2. Leonardo DiCaprio - Gangs of New York
After his recent performances in The Aviator, Blood Diamond and The Departed (among a few other notables) there aren't many serious cinemagoers that don't list DiCaprio as one of the finest character actors on the market. Scorsese certainly saw something special in him when he cast him in Gangs of New York and since he's become a regular favourite to the legendary auteur. But am I the only one who was less than blown away by DiCaprio's turn as the awkwardly Oirish Gangs of New York protagonist Amsterdam Vallon? I'm not saying its the worst performance ever committed to film, I'm simply arguing that, next to Day Lewis and within the confines of Scorsese's incredibly rich imagination, DiCaprio seems to be lacking a certain something; its almost as though he's too overwhelmed by the situation to completely give himself over to the character. Luckily, DiCaprio has gone from strength to strength since then, and any issue I might have had with the DiCaprio/ Scorsese pairing has been well and truly put to bed. But still, whenever I watch Gangs back, I can't help feel he's one of the film's weaker links.