7 Best Leonardo DiCaprio Movies, Ranked — And No, ‘Titanic’ Isn’t on the List

This week, Leonardo DiCaprio is heading back to theaters in director Paul Thomas Anderson‘s One Battle After Another.

Since 1991, DiCaprio has appeared in over 30 movies, been nominated for seven Academy Awards and won one Oscar for Best Actor.

To celebrate the actor’s latest film, Watch With Us has put together our picks for the seven best Leonardo DiCaprio movies, ranked.

The common theme between these movies is that DiCaprio is at his best when paired with some of the top directors in Hollywood.

7. ‘Gangs of New York’ (2002)

Gangs of New York is notably the first of several collaborations between DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese. It also marked a turning point in DiCaprio’s career as he took on more challenging roles. In the middle of the Civil War, the story follows Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio), a young man who is consumed with avenging the murder of his father, Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson).

Amsterdam’s father was murdered by William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), the man whom New York’s gangs bow to. In order to get his revenge, Amsterdam ingratiates himself with Bill and becomes one of his most effective enforcers. However, Amsterdam may be getting too close to the man he wants to kill to pull off his life’s ambition.

Gangs of New York is streaming on MGM+.

6. ‘Catch Me If You Can’ (2002)

DiCaprio dials up his natural charisma to another level in director Steven Spielberg‘s Catch Me If You Can. This is the story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a notorious con artist during the ’60s. As a young man, Frank discovered his talent for pulling off particularly brazen crimes, including passing himself off as a pilot and forging checks.

That eventually attracts the attention of FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who spends years attempting to track down Frank. Carl even comes to feel an affinity towards Frank, even as the latter attempts to disappear by pretending to be a doctor. Frank soon falls for a nurse, Brenda Strong (Amy Adams), but his lies may keep them apart.

Catch Me If You Can is streaming on Hoopla.

5. ‘The Aviator’ (2004)

The Aviator reunited DiCaprio with Scorsese for a biopic about Howard Hughes, one of the most influential figures in early Hollywood and aviation history. DiCaprio plays Hughes as a young visionary who sees a more realistic future for movies while turning his eye to the sky with advancements in the field of airplane technology.

Hughes’ romances with actresses Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale) are also chronicled in the film. And the movie doesn’t shy away from Hughes’ crippling OCD that sends him into a spiral of mental illness during the later years of his life.

The Aviator is streaming on Kanopy.

4. ‘The Revenant’ (2015)

After multiple nominations, DiCaprio finally received a much-deserved win for Best Actor at the Oscars for The Revenant. And all he had to do was endure one of the most brutal bear attacks in cinema history. In the 19th century, fur trapper Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is left clinging to life after being mauled by a grizzly bear.

Although John S. Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) has been ordered to stay with Glass until his demise, the former’s attempt to speed up that event leads to the murder of Glass’ son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). With nothing else to live for except his revenge, Glass has to will himself to survive and hunt down the man who killed his child and left him for dead.

The Revenant is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

3. ‘Inception’ (2010)

Out of all of DiCaprio’s films, Inception might be the most visually thrilling. Director Christopher Nolan‘s imagery felt ahead of its time as reality warps and folds in on itself while Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) builds a dreamscape to steal secrets from the subconscious minds of his targets.

Cobb’s latest client, Saito (Ken Watanabe), has a truly challenging assignment for him. He wants Cobb and his team to implant an idea in the mind of young executive Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) to break up his financial empire. If Cobb succeeds, he’ll be able to reunite with his children. But first, he’ll have to contend with the apparition of his dead wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), who haunts him during his dream heist. The ending of this movie has been debated for years, but it’s the perfect note to close out the story on.

Inception is streaming on HBO Max.

2. ‘The Departed’ (2006)

The Departed is DiCaprio’s last collaboration with Scorsese to make this list, and it came very close to hitting No. 1 in our roundup. In this intense crime drama, few know that William “Billy” Costigan Jr. (DiCaprio) has burned his future and served time in prison as part of a long-term police operation to bring down crime lord Francis “Frank” Costello (Jack Nicholson).

Meanwhile, Frank has placed Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) as his operative inside the police to spy on any efforts made against him. Billy and Colin don’t initially realize that they are embedded on opposite sides. But once they do, the two men race to uncover the others’ identities before their true loyalties can be exposed.

The Departed is streaming on Netflix.

1. ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (2019)

One of the most interesting things about DiCaprio’s performance in Once Upon a Time is that his character, Rick Dalton, occasionally struggles as an actor. To bring director Quentin Tarantino‘s vision to life, DiCaprio had to convincingly play Dalton’s mental lows and highs as he desperately attempts to revive his sagging career.

Brad Pitt costars as Rick’s friend and personal driver, Cliff Booth, and their bond gives the movie a unique vibe. Margot Robbie also stars in the movie as the late actress Sharon Tate, but this is largely Rick and Cliff’s story. They’re ride or die right up until one of the most infamous nights in Hollywood history. And unlike several other filmmakers, Tarantino doesn’t let history get in the way of a good story.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Led by Senior Editor and experienced critic Jason Struss, Watch With Us’ team of writers and editors sees almost every movie and TV show from the distant past to the present to determine what’s worth your time and money. Our countless hours of multimedia consumption — combined with years of experience in the entertainment industry — help us determine the best movies and TV shows you should be streaming right now. 
 
To be considered “the best,” these films and series can be visually engaging, intellectually stimulating or simply just fun to watch, but the one trait they must have is that they are all, in some way, entertaining. We then check which platform they are streaming on and how you can access them as a subscriber. No algorithm nonsense or paid endorsements here — our recommendations are based purely on our love and interest for the films and shows we love.