When it comes to Martin Scorsese’s filmography, there’s a lot to choose from. His films have a wide range of true stories brought to life and a mix of the same actors used time and time again, and Scorsese, has an ability to capture our attention even when the