THE PROBLEM WITH LEO

Leo

I've tried, I've really tried to convince myself that Leonardo DiCaprio is a great actor but I'm afraid I can no longer continue to prop up the illusion as I now see him more akin to the 'Wizard of Oz' of modern movie stars.

The thing is, once you look behind the emerald green curtain you'll find there really isn't much there.

And now, as trailers for Scorsese's 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' (2023) flood the timelines on my 'socials' and I see his faux-harassed/pained, wrinkled baby face flash up before me I find myself like Alex in Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange' when under going aversion therapy - simply unable to stomach any more Leo.

Ironic, perhaps, that I feel exactly the same way about his 'Killers' co-star DeNiro who similarly gurns and winces his way thr0ugh nearly every single performance like the Lee Strasburg equivalent of a Toby Jug merged with one of those grotesque gargoyles of a gothic cathedral.

River

I can remember distinctly the date of October 31st, 1993 (almost exactly 30 years ago) when, River Phoenix, the greatest actor of his generation, died tragically at The Viper Club from a lethal drugs cocktail of cocaine and heroin. Although he was only 23 years old when he died, there was no doubt to those who saw his performances in such films as 'Stand By Me', 'Running On Empty' and 'My Own Private Idaho' that here was as natural a screen presence as a Marlon Brando, Al Pacino or Jack Nicholson.

The absence after his untimely death left a void which Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Leonard DiCaprio all quickly filled and yet I'm still convinced to this day that River was like an amalgamation of all three which now makes him the Banquo's ghost of Hollywood, stalking invisibly in the shadows of movie sets thereafter. And as I watch these other actors' work, I can't help but imagine how much better he would have been in all of their acclaimed roles.

Strangely, it was also in that same year of 1993 that Lasse Hallström's 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' was released and a great excitement had been gathering momentum amongst critics and audiences alike regarding the precociously impressive performance of Leonardo DiCaprio who played the highly autistic, Arnie Grape. Looking back now, it's amazing to think that DiCapio was already nineteen years old as he appears much younger. His cheruban face put him in good stead for the first half of his career, especially in such roles as Romeo in Baz Luhrmann's 1996 ADHD version of the Shakespearian tragedy and as the young carefree Jack Dawson in James Cameron's 'Chocolate Box' 'Titanic', the year after prompting the arrival of 'Leomania' mass hysteria amongst teenage girls.

Of course, it would be churlish to deny DiCaprio's good looks which obviously helped enormously with his box office success and I give him full credit for attempting to extend his acting chops to rival his easy on the eye appearance. But as the years have flown by and his baby face has become increasingly sadder looking, I find the weight of time still hasn't brought any real gravitas to his acting legacy.

But there are many DiCaprio films I like and I congratulate him on his shrewd choices with the exception of the one that got away.

'American Psycho'.

Psycho

Avoiding becoming type cast in romantic roles after the success of 'Romeo' and 'Titanic', DiCaprio was actively looking for something more edgy and challenging to sink his teeth into and it was around this time he became interested in the script for 'American Psycho'. Persuaded by his agent not to break the hearts of all the devoted teenage girls he had secured the devotion of due to the record breaking success of 'Titanic', Leo decided instead to accept the role of Richard in Danny Boyle's 'The Beach' (2000) that was essentially a B-movie 'Apocalypse Now' for the backpack generation (and one that did inordinate amounts of environmental damage to Maya Beach on the Thai island of Phi Phi Lay). Leo may have made numerous speeches to the United Nations about climate change but the hypocrisy of his ginormous carbon footprint (on film and off it) is unavoidable. But I digress.

In a later interview, DiCaprio downplayed his interest in 'American Psycho' by saying that 'it didn't mean anything' which I find revealing as the same could easily have been said of his three hour Wall Street extravaganza 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' (2013) directed by Martin Scorsese which is essentially Patrick Bateman without the blood.

To be fair, the actor's uneasiness with the iconic role of Brett Easton Ellis's yuppie serial killer may have had something to do with an earlier film he made called 'The Basketball Diaries' (1995) which was alleged to have inspired the Columbine killers prior to the massacre of 20th April, 1999.

