Leonardo DiCaprio has appeared in so many popular films over the years, and fans have some very strong preferences about their faves.
The Oscar-winning actor burst onto the Hollywood scene in the 1990s with his roles in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Titanic, which catapulted Leonardo to the A-list status he has retained to this day.
His most recent movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, marks his sixth collaboration with legendary director Martin Scorsese.
In light of Leonardo‘s new film, we’ve compiled a list of Leonardo‘s 10 best films according to their Rotten Tomatoes audience scores.
10. Gangs of New York (2002)
Audience Score: 81%
Leonardo‘s first team-up with Martin came in Gangs of New York.
Leonardo played the film’s protagonist, Amsterdam Vallon, and starred alongside Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Here’s the synopsis: “In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father’s killer,” per IMDb.
9. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Audience Score: 83%
The Wolf of Wall Street, another film of Martin‘s starring Leonardo, was earned a mostly positive reception from both critics and moviegoers.
Leonardo starred as the real-life former stock-broker Jordan Belfort, who is known for committing various crimes related to stock-market manipulation.
According to the movie’s synopsis on IMDb, the movies chronicles Jordan‘s life “from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.”
7. The Revenant (2015) – TIE
Audience Score: 84%
Leonardo‘s performance as Hugh Glass in The Revenant earned him his first Academy Award in 2016.
The film’s synopsis reads: Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption.”
7. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) – TIE
Audience Score: 84%
So far, Killers of the Flower Moon has been a resounding success among film audiences.
Here’s the full synopsis : “Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon tracks the suspicious murders of members of the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight after oil was discovered underneath their land.”
6. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Audience Score: 89%
Leonardo‘s role as Arnie Grape in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape garnered praise from critics and fans. Even though it was just his second movie role, the film remains one of the actor’s most beloved projects.
Here’s the synopsis: “A young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness,” per IMDb.
5. Catch Me if You Can (2002)
Audience Score: 89%
Leonardo‘s stellar performance as Frank Abagnale in Steven Spielberg‘s Catch Me if You Can isn’t one of his most talked-about roles, but it’s one of his best, according to movie audiences.
The film also starred Tom Hanks, Amy Adams. and Christopher Walken.
Catch Me if You Can‘s synopsis on IMDb reads: “Barely 21 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.”
4. Blood Diamond (2006)
Audience Score: 90%
Although it received a 63% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Blood Diamond was a hit among fans.
In the movie, Leonardo starred as Danny Archer, a mercenary who joins a fisherman in chasing a priceless diamond in 1990s Sierra Leone.
Also starring in Blood Diamond were Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly.
3. Inception (2010)
Audience Score: 91%
Christopher Nolan‘s Inception remains one of the most captivating sci-fi thrillers in recent memory.
In the film, Leonardo played Cobb. Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Elliot Page, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Caine also had roles.
Here’s the full synopsis for Inception: “A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster, per IMDb.
2. Django Unchained (2012)
Audience Score: 92%
One of Leonardo‘s two collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained was a major hit among cinephiles.
Leonardo‘s performance as Calvin Candie earned him much critical acclaim, too, as he starred alongside Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Christoph Waltz, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Here’s the synopsis: “With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi,” per IMDb.
1. The Departed (2006)
Audience Score: 94%
The Departed stands as Leonardo‘s highest-rated movie based on its Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
He starred as Billy Costigan Jr. in Martin‘s Best-Picture-winning film.
The Departed‘s synopsis on IMDb reads: “An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.”
If you don’t know, see Leonardo‘s full dating history!
