7. Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained
DiCaprio has always been a talented actor unafraid of accepting challenging roles, so his stance in this article is not meant as target practice against his reputable filmography. And, yes, this includes Titanic. Nevertheless, his performance as Calvin Candie in Tarantinos Django Unchained stands out in comparison to his other roles for one broad reason it is against everything that the man represents. DiCaprio became a household name after Titanic, due to his attractive and boyish look, charm, and his heartthrob popularity. As a result, he became a leading man and typecast as the hero of every storyline. His versatility as an actor is rarely ever questioned, since he has proven himself in much darker tones and atmospheres. Danny Archer in Blood Diamond, Frank Wheeler in Revolutionary Road, Billy in The Departed, Teddy Daniels in Shutter Island, and many other roles demonstrated that even though he is the one with which the viewers are meant to sympathize, DiCaprio has never feared getting his hands dirty with riskier zones. When Tarantino came along, though, audiences met an unexplored side of his one that will not return any time soon, unfortunately. Despite playing darker roles throughout his career especially under Martin Scorseses wing Tarantino morphed his talent into a fist clenching, vile villain. His charm is ever present as he sways viewers with his suave, Southern accent, but his characters intentions forces us to regurgitate our original impressions. Racist, a murderer, ignorant, unrepentant, and egotistically evil, Calvin Candie is Leonardo DiCaprio raising the bar once more. Why is it that the charming villains are always the scariest yet the ones who prevent you from looking away? Out of all his deaths on screen, none brought more relief than this one. Should have been nominated for an Oscar, folks.