Nevertheless, looking for edge would become the main feature of DiCaprio's role selection from 2000 onwards (perhaps as way of compensation for regretting not taking the Bateman role) and he would seek out a cinematic mentor to help him secure the gravitas he so desperately hoped to find for himself.

Scorsese

Assessing DiCaprio in Scorsese films has always made me think of it akin to watching a character from Alan Parker's 'Bugsy Malone' turn up in a Francis Ford Coppola gangster movie. It's a collaboration that to my mind simply doesn't convince in what it aspires to be. Perhaps there had been a hope by both men to replicate the success of Scorsese's earlier partnership with Robert DeNiro (which I also have my doubts about with the exception of 'Taxi Driver') as the second act of his prolific filmmaking career.

'Gangs Of New York' (2002) was the first of the collaborations between DiCaprio and 'Cinematic Goodfella' Martin Scorsese and even to this day I find it a trial to get through, including Daniel Day Lewis's awful pantomime performance as Bill The Butcher which is one of the worst displays of screen acting I've seen al0ng with his similarly hammy performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's hugely overrated 'There Will Be Blood' (2007). Unfortunately this scene-chewing turn leaves DiCaprio overwhelmed in Day Lewis's wake and makes both the script and his acting for the character of Amsterdam seem woefully undercooked as it does for Cameron Diaz who plays Leo's love interest, Jenny Everdeane, who also looks uncomfortably out of her depth in this underwhelming film adaptation of Herbert Asbury's book.

I actually enjoyed 'The Aviator' (2004) which was a very conventional old fashioned biopic of the eccentric entrepreneur Howard Hughes but struggled to believe that DiCaprio (looking like a 12 year old) could play one of the most significant figures of the 20th Century which he attempts with all the depth of a piece of chewing gum. The film is handsomely put together (even if Scorsese's uses some weird colour filters in certain scenes) and generally compels by the narrative compression of a complex life story. I only wish we might have had a more substantial actor for the title role. Someone like Nicholas Cage! Just kidding! ^^ Mind you, I have fantasised about a David Lynch version of the Howard Hughes story set solely in his hotel room in Las Vegas with the reclusive billionaire slowly losing his mind.

'The Departed' (2006) was a laborious remake of 'Infernal Affairs' (2002) stretching what was originally an economical piece of Hong Kong action drama into an uneven Bostonian cop drama that amazingly managed to make what was a compelling and efficient story into a lumpen mess.

To make matters more even more confusing, DiCaprio is cast alongside his pudgy faced Hollywood doppelgänger, Matt Damon, who plays his nemesis, Colin Sullivan and though I can see why this visual similarity might have worked it actually has the opposite effect and doubles up by having two bland actors in two potentially crunchy roles. A wasted effort all round.

The less said about 'Shutter Island' (2010) the better. If this was Scorsese's attempt to make his own 'ghost noir' version of 'The Shining' it failed and although his constant switching of genres with his lead star is admirable in the hope of not getting stuck in a rut, DiCaprio's generic 'twitchy' performances make it hard to distinguish one from the other at this point. Looking back at these films with Scorsese, it's clear to detect a basic pattern of looks, glances and tones by the actor that all seem too contrived for me to applaud.

Of all their films, 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' (2013) appears to best suit DiCaprio's talent as he finds a natural affinity with Jordan Belfort, the 'Wolf' of the title and the perfect anti-hero for the anti-capitalist zeitgeist post 2008 market crash. Citing 'Caligula' as a key influence for the approach to the film, it seems that Leo is in his natural habitat enjoying the many scenes of excessive hedonism that don't appear too far removed from his own jet setting life and is perhaps why this may be his most natural performance since Spielberg's 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002).

In conclusion, regarding Marty and Leo, it appears the two men have made a sort of deal with the devil with one another in that Scorsese, recognising that DiCaprio brings the bag (in terms of box office), is prepared to accept the actor's many limitations whilst DiCaprio believes that by working with the grandmaster from Little Italy he will secure his legacy as a serious actor and essentially be Marty's DeNiro mark 2. Or perhaps he believes it's the other way round. Both actors have a similar range of grunts and gurns to draw comparison between themselves. I look forward to whatever DiCaprio's equivalent of 'Dirty Grandpa' will be in the year 2050.

