Register  |   Log In  |  
Sign up to our weekly newsletter    
Follow us on   
Empire Magazine
Search   
Empire Magazine
Empire Magazine
Look inside the issue
Subscribe today
Download iPad edition
Subscribe Now For Only £40
And get 12 issues + Ghost Recon game
Download The iPad Edition
Now optimised for the retina display

MORE EMPIRE FEATURES ›
Leonardo DiCaprio: A Viewer’s Guide
The highs and lows of the actor’s career to date

Leonardo DiCaprio burst onto our screens back in the mid ‘90s with the charm of a thousand Tony Bennetts, hair as golden as the first rays of the sun and a face so handsome it must have had God working weekends. Yes, we hated him. The jealousy soon wore off, though, and our appreciation grew for an actor who keeps his stardom subordinate to whatever material he was working on. He’s shown an unerring eye both for challenging scripts and great directors – most recently, J. Edgar and a first collaboration with Clint Eastwood – and has even found time to raise awareness about global warming and be a friend to small animals. Unlike many actors, it’s hard to find a single turkey on his resume. If there was one, he’d probably take it home and hand-rear it with the help of one of his ridiculously hot girlfriends. Huh. Maybe we hate him after all…

WORDS PHIL DE SEMLYEN
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
 
Page 1 of 7
Next
Leonardo DiCaprio: A Viewer’s Guide |

ESSENTIAL VIEWING: Revolutionary Road (2008)

Like a proto-Mad Men, Revolutionary Road was set in a stifling world of baby boom-era ‘burbs and gruelling emotional repression, shot over one summer in Connecticut’s boondocks. Here, in short, was that tough material DiCaprio craves. With delicious irony, Sam Mendes reunited him with Titanic co-star Kate Winslet and invited them to swap icebergs for ice buckets and wide-eyed love for narrow-browed estrangement. Together, they form the most violently self-destructive on-screen couple since Taylor and Burton in Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? DiCaprio’s old-too-soon bitterness and Winslet’s crushed aspirations coalesce into an almost unwatchable rancour; you can feel the poison coursing through this film’s veins. It’s a worthy take on Richard Yates’s seminal novel, which Kurt Vonnegut once described as “the Great Gatsby of my time”. Which, funnily enough, is also DiCaprio’s next film.
 

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
 
Page 1 of 7
Next

Advertisement

Have Your Say
Register or login now to have your say.

Your Comments
1 RE:
Posted on Monday January 30, 2012, 04:44 by jwaltz991
Absolutely good article, as far as I read it was very good over all nice article! I'll be waiting for the second edition,. Ad removed. ___________________________ Read More

2
Posted on Friday January 27, 2012, 19:23 by agent cooper
Absolute bollocks as much as rate both Damon & Wahlberg in The Departed, this is Leo's film he's electrifying as for Nicholson it's going through the motions and nothing new, the worst thing about the film apart from Winstone's accent "Cranberry" Read More

3 RE: critters
Posted on Wednesday January 25, 2012, 14:10 by sowasred2012
Yeah, not being funny but The Beach doesn't deserve that little snipe at the end - it might go downhill towards the end but the first two acts are pretty good. And Blood Diamond deserved a mention - that's the first time I'd looked at Leo in a film and realised "Shit, Leo's a man now!", as opposed to that kind of man-boy he was in Gangs. Read More

4 critters
Posted on Tuesday January 24, 2012, 16:28 by extrablueboy
What about, Titanic, Inception, Shutter Island, Blood Diamond, The Departed. very poor list. Oh and lets not forget Critters lol Read More

5
Posted on Sunday January 22, 2012, 11:32 by Pala36
This, along with his role in Robert De Niro’s This Boy’s Life earlier in 2003, Might of got the dates mixed up here Read More

6 RE:
Posted on Thursday January 19, 2012, 13:45 by doncopey1
A guide? More like a scribble. Di Caprio in Inception was the emotional catalyst that made it worth watching,it was an astounding performance. Not to even mention it is poor, lazy journalism. Read More

7
Posted on Thursday January 19, 2012, 13:12 by PaoloCorleone
Seriously Empire, why is Gangs on the 'one to avoid' section???? Not being a brilliant film is was richly epic with a decent story about the birth of a nation and impeccably detailed with sets and costumes. It would be fair to say that the accents and a lot of the performances were average but tis still miles better than Body of Lies and although The Beach is better than BOL, both films are far more richly deserving of your 'one to avoid' maybe even Basketball Diaries should be there Read More

