All 10 Leonardo DiCaprio Movies Nominated for Best Picture, Ranked

Leonardo DiCaprio has had one of the most acclaimed and high-quality careers of many modern actors, cementing his status as one of the all-time greats and a symbol of exceptional filmmaking ever since his humble beginnings in the 1990s. Many of his movies have not only been substantial box-office successes but have seen widespread critical acclaim and massive consideration from various awards bodies. The Academy Awards in particular have not been shy about their love for DiCaprio and his filmography, with him receiving 6 different acting nominations across each era of his career.

Whether it be the Academy’s specific love for DiCaprio’s work or DiCaprio’s ability to star in brilliantly crafted films, many of DiCaprio’s cinematic outings have been in contention for the biggest award of the night, Best Picture. These nominations range from middling projects largely elevated by DiCaprio’s involvement to massive cinematic feats that are not only cornerstones of DiCaprio’s career but emblematic of wider film culture as a whole. Especially with his plans to star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film this year, this streak of Academy success seems to be far from over.

10

‘Don’t Look Up’ (2021)

Directed by Adam McKay

A destructively chaotic satire of climate change from acclaimed director Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up‘s messaging and ideals certainly align with DiCaprio’s push and care for the climate change movement. As opposed to McKay’s other Best Picture-nominated films that were comedic retellings of real-life people and events, Don’t Look Up weaves an original sci-fi satire in hopes of pushing for change in an ever-divided world. The film sees DiCaprio alongside Jennifer Lawrence as they play a duo of scientists on a media tour after discovering an apocalypse-causing comet heading towards Earth.

While the film itself goes about its good-intentioned messaging uniquely, the symbolic parallels often manage to fall flat due to the brash, mean-spirited nature of the film. The comical absurdity of its satirical caricatures at points proves to be too ridiculous to take seriously, overall having the tone and anger of a vicious social media argument. Both DiCaprio himself and the rest of the wasted A-list cast do as much as they can to elevate the material, yet it isn’t enough to save it from being one of the worst films nominated at the 94th Academy Awards.

9

‘The Aviator’ (2004)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have collaborated a multitude of times over the years, yet especially when compared to some of the iconic masterpieces that they’ve crafted together, The Aviator proves to be largely forgettable. The film sees DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, a brilliant filmmaker and aviation pioneer who became both a successful film producer and an aviation magnate during his time in prominence from the 1920s to the 40s. However, Hughes grew increasingly unstable and chaotic due to his severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, often being difficult for his collaborators and those around him.

While not as prominent as Scorsese and DiCaprio’s other collaborations, this effective and succinct story on one of the most prominent figures in Hollywood history still has its merits and strengths that make it worthwhile. DiCaprio fully commits to bringing Hughes to life through his performance, effectively capturing the distinct energy and flair that the prominent public figure had. The film as a whole acts as a glorious love letter to this era of classic Hollywood, making sense considering how much Scorsese and DiCaprio both love the early days in the art of cinema.

8

‘Django Unchained’ (2012)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

While the vast majority of DiCaprio-starring Best Picture nominees feature DiCaprio front and center in a leading role, Django Unchained shows off the actor’s brilliant strengths as a supporting actor and the main villain of the film. The film of bloody revenge in the slave-era south sees DiCaprio as the vicious Calvin J. Candle, a Mississippi plantation owner who soon becomes the target of Django (Jamie Foxx) after learning that Candle owns his wife as one of his many slaves.

DiCaprio’s role as Candle is completely different from any other role he’s played, fully amplifying the chaotic and reprehensible nature of the character to create a mix of the actor’s classic charm with vile, subhuman nature. While many of DiCaprio’s other characters certainly have villainous attributes to them, seeing the actor go full irredeemable villain makes for a joy to watch on-screen. It’s simply one of many elements that makes Django Unchained one of the best Westerns of the 21st century, as well as a massive hit with audiences, critics, and the Academy alike.

7

‘Gangs of New York’ (2002)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

The first of what would be many collaborations between Scorsese and DiCaprio, Gangs of New York is an electrifying display of brilliant performances, not just from DiCaprio but also the likes of the masterful Daniel Day-Lewis. The film takes place in 1863, seeing the massive eruption of a long-running Catholic-Protestant feud falling into the streets of New York, as an Irish immigrant group begins protesting the threat of conscription during the Civil War.

With all the historical significance and weight of the story being told, there is a core story of revenge present between DiCaprio and Day-Lewis’s characters that adds additional depth and intrigue to the film. Scorsese makes perfect use of DiCaprio’s talents with their first collaboration together, able to utilize his youthful spirit and energy as a catalyst for many of the film’s overarching themes and elements. While the film is largely overlooked when compared to Scorsese and DiCaprio’s other collaborations, the film still earned a notable 10 nominations at the 75th Academy Awards.

6

‘Inception’ (2010)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

The only collaboration between DiCaprio and legendary director Christopher Nolan, Inception is a groundbreaking thriller that features an exceptionally creative concept and a top-of-the-line visual style. The film sees DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, a skilled thief who specializes in high-end corporate espionage, accomplished by infiltrating the subconscious minds of his targets, directly plucking the information from their thoughts. Dom and his team are tasked with their most dangerous mission yet, the seemingly impossible task of “inception”, implanting another person’s idea into their target’s subconscious.

