MovieChat Forums > Gangs of New York (2002) Discussion > Leo DiCaprio V Daniel Day Lewis

Leo DiCaprio V Daniel Day Lewis


I'm a fan of both. I've just watched There Will Be Blood and Daniel blew me away. I love both these actors but sometime the idiocy of those overpraising Day Lewis and dissing DiCaprio is nonsensical.
Some will come to this board with their own preconceived prejudice and will refuse to listen to reason, while a few will read what I'm saying with an open mind. The answers will speak for themselves.
As great an actor as Daniel Day Lewis is, the idea that he is better than DiCaprio and blew him away in this movie because of pure talent is dumb and ignores the overall purpose of the movie.
The entire point of the movie is that Amsterdam is the little pup and that Daniel is the big ragged yard dog.
(1) The movie builds towards this by establishing scenes with Daniel dominating the other characters. A scene at the beginning of the movie where he murders Leo's father. A scene where the five points dissolve into the shot of the palm of his hand as Daniel intones that he owns the territory. A scene where he takes a butchers knife and teaches the younger DiCaprio how to kill a man. Etc.
(2) Daniel's Bill The Butcher character is dressed and presented as a dominating character.
(3) Daniel constantly hams it up a notch above Leo and the other characters as he plays the part.
(4) In contrast DiCaprio's job is to play his character as unsure of himself, intimidated, seeking a father figure, throughout most of the movie.
(5) All the other characters go out of there way to tell us how dangerous The Butcher is while telling us that Amsterdam has no chance, thus building Daniels character up even more as a real threat.
In short, the movie direction, script, soundtrack, dress and the other characters, Hell, even the names of the characters create the impression of Daniel Day Lewis as a dominating figure and Leo as the young whipper snapper. I have no problem with this. That was the intention of the movie. But when idiots take this as some gospel evidence that Daniel Day Lewis is the better actor they insult there own intelligence.
At this point in their careers Daniel may well have been the better actor since he had more experience, but DiCaprio was more likely nieve in allowing himself to be taken advantage of like this. On the script alone, The Butcher dominates the story so it is hardy a surprise that he would in the final movie when you add any experienced actor and give him a Cool name, clothes, dramatic scenes,cool lines of dialogue, allow him to ham it up and have other characters constantly refer to how dangerous he is. Marlon Brando wouldn't have done any better.

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[deleted]

I think DiCaprio is excellent, but not in the same league as Day Lewis.

That said, I don't think many people are.

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I think DiCaprio is excellent, but not in the same league as Day Lewis.

That said, I don't think many people are.
x 2 🐭

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If day-Lewis played the title role of dicaprio he would possibly win a oscar because day-Lewis is a genius can't say the same if the roles was the other way around!!!

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Daniel Day-Lewis - and it's not even close.


"The trick, William Potter,is not minding that it hurts."

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[deleted]

DiCaprio was great but I would go with Lewis. That really is no insult to DiCaprio though (don't know why people can't praise without hate).

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Leo is a fine actor. I'm a big fan and I always have been. But to compare him to DDL is folly. DDL is incomparable. He is known as one of the best, if not The Best, actor currently alive and that praise is completely deserved. Leo, much as I enjoy, respect, and admire his work, cannot touch him.

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Daniel Day-Lewis is good but definitely overrated especially given people act like he cant be touched, but the way i see it... how many movies of his are of any real worth?

Dicaprio blows Day-Lewis away in that regard and it's not even close(or even debatable in my mind). movie quality is what ultimately makes or breaks you as a actor in the long run if you ask me (since you will either be remembered or not based largely on that) and not many can touch Dicaprio in that regard.


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You don't know *beep* about acting.

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