The best directors always have muses (i.e. actors that they trust and work with often). Tarantino has Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Nolan has Michael Caine, and Martin Scorsese has Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Out of the 23 films Scorsese has released since 1973, all but four have included either of the two actors.
Scorsese is the second-most Oscar-nominated directed of all time (9 nominations), behind only William Wyler (12 nominations). He's obviously an extraordinary filmmaker. But when has he made his best movies? Is it when he is working with Robert De Niro, or is it when he is working with DiCaprio?
De Niro: More Inspired Individual Performances
Overall, Robert De Niro's performances in Scorsese's movies have been more enjoyable. Not only has he had great screen presence, but he has also amassed a plethora of memorable quotes, including the iconic "you talking to me?" in Taxi Driver and "better be king for a night than a shmuck for a lifetime" in The King Of Comedy.
And, for his role as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, De Niro briefly held the record for the most weight gained for a movie. Also, for his role in Taxi Driver, he actually got a license and spent several weeks as a cab driver in New York in preparation for the movie. For both roles, he received Oscar nominations (winning one). There's no record of Leonardo DiCaprio going to extra lengths in preparation for a Scorsese movie.
DiCaprio: The Numbers Don't Lie
Scorsese has received an Oscar nomination for Best Director 4 times while working with Leonardo DiCaprio compared to 3 while working with Robert De Niro. When you account for the fact the De Niro has made more movies with the director, DiCaprio comes out as the clear winner.
Films directed by Scorsese and starring DiCaprio have also garnered a whopping 31 Oscar nominations in total, compared to 30 nominations in those starring De Niro. The box office figures don't lie either. Scorsese's highest-earning movies feature The Wolf Of Wall Street, Shutter Island, The Departed, Gangs Of New York and The Aviator in the top five. All of these have starred DiCaprio.
De Niro: It's Always A Joint Effort
While the working relationship between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio is often that of friendly master and servant: his working relationship with Robert DeNiro can be termed as "friendly teammates." It isn't about Scorsese telling De Niro what to do. It's about the two creating something together.
At the American Film Institute Festival in 2019, the director told the audience that it was De Niro who came up with the idea to make The Irishman. The actor introduced him to the non-fiction book I Heard You Paint Houses on which the movie is based. The two discussed it and agreed that it was a good project to work on. De Niro also recommended Al Pacino, telling Scorsese that The Godfather star was good to work with.
DiCaprio: More Historically Accurate Biopics
A good number of Martin Scorsese's films tell the stories of real people. However, the stories tend to be more accurate when he is working with Leonardo DiCaprio. The Wolf Of Wall Street was commended for being accurate by Jordan Belfort, the Wallstreet stockbroker that DiCaprio portrays. The Aviator was also accurate on most occasions. The Sikorsky S-38 and Hughes XF-11 used in the film were the same ones used by Howard Hughes in real life.
In contrast, The Irishman starring Robert De Niro as mob hitman Frank Sheeran has been criticized for being packed with made-up stories. And, in movies like Goodfellas and Casino, the real-life characters that De Niro portrays have different mannerisms and go by different names. The notorious gangster is James Burke Jimmy "The Gent" Conway in Goodfellas, while gambler Frank Rosenthal is Sam "Ace" Rothstein in Casino.
De Niro: More Iconic Works
When people discuss Scorsese's best ever movies, they don't mention Shutter Island or The Aviator. They talk about Goodfellas, The Irishman, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull. All these are movies starring Robert De Niro. All these films were also marked for preservation by the National Film Registry.
People also think of Scorsese as "The King Of Gangster Films" not really the man who made a movie about a fictional US martial called Teddy Daniels. In that regard, Scorsese's collaborations with De Niro are seen as more iconic feats of filmmaking.
DiCaprio: Explores A Variety Of Topics
Unlike Scorsese's collaborations with Robert De Niro, which are mostly gangster/tough guy flicks, his collaborations with Leonardo DiCaprio cover various topics such as con artists in Wall Street and aviation experts. Obviously, Scorsese gets the urge to be more experimental when Dicaprio is his muse.
When he's working with De Niro, he avoids veering off into new territories and prefers to stick to his working formula. Does this show a lack of trust in De Niro's abilities? Does he feel that De Niro would make a mess of any other role that isn't tough-guy related?
De Niro: Critical Acclaim
Keeping up with the facts, we shall use Rotten Tomatoes as a yardstick. The website normally weighs the sum of renowned critics that have given a movie a positive review against the sum of all critic reviews, then puts a percentage score.
Out of Scorsese's collaborations with De Niro, 5 films have a score of 90% and above, whereas only one with Leonardo DiCaprio has a score of 90% and above. Critics are clearly on team 'Scorsese & De Niro' more than they are on team 'Scorsese & Di Caprio.'
DiCaprio: He Offered Scorsese Longevity
Martin Scorsese is the only director who was popular in the 70s and is still making good movies. Without taking away from his skill, he owes much to Leonardo DiCaprio for his longevity. Prior to 2002, when he made his first movie with DiCaprio, Scorsese's career was on a decline.
This wasn't surprising, as many filmmaking heavyweights of the 70s like Francis Ford Copolla are no longer relevant. But, since the turn of the century, he acquired the title of Super Director once again by working with DiCaprio in movies such as The Departed and The Wolf Of Wall Street.
De Niro: More Mature Themes
It's almost like Scorsese gets to make himself a young man again while working with DiCaprio. Sex scenes are rarely shown in Scorsese's collaborations with De Niro, but, in movies like The Wolf Of Street, they are in excess, including some absurd ones in the office and elevator.
Jonah Hill even showed his unmentionables, and Jack Nicholson did the same in The Departed. Was this really necessary, Mr. Scorsese? Anyway, apart from the violence, De Niro's films often have mature themes like the importance of family and loyalty.
DiCaprio: Frequency Of Collaboration
Ever since he began working with Leonardo DiCaprio in 2002, the legendary director has cast the actor every 3 to 4 years without fail. Obviously, he likes Dicaprio's work very much. And, when something brings you good results, you keep going back to it.
Moving to Robert De Niro. It took almost 25 years, since the release of 1995's Casino before the two made a movie together again. Before that, it had taken 5 years, and before that, it had taken 7 years. It was only in the 70s that they worked together more frequently.