Inception features all the facets that make Nolan’s films so compelling, from the high-concept creativity to the striking visuals that make the most of modern technology and visual effects. DiCaprio himself perfectly fits into the mold of Nolan’s filmmaking techniques, playing into a lot of his recurring themes of pained love and grief to make for one of Nolan’s most compelling protagonists. The mind-boggling sci-fi film has been a fan favorite since its release, further amplified by its 8 Academy Award nominations and 4 wins.

5

‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

The latest Best Picture nominee for a DiCaprio film, as well as the most recent collaboration between DiCaprio and Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon acts as a glorious reflection and self-examination of Scorsese’s entire filmography. The film sees DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, a dimwitted key figure in a vicious plot to systematically murder the Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma to gain access to their plentiful, oil-filled land. Even despite his loving marriage to Mollie Burkhart (Lily Gladstone), Ernest continues to perpetuate and contribute to this cycle of death and violence.

Many of the other collaborations between DiCaprio and Scorsese have had its protagonists having flawed characters and being less-than-exceptional examples, yet Killers of the Flower Moon makes no effort to hide the vile nature of its characters’ actions. It acts as a point of reflection on the very act of telling these sorts of real-life crime stories being brought to film and how they often glorify the despicable humans responsible. DiCaprio brings a mature twist to the character of Ernest, making him much less rootable and likable than other characters that he’s played to further amplify the themes of the film.

4

‘The Revenant’ (2015)

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

While DiCaprio’s films are frequently recognized and nominated by the Academy, it wouldn’t be until his hardened and powerful performance in The Revenant that the actor would finally win an Academy Award of his own. The film saw DiCaprio going to his absolute limits in terms of a grueling expression of acting ability, having him fully subject himself to the painful elements and hard cold winter of the film. The film was massively celebrated by critics and audiences alike and is still often considered one of DiCaprio’s best films.

The film sees DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, a 1820s frontiersman who finds himself on a journey of vengeance and destruction against those who betrayed him and left him for dead after a vicious bear attack. Even outside of DiCaprio’s standout performance, there is a lot of meticulous craft and exceptional filmmaking that makes The Revenant such a compelling work of art. The film would win other top-notch awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Director for Alejandro González Iñárritu, to further cement its modern-day legacy.

3

‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ (2013)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

When it comes to DiCaprio’s most iconic and well-known roles in the latter half of his career, The Wolf of Wall Street easily stands out as one of the defining and revolutionary films of his career. The film balances its topical and effective messages with an enthralling and electrifying tone and style, further amplified by DiCaprio’s exceptional lead performance as Jordan Belfort. The film manages to up the ante and amplify all the chaos and depravity of the corporate fraud lifestyle, feeling unrestrained and unstoppable in its execution.

DiCaprio’s charming yet sinister lead performance is the core that ties everything together into a masterclass of crime comedy, managing to simultaneously be likable and rootable while wholly despicable in his actions and character. The film has garnered a massive reputation as one of the most influential and memorable dramedies of the 2010s, as well as a major highpoint in not only the career of DiCaprio himself, but out of all the later directorial works of Scorsese.

2

‘Titanic’ (1997)

Directed by James Cameron

The box-office juggernaut that completely swept the Academy Awards and placed DiCaprio on the map as a prominent leading star, Titanic was a pillar of widespread film culture whose success was largely unparalleled. Even over 25 years later, the film has a long-lasting legacy as one of the most important romance films of all time, with legendary visuals and a timeless story of love tying the tragedy together. The film is easily one of DiCaprio’s essential films, as it’s impossible to truly get a grasp of the actor’s work and history without seeing where he truly became an icon.

It cannot be understated just how massive Titanic was at the Academy Awards, being one of the biggest and most prominent sweeps in Academy history with 14 nominations and 11 wins, including Best Picture. The 3+ hour historical epic has a lasting appeal and draws that is simply undeniable, being a pillarstone of 90s culture as a whole as it found massive, groundbreaking success in nearly every metric imaginable. It’s hard to imagine another film having as large of an awards impact as Titanic had, with DiCaprio himself and his draw as a rising star playing a part in the film’s continued success decades later.

1

‘The Departed’ (2006)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

The Departed acts as a glorious culmination and stepping stone not only for DiCaprio’s career as a whole but for Scorsese’s as well, with these complementing legacies compounding one another to create a generational work of art. Aside from Titanic, it stands as the only other time that DiCaprio has starred in a Best Picture-winning film, although instead of simply being along for the ride as a rising star, DiCaprio’s raw talent and strength help pave the way for The Departed‘s massive success.

The classic gangster archetype finds itself completely deconstructed in The Departed, going against the grain and telling a completely different style of mafia story that plays into the very conventions and clichés of the genre. The dual story of moles in both the Irish mafia and the South Boston police force makes for such a striking, engaging, and unpredictable premise with a multitude of layers and depth to make each rewatch a compelling time. DiCaprio was certainly a big star before The Departed, yet this film helped elevate him beyond his stature as a young star and cemented him as one of the most important stars of the 21st century.

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