The Martin Scorsese Film Leonardo Dicaprio Says He Loves Most

Throughout his award-winning filmography, the projects that stand out are his incredible collaborations with Martin Scorsese. Starting with the 2002 historical epic Gangs of New York, DiCaprio has returned to work alongside Scorsese on several movies that have become an integral part of popular culture.

Including the likes of The Departed, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street, it’s undeniable that Scorsese knows how to bring the best out of DiCaprio. The two creative titans previously returned with another project that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, DiCaprio stars alongside Scorsese’s other frequent collaborator, Robert De Niro, in a widely praised epic about the 1920s Oklahoma murders that took place in the Osage Nation. The film was cited as one of the best works of its year, cementing their partnership as one of the most enduring in cinema.

DiCaprio’s respect for Scorsese originated at an early age when he discovered his favorite film by the American auteur. In an interview, he revealed that the one that really moved me the most was Taxi Driver.

He recalled watching it at 15 years old and being transfixed with Travis Bickle because he felt such incredible empathy toward the character, only to feel deceived by the protagonist’s eventual actions.

The reason why the script resonated with DiCaprio was that it made him relate to the troubled protagonist before shocking him out of that connection. He noted that at the point of deception, he began to question who the person was that he had been identifying with on the journey.

To him, the project remains really the greatest independent film ever made. Scorsese also acknowledges the central creative force behind the greatness of Taxi Driver: Paul Schrader’s script.

He points out that it was Brian De Palma who handed him Schrader’s powerful screenplay, which was actually influenced by a difficult period in his life when he was living in his car and suffering from a terrible stomach ulcer.

As of February, the collaboration between these icons shows no signs of slowing down. DiCaprio is currently in Prague preparing for their next feature, What Happens at Night, a psychological thriller based on Peter Cameron’s novel.

The film, which begins principal photography this month, features an incredible ensemble including Jennifer Lawrence, Mads Mikkelsen, and Patricia Clarks. Aside from his work with Scorsese, DiCaprio is dominating the awards season with his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.

The political thriller recently swept the BAFTAs, winning six awards, including Best Film, and has earned DiCaprio a Best Actor nomination at the upcoming Oscars. The film, loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, also stars Sean Penn and Regina Hall and is set to begin streaming on major platforms later this week.

Looking further ahead into the year, DiCaprio is officially set to star in Michael Mann’s highly anticipated Heat 2. Filming for the crime epic, which serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the 1995 original, is scheduled to begin in August. DiCaprio will reportedly star alongside Christian Bale, marking one of the most significant casting pairings in recent memory.

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