8 The Departed?
Posted on Thursday January 19, 2012, 13:01 by leetee80
The Departed was one really enjoyed, but Gangs was a bit poo except for every scene scene that Daniel Day Lewis was in as he just steals celluloid with every appearance! Read More

9 LAY OFF THE FUCKING BEACH, and are u serious with the aviator??!
Posted on Thursday January 19, 2012, 02:53 by drico
The beach is a better film than the aviator. The aviator is a by the numbers biopic with a good performance, but for me the role was still too much for dicaprio. what were seeing on screen was an actor working really hard, but it never fully convinced. the beach was closer to his age and personality which you can see him comfortably play in the role and "live" it. The Aviator was boring as well. Alec Baldwin stole the show there. I agree that Day-Lewis stole Gangs...fair enough. And you left out Titanic?? It's not the effects in that movie that made it massive, it was Leo-mania!!! the fucker carried the film with kate Winslet...in anyone else's shoes it would have been as popular as lake placid. get ur noses out of ur asses and get serious. so angry i had to write this. Read More

10
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 23:15 by sgtwilko33
what about blood diamond? he's great in that Read More

11 True!
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 21:39 by Grimm
You're so right about D-Day Lewis. The man is an acting behemoth. He can overshadow ANY actor in ANY film. No-one can "flourish in his company". He is a class of his own. I just hope DiCaprio saw this film as an opportunity to try and learn a thing or two from The Master. Read More

12
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 15:06 by TheoJ
I agree with raven_girl Inception should deff be on this list. Haven't seen rev road yet but apart from titanic and blood diamond dicaprio i couldn't understand the hype. Inception changed that as he played Cobb brilliantly i just can't see anyone else playing him Read More

13
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 11:57 by raven_girl
I would have Inception on this list for sure, I do have all the essential viewing films on dvd though having recently picked up a copy of Revolutionary Road. Never seen Gangs Of New York, the worst DiCaprio film imo is The Beach Read More

14 RE: No Inception or Titanic?
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 10:37 by Swedle
but on a list of 'highs and lows' of an actor's career, surely starring in one of the biggest grossing films of all time should get a mention? Read More

15 RE: The Beach
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 10:36 by Swedle
I don't know, i like it up until about two-thirds through and then i think it goes straight downhill, apart from that, it's a damn good film! Read More

16 Where is titanic?
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 10:34 by Swedle
i know it's a kind of love-or-hate it film, but surely it's the biggest thing he's ever done? and inception could have had a mention too! Read More

17 No Inception or Titanic?
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 08:28 by Monkey_of_steel
Oh yeah, that's because everyone's seen them both already and the list wouldn't be recommending films you've not already watched 12 times. Read More

18 7 films?
Posted on Wednesday January 18, 2012, 00:31 by 7eke
sorry but this is a piss poor lazy effort Read More

19 tftf
Posted on Tuesday January 17, 2012, 23:54 by fergww
I dont think gangs of new york should be one to avoid. i mean its hardy revolutionary but its a pretty solid and enjoyable film with some memorable and distinct characters Read More

20 Blood diamond
Posted on Tuesday January 17, 2012, 22:48 by james dean
Is it just me or is Blood Diamond really underrated? I thought that at least deserved a mention on this feature! No mention of Titanic also seems weird seeing as it was rated 5 stars by you guys... Read More

Next Page


Back | Print This Page | Email This Page | Back To Top

EMPIRE OFFERS
Steven Spielberg iPad App
Hollywood's most beloved director in this unique iPad special. Download now
Get Ghost Recon Future Soldier
PS3 or XBOX 360 game + 12 issues of Empire for only £40! Subscribe now
Empire iPad Edition
The world's biggest movie magazine available on iPad Full details
 
Movie News  |  Empire Blog  |  Movie Reviews  |  Future Films  |  Features  |  Video Interviews  |  Image Gallery  |  Competitions  |  Forum  |  Magazine  |  Resources
 
Mojo4music  |  Q4Music  |  Kerrang!  |  Aloud.com  |  Kiss  |  Magazine Subscriptions  |  Movie Magazine Subscriptions  |  Empire Magazine Subscription
 
© Bauer Consumer Media | Terms And Conditions | Our Data Promise To You | Contact Us | Empire FAQ
Bauer Consumer Media. Company number 1176085 (England). Registered Office: 21 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2DY