DiCaprio vs. De Niro: Who is the better Martin Scorsese collaborator?

Most board whitethorn spell their full careers looking for a muse. Martin Scorsese was fortunate capable to find 2 successful Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Scorsese’s collaborations pinch nan 2 actors helped him trade immoderate of nan astir iconic movies of each time. Scorsese’s collaborations pinch De Niro from nan 1970s to 1990s turned nan head into a family name, while his business pinch DiCaprio further cemented his bequest arsenic nan top surviving American filmmaker. And Scorsese whitethorn moreover go TikTok’s biggest breakout star earlier his profession ends.

De Niro has collaborated pinch Scorsese connected 10 films: Mean Streets; Taxi Driver; New York, New York; Raging Bull; The King of Comedy; Goodfellas; Cape Fear; Casino; The Irishman; and Killers of nan Flower Moon. For DiCaprio, it’s six films pinch Scorsese: Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Killers of nan Flower Moon.

With DiCaprio and De Niro some starring successful Killers of nan Flower Moon, it begs nan question: Which character is nan amended Scorsese collaborator? Find retired below.

Best lead performance

United Artists

Picking DiCaprio’s champion lead capacity successful a Scorsese is easy. Even personification connected Quaaludes would cognize that DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street is his top domiciled successful a Scorsese film. DiCaprio’s charisma is disconnected nan charts arsenic he plays a smug, hedonistic stockbroker whose criminal exploits made him a financial legend. Belfort is engaging successful fraud and corruption nan full movie. Yet, nan assemblage can’t thief but laughter astatine and strangely guidelines for this antihero. It’s a testament to DiCaprio’s all-in committedness to playing an irredeemable, larger-than-life savage.

Unfortunately for Leo, his tour-de-force capacity arsenic Belfort has to spell up against 2 legacy-defining roles from De Niro: Travis Bickle successful Taxi Driver and Jake LaMotta successful Raging Bull. De Niro’s Bickle is simply a terrifying villain rooted successful realism. Though galore of america whitethorn ne'er shave our heads into a mohawk aliases spell guns blazing into a brothel, everyone tin subordinate to Travis’ loneliness and nan awkwardness we hide from others.

Taxi Driver would beryllium nan champion in installments connected immoderate actor’s résumé too De Niro, whose capacity successful Raging Bull is conscionable arsenic good, if not better. There are character transformations, and past there’s De Niro arsenic LaMotta. The character learned really to container and gained 60 pounds to look unrecognizable arsenic nan washed-up jock astatine nan extremity of his life. Two legendary roles springiness De Niro nan separator complete DiCaprio’s magnetic character.

Winner: Robert De Niro

Best supporting performance

Miramax Films

This class isn’t a adjacent fight. Even though DiCaprio is billed arsenic nan lead character in Gangs of New York, nan apical canine successful that movie is Daniel Day-Lewis arsenic Bill nan Butcher, 1 of Scorsese’s champion characters of nan 21st century. For fans of The Last Dance, DiCaprio is Scottie Pippen pinch a backmost wounded successful Game 6 of nan 1998 NBA Finals, while Lewis is Michael Jordan. DiCaprio is captious for nan film’s success, but without Lewis, nan movie fails. Your eyes are glued to Lewis’ riveting capacity arsenic a maniacal villain. Lewis is truthful bully that whenever he’s off-screen, you want to fast-forward to get him backmost successful nan frame. It’s 1 of nan uncommon times erstwhile DiCaprio plays 2nd fiddle. DiCaprio’s capacity arsenic Amsterdam Vallon is solid, but it gets mislaid successful Lewis’ greatness arsenic Bill nan Butcher.

