and making bank.
DiCaprio’s filmography is both extensive and impressive, and there has been an ongoing debate about his best film. Thankfully, IMDb has done a lot of the dirty work en route to reaching a conclusion.
Let’s see which film is DiCaprio’s best.
'Inception’ Stands Tall At 8.8 Stars
Over the course of his career, Leonardo DiCaprio has been able to land roles in films that have stood the test of time thanks to immaculate directing and exceptional performances by the cast. Some people could have some trouble in picking their favorite DiCaprio flick, but according to IMDb, Inception stands tall above the rest with 8.8 stars.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, Inception was a bold film that took mind-bending visuals and a reality-warping story to the big screen for fans to sink their teeth into, and even after all these years, this film still blows people away. In fact, many fans still debate the meaning of certain moments in the film, but that is a huge discussion for another day.
DiCaprio was exceptional in this movie, no doubt, but the rest of the cast was integral to this movie becoming a major box office success. Stars like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Elliott Page, and more all helped bolster this film to be the best version of itself for the fans to enjoy.
According to Box Office Mojo, Inception was able to generate $826 million at the worldwide box office, making it a monumental financial success. During awards season, the film took home some impressive hardware, including Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects, through it did lose out on winning Best Picture that same evening.
This film may have lost out on Best Picture, but the DiCaprio flick in second place made sure to walk away with this award in hand.
‘The Departed’ Is Up Next With 8.5 Stars
Back in 2006, Martin Scorsese had the bright idea of assembling a stacked ensemble cast for a remake of an incredible Korean film, and the end result of this stroke of genius was The Departed, which IMDb has as DiCaprio’s second-best film with an impressive 8.5 stars.
A film featuring performers like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, and Alec Baldwin is just begging to be watched by millions of people. This is one of the most talented casts ever assembled, and Scorsese was able to get fantastic performances from each of them while shooting this classic.
The film was unleashed to the public and wound up netting over $290 million at the box office, making it a solid financial success. More importantly, critics and fans loved the film and it was showered in praise upon its release. Yes, some of the imagery in the film is a bit heavy-handed, but these moments do not diminish how great this film is.
The Departed took its critical praise into awards season and landed Best Picture at the Academy Awards, forever etching its place in history. Turns out, another DiCaprio film that was also nominated for the big prize is, you guessed it, considered one of the best that he has ever made.
‘Django Unchained’ Has 8.4 Stars
Part of finding success in Hollywood is landing a role in the right project at the right time, and few people have done this better than Leonardo DiCaprio. With 8.4 stars, Django Unchained is considered the third best film that he has ever been in, and this film, much like the others, was also a major player during awards season.
Now, one key difference between this film and the others that we have discussed is that DiCaprio was not the lead in this movie. Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz are the two primary players here, while DiCaprio serves in a villainous supporting role. Yes, DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie has a huge part, but this movie is all about Foxx and Waltz.
Nevertheless, Django Unchained was a massive success, grossing $425 million at the global box office. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, but it was unable to secure the win. Waltz did win Best Supporting Actor, however.
People may have a personal preference when it comes to DiCaprio’s best flick, but if IMDb is to be believed, then Inception is the best of the bunch.