Mendes, Nolan, Luhrmann and Tarantino

Mendes' Revolutionary Road' (2008) is a perfectly serviceable film adaptation of Richard Yates's masterpiece American novel (complete with a plinky-plonky Thomas Newman piano score that sounds like a never-ending tissue ad) but whereas Kate Winslet has clearly grown and matured as an actress to deliver a believably edgy performance as house wife, April Wheeler, trapped in the claustrophobic suburbs of Connecticut, Leo still appears to be frozen in time as Jack Dawson from their first and most successful film together, 'Titanic', playing her husband, Frank Wheeler.

DiCaprio's shortcomings in the lead role are further exposed by the phenomenal acting by Michael Shannon playing the minor role of John Givings, a sort of autistic savant intuiter of the quiet desperation of the repressed lives around him. He draws out the truth of the Wheelers like he's sucking the poison out of snakebite. It's one of those performances in a film that sweeps all before it leaving no place for the rest of the cast to hide.

Christopher Nolan's film 'Inception' (2010) is a film I've sworn never to watch again as the first time led me to idle fantasies of suicide and even turned my box of popcorn instantly stale. Hoping to make some sort of pseudo grown up version of 'The Matrix', DiCaprio as Cobb is a mere cipher amongst this video game-like borefest that promised to be mind bending but instead ends up being mind numbing. It could have been anyone playing DiCaprio's part which is more a reflection of Nolan's terrible writing than it is Leo's acting.

Rumour has it that the film is often used as a weapon of torture by the American Military to encourage terrorist suspects to confess their secret information. I know it would break me to see it again as would being forced to re-watch Baz Luhrmann's 'Moulin Rouge' (2001).

Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby' (2013) might have been a half decent movie if it hadn't been overlaid with a cringe pop soundtrack with tracks provided by Jay-Z, Will.I.Am. and Lana Del Ray over the top of the insanely bright visuals along with typically attention deficit editing leaving no space for scenes to breathe (can someone get Baz some ritalin?) Maybe it wasn't DiCaprio's fault that the director spoiled a movie he was for once actually well suited for. Because of the film's obvious lack of mystery, DiCaprio's Jay Gatsby comes across as an ill drawn character and is now better remembered for the champagne gif (graphics interchange format) that does the rounds on TikTok, Instagram and X (Twitter). I'm pretty sure that was not the intended ambition for the adaptation of one of American literature's most celebrated novels when they embarked on this prestige project. Or maybe it was? Perhaps Baz was ahead of the curve and realised his flatuently indulgent films would eventually make fantastic gifs.

Give that man a gifscar! (gif + oscar)

And so, turning to DiCaprio's two films with director/writer Quentin Tarantino I find myself a little more conflicted as I (sort of) love one of them whilst consider the other yet another cinematic non-event.

'Django' (2012) was the middle part of Tarantino's fantasy history trilogy which began with 'Inglourious Basterds' (2009) and ended with 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019) and although superficially it holds some fascination as a racial subversion of the Western, replacing what would typically be a white hero protagonist with a black lead other than that it feels very laborious and has little of the quicksilver brilliance of Mel Brook's 'Blazing Saddles' which examined the same reversal of stereotypes in a far more hilarious and efficient fashion.

Subverting his own general hero protagonist image, Leo plays his first out and out villain as Francophile plantation owner, Calvin Candie, complete with rotten, yellow stubby teeth to quash any doubt for the audience that he is evil. It's not exactly subtle and the trouble is, it all feels so very forced and unbelievable. DiCaprio has never been the best at accents and it show to a painful degree reminding me of Michael J Fox's attempt at playing a Southern Calvaryman in 'Teenwolf' (1985). 'Django', like 'Gatsby' and 'Wolf' has also proved to be very meme and gif worthy for the actor so on that criteria all these films are raging successes and need no further anaylsis.

Just kidding. I'm headed for the home straight now.

With 'Once Upon A Time In America' (2019), Tarantino casts DiCaprio as Rick Dalton a B-movie matinee movie/television star who is falling out of time with the 1960's zeitgeist and what's currently hip in Hollywoodland. Unlike the genius casting of Robert Forster as the bail bondsman, Max Cherry, in the director's 'Jackie Brown' (1997) there is simply no way for the audience to plausibly believe that DiCaprio is a down on his luck movie star with a drink problem. DiCaprio also affects a half ass stutter which seems to come and go throughout the movie and I'm not sure what exactly it's meant to achieve other than make the character more superifically sympathetic to the audience. A great actor wouldn't need any such hokey device to incurr feelings of empathy from the viewer.

Nevertheless, much like 'The Aviator', DiCaprio doesn't spoil 'OATIH' but neither does he hugely add anything to it. Tarantino might have been far better served thinking outside the box and reverting to a more subversive casting decision in the same way he did with resurrecting John Travolta's career for 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) but similarly to Scorsese he knows that 'Babyface' Leo brings the bag and that only helps finance and sell the movie.

I will concede that the final scene where Sharon Tate is spared her massacre by Manson's cult killers and invites Rick up to her place for late night drinks is charming and Leo clearly has enough skill to pull it off, leading to a satisfying conclusion to the sprawling film which is really Tarantino's love letter to his movie past and the Los Angeles he grew up in as a child.

A Spielberg's Tale and a redemptive note

Perhaps playing someone in 'Catch Me If You Can' (2000) who was a charlatan impersonating other people was another perfect fit for Leo as an actor who has spent his career doing just that. The difference is, whilst Frank Abergnale got found out, it doesn't look like DiCaprio ever will.

The great thing about this mixed bag of a movie is that it has a touch of the mid 80's 'Empire Of The Sun' Spielberg about it which he infuses with an atmosphere of sweet melanchiolia that lends a certain emotional depth where it might have had none in lesser hands.

I can't fault DiCaprio's performance as the young Abergnale in this movie though I must say when he is found captive in Perpignan prison in France, all bearded like a Howard Hughes runaway I find him less than convicing once again. I still am unable to escape the thought of River Phoenix playing such a role and smashing it out of the park. Leo (as always) just bats safety shots which is fine but not of generational importance in relation to the acting craft as some movie podcasts I've listen to seem to suggest.

What is interesting is how the two most convincing roles he's ever played are both conmen in both Frank Abagnale and Justin Belfort ('Wolf Of Wall Street'). Perhaps Leo is the great conman of acting, having most of the world believe he is a great actor.

Well this wolf ain't pulling the wool over my eyes.

Conclusion

It might be around the point I start to waiver on my initial premise that DiCaprio is not a great actor (in part due to the high volume amount of work he's put out) but in fact I'm more convinced than ever. He has a limited range and yet constantly tries to exceed it but biting off more than he can chew with characters too complex for his skill set. It's like watching a strawweight pretend he's a heavyweight.

Tom Cruise has a limited range and knows it. The genius of what he does is to play to his strengths and celebrate what he can do to the max. This consistency and humility (yes, humility) make him far more credible in terms of his commitment to his craft than DiCaprio.

Being good looking isn't always easy, of course, and yet Paul Newman managed to be both a great looking movie star and a serious actor all combined. Watching DiCaprio in his many movies huff and puff like an overzealous drama student I can't help feeling that he hasn't managed to mine beyond skin deep levels and as much as I genuinely believe he has a great nose for tasty roles, he hasn't the depth of character to pull them off. I tried to avoid mentioning Iñáritu's 'The Revenant' (2015) where DiCaprio walks around wearing a bear skin, looking like the school play version of Yosemite Sam. It's frankly embarassing and does the great cinemtography in the film a grave disservice. Ironic then that they gave DiCaprio an Oscar for this performance upon which, when receiving his award, he opined about climate change and the environment. Maybe like Bellfort, it's time for the FBI to call him in on his carbon crimes so we can seek some reparations for the planet.

A couple of decades off-setting his carbon footprint by making no more movies would be a welcome start.

If this all seems like a harsh (and I'll admit occasionally childish) assessment of someone who has been phenomenally successful and will no doubt continue to be. Please understand that it comes from a disappointment from appreciating the projects he picks and the disparity between their quality and his limited range.

Or then again, maybe I'm still in grief about River Phoenix's premature death and can't see past the void he left in his absence.

I guess some stars burn too bright too quick while others burn longer and become increasingly duller.