De Niro’s first movie collaboration pinch Scorsese occurred successful a supporting domiciled arsenic Johnny Boy Civello successful Mean Streets. Harvey Keitel’s Charlie Cappa is nan lead, but De Niro steals nan show from nan infinitesimal he confidently struts into nan red-lit barroom pinch 2 girls onhis arm. In Goodfellas, De Niro plays nan 2nd lead, Jimmy “the Gent” Conway. Don’t fto his bully suits aliases charming grin fool you. Jimmy was a gangster who would termination anyone if it meant different dollar successful his pocket. De Niro struck fearfulness into nan audience’s hearts. Also, De Niro gets my favourite infinitesimal successful Goodfellas, arsenic Jimmy tells Bats that drinks are connected nan house and includes a mysterious region aft “on.” It’s truthful retired of place, but it makes maine laughter each time.

Winner: Robert De Niro

More entertaining movies to watch

Warner Bros. Pictures

I want to explain this category. I americium not selecting which character has nan amended Scorsese movies (critical and financial). Four of De Niro’s collaborations pinch Scorsese – Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas – have been selected for preservation successful nan National Film Registry. DiCaprio has zero Scorsese films preserved. Instead, I americium picking nan amended movies to watch arsenic a collection. If you were to beryllium astatine location connected a Friday night, would you gravitate towards DiCaprio’s movies aliases De Niro’s movies from an intermezo value?

Scorsese’s magnum opus is Goodfellas, a movie that tin beryllium seen countless times because of its terrific ensemble, awesome philharmonic selections, and entertaining premise. The aforesaid can’t beryllium said astir Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. Watching an American incel spell insane aliases a prizefighter committing home unit isn’t precisely comforting  watching connected a Friday night. DiCaprio, connected nan different hand, has a wide action of crowd-pleasers successful different genres. Options see an epic crime saga (The Departed), a prestige biopic (The Aviator), an outrageous drama (The Wolf of Wall Street), and a neo-noir thriller (Shutter Island). For a Scorsese movie marathon, springiness maine DiCaprio’s films.

Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio

If they switched roles, who is better?

Paramount Pictures

Pretend DiCaprio played De Niro’s roles and vice versa. Which character is better? Leo is simply a terrific melodramatic character and could grip De Niro’s gangster roles successful Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino, and The Irishman. Because of his domiciled in Django Unchained, I judge DiCaprio would beryllium OK successful The King of Comedy, too. It’s nan scary psychopath type of De Niro wherever I person problem picturing Leo. Could he play a convulsive rapist successful Cape Fear? A depressed and angry loner in Taxi Driver? A troubled boxer successful Raging Bull? DiCaprio is excessively good-looking and well-liked to play these types of roles.

Meanwhile, De Niro would person an easier modulation successful DiCaprio’s parts. De Niro would thrive successful Gangs of New York, The Departed, and Shutter Island. De Niro’s type of Jordan Belfort would beryllium grittier, meaner, and little funny, but it would still work. The Aviator is nan only domiciled I could ne'er spot De Niro playing. De Niro wins this round, but it’s closer.

Winner: Robert De Niro

Who wins?

Paramount/Apple

De Niro is simply a amended Scorsese collaborator than DiCaprio. That’s not a sound against Leo, who will spell down arsenic nan champion character of his generation. DiCaprio is going against nan only feline who has a amended moving narration pinch nan legendary head than him. De Niro and Scorsese person been friends for astir 60 years. That type of chemistry can’t beryllium replicated. This question and reply pinch Scorsese successful nan Wall Street Journal Magazine perfectly encapsulates his beardown enslaved pinch De Niro.

While filming Killers of nan Flower Moon, DiCaprio’s changeless improvisation started to irk De Niro. “Every now and then, Bob and I would look astatine each different and rotation our eyes a small bit,” Scorsese said. “And we’d show [DiCaprio], ‘You don’t request that dialogue.'” DiCaprio will ever beryllium Scorsese’s champion student. However, De Niro will everlastingly beryllium Scorsese’s champion friend and collaborator.

Winner: Robert De Niro

Editors' Recommendations

• 10 champion Martin Scorsese movies, ranked
• 5 movies we can’t hold to watch successful precocious 2023
• Leonardo DiCaprio faces acheronian times successful caller Killers of nan Flower Moon trailer