This is a nice article, this site listed their fave Leo's performances, interesting choices: Once upon a time Leonardo DiCaprio was just a young, blonde bombshell, beloved by teenager girls everywhere, and the “King of the World” in one of the most successful films of all time. However, his days as a simple heart-throb are now long gone. Leonardo DiCaprio has transitioned over the past ten years into one of the most formidable dramatic actors around, capable of intensely moving and challenging work. DiCaprio has also become one of the most sought after talents of his generation, working with a staggering level of directorial talent in a streak that has rarely been equaled. Since his reinvention ten years ago in Scorsese‘s bloated epic, Gangs of New York, DiCaprio has worked with Scorsese on three additional films, in addition to Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan, Edward Zwick, and Steven Spielberg - all essentially world-class, A-list filmmakers by anybody’s definition. This year, DiCaprio takes on one of his greatest challenges yet, portraying the villainous role of Calvin Candie in grindhouse master Quentin Tarantino’s latest opus, Django Unchained, which is coincidentally Filmophilia’s Chosen Film #1. So, as the world gets ready for another memorable Tarantino genre exercise, and prepares to encounter DiCaprio’s seething, sure to be memorable Candie, let us entertain ourselves by traveling into the past and looking upon the career of this A-list dreamboat. This is Top Five: Leonardo DiCaprio. 5. This Boy’s Life – Tobias Wolff (1993) Years before DiCaprio would take over the role of Martin Scorsese’s favorite boy-toy from Robert De Niro, the two actors appeared in Michael Caton Jone’s This Boy’s Life. In his first major role DiCaprio faced the significant hurdle of standing next to De Niro, who at the time still seemed capable of delivering performance of some nuance and grace. For most actors the first impulse would be to try to go big, to match the intensity of their legendary co-star. However, DiCaprio, even at a young age, showed marvelous restraint, and delivered a performance that often was more implosive and thus far more interesting. 4. Inception – Cobb (2010) As one of the most sought after actors of his generation it was inevitable that the talents of DiCaprio would be harnessed by Christopher Nolan, who had certainly reached A-list status after the release of small film called The Dark Knight (or Rory’s First Kiss to some). However, little did anyone know how successful the pairing would be. As Cobb, DiCaprio carried the entire film on his shoulders, helping to guide viewers into Nolan’s incredibly un-Surrealistic dream world, and providing probably the most emotional performance (barring Pearce in Memento) contained in Nolan’s predominantly cold and calculated cinematic universe. 3. Blood Diamond – Danny Archer (2006) A remarkable performance by anyone’s definition, DiCaprio’s Danny Archer is even more special for appearing in the same year as his wildly different performance as Billy Costigan in Scorsese’s The Departed. Now, on paper Danny Archer isn’t really anything all that revelatory, as the whole “morally ambiguous mercenary” character has been done to death. What makes this character distinctive and memorable is primarily his physicality (DiCaprio really pulls off the accent and the persona of hardened, self-absorbed gun) and the intensity behind DiCaprio’s relationship with Djimon Hounsou’s Solomon. 2. The Aviator – Howard Hughes (2004) At first glance ol’ baby face DiCaprio seemed like an ill fit to play the titular airman, filmmaker, businessman and philanthropist. I mean, until recently, the man looked barely a day older than when he first sauntered on to “the ship of dreams” all those years ago. However, DiCaprio’s full investment in creating an authentic emotional life for this particular incarnation of Hughes creates a hugely successful performance. We believe in this man’s boundless ambition, and simultaneously his debilitating illness. 1. Catch Me if You Can – Frank Abagnale Jr. (2002) As one of those great meta roles, where Leo is acting the part of a perpetual actor, Frank Abagnale Jr. represents Leo’s greatest performance. Beautifully meshing comedic moments with heavy-duty drama, DiCaprio performance slides effortlessly through the wide spectrum of parts that Abagnale Jr. embodied throughout his life of criminality. This is probably one of Leo’s most entertaining roles, and one where uncertainty about his youthful physical appearance did not seem to mar the way viewers interpreted the performance (as it did in The Aviator and Gangs of New York). Catch Me if You Can served as the true introduction to the adult stage of Leo’s career, and showcased an extraordinarily malleable actor with an inimitable gift. http://www.filmophilia.com/2012/12/01/top-five-leonardo-dicaprio/