5 Best Leonardo DiCaprio Movies Ranked – A Masterclass in Acting Excellence

• Titanic helped make Leonardo DiCaprio a star and remains one of his better films.
• Shutter Island is an underrated gem that saw Leo in a horror/thriller vehicle.
• Perhaps Leonardo DiCaprio’s best movie was The Revenant, which won him an Oscar.

Leonardo DiCaprio has been a key fixture in Hollywood for decades. He got his feet wet as a teenager, but really put his name on the map with his role in Titanic.

From there, he blossomed into one of the biggest Hollywood stars. More than that, of course, he put in the work and became one of the most talented actors on the circuit.

Fortunately, he’s made good decisions and teamed up with other talented artists to make some truly unforgettable films.

But where do you even start with a movie collection as stacked as his? I’ve got your back with my breakdown of the 5 best Leonardo DiCaprio movies you need to watch.

5. Titanic (1997)

How can you make a list of the best Leonardo DiCaprio movies without including the one that inarguably made him a superstar?

There are better Leonardo DiCaprio movies to see, but Titanic is a timeless classic, still stands tall with an elite 88% score at Rotten Tomatoes, and gave us unforgettable moments.

Leo played the role of Jack Dawson effortlessly, and formed the perfect team with Kate Winslet in what was almost a borderline Romeo and Juliet story with the backdrop of perhaps the greatest shipwreck known to man.

It’s a historical film, a love story, and a tragedy. Director James Cameron rolled every bit of emotion and intrigue up into one combustible ball of cinematic delight.

His efforts – and Leo’s – gave way to a Best Picture win at the 1998 Oscars. Titanic checks every box, easily worming it’s way into my top 5 Leonardo DiCaprio movies you need to see.

4. Shutter Island (2010)

Doubling as one of the best Martin Scorsese movies, Shutter Island is without a doubt one of the top movies in Leonardo DiCaprio’s film library.

This film is a bit of a deviation from the type of movie Scorsese usually puts out, and it’s also one of the rare horror/mystery/thriller films DiCaprio has been attached to.

DiCaprio is largely known for heading Oscar-worthy productions, but he takes a step to the dark side for Shutter Island, where nothing is quite as it seems.

Playing U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, DiCaprio sets out to solve the mystery disappearance of a mental patient on a remote island.

The investigation is soaked in mystery from the jump, with Teddy uncovering corruption and horrors at every turn. Ultimately, he’s forced to face his own fears as the island threatens to swallow him up for good.

A truly gripping film with methodical pacing, Shutter Island is also aided by fellow detective Mark Ruffalo and island doctor Ben Kingsley, while Scorsese’s expert direction should not go unnoted.

Shutter Island only has a 69% Rotten Tomatoes score, but it’s a refreshing change of pace for both DiCaprio and Scorsese, and is a breathtaking thriller that won’t disappoint.

3. Gangs of New York (2002)

When compiling this list of the best Leonardo DiCaprio movies of all-time, I don’t see how you can leave out Gangs of New York.

This Martin Scorsese flick is a bit more like the director’s speed, as it’s very mob-oriented, but touches on the original, well, gangs of New York.

The story follows Amsterdam (DiCaprio), who as a young child witnesses the birth of organized crime in the Big Apple, as well as the death of his father at the hands of a renowned kingpin.

Daniel Day-Lewis gives us one of the greatest villain performances of all time as Bill the Butcher, and what ensues is a tale of infiltration and revenge.

The film offers an incredible pace, elite character development, and an epic final showdown between DDL and DiCaprio.

Gangs of New York is equal parts unsettling and inspiring, and gives us a look back at how lives can be shaped by the choices that we make – and how quickly even the most impactful people fade into the wind.

2. Inception (2010)

I could easily argue Inception as Leo’s top film. It’s one of the top 10 action movies in cinema history, and it’s honestly also got some powerful emotional depth.

As far as mind-bending visuals and creative story-telling goes, you could certainly argue this is the best Leonardo DiCaprio movie worth watching if you haven’t seen it already.

It doubles as one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, as the famed director dropped stunning visuals and invaded our brains (see what I did there?) with captivating narratives and brilliant characters.

Inception follows Dom Cobb (Leo), a thief who infiltrates the minds of his victims to steal their thoughts from their subconscious.

In this particular story, Cobb is tasked with planting an idea in someone’s mind, rather than extracting something.

Things don’t go as planned, as Nolan pulls back the layers on exactly how far the mind will go to keep secrets buried for good.

An all-star cast, jaw-dropping visuals, and a mystery ending leave the audience fully captivated and satisfied every step of the way.

• Also Read: 3 Leonardo DiCaprio Films That Deserve Sequels

1. The Revenant (2015)

Am I saving the best Leonardo DiCaprio movie for last? I think so. After all, this methodical period piece was good enough to earn the famed actor his first Oscar win.

This 2015 epic by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu made major waves at the Oscars, and is the perfect slow burn film if you’re intro period pieces, stunning visuals, and a timeless tale of revenge.

Left for dead after being brutally attacked by a bear, Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) struggles to catch his breath as he musters the courage to avenge the death of his son.

DiCaprio’s slow, ugly journey through a cold, snowy terrain asks the audience to dig deep alongside him, and recall the will to do more than simply survive.

The film culminates in DiCaprio’s showdown with his son’s killer, giving us an ending that manages to perfectly that feeling of emptiness even after we get everything we sought after.

There are faster, more commercially appeasing Leonardo DiCaprio films to watch. However, from start to finish, The Revenant is a piece of art with top shelf direction and perhaps Leo’s most sacrificing performance.

It’s hard not to give the nod to the film that finally won the man his lone Oscar, after all.

Other Leonardo DiCaprio Movies to Watch

• The Wolf of Wall Street
• Catch Me if You Can
• The Departed
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…

I could keep going, if I am being honest. There are so many great Leonardo DiCaprio movies, almost because he simply doesn’t have many bad ones.

He’s also been a star in Hollywood for most of his life at this point, and he keeps coming out with new work for us all to enjoy.

The Wolf of Wall Street is fairly graphic and casts Leo in a bad light, so it isn’t for everyone. It tells a pretty wild tale and DiCaprio is amazing in it, however, so it certainly deserves a mention.

Catch Me if You Can and The Departed are narrow cuts from my top 5 Leonardo DiCaprio films, too, while Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…is fairly new and almost made the list.

There’s even Killers of the Flower Moon, which is Leo’s latest, and you could argue that could soon have a place in his top 5.

Regardless, I’ve gone over some of the very best Leonardo DiCaprio movies. If you haven’t seen any of them, I suggest doing so as soon as possible!

Love my list? Think I left a big one out? Let me hear it in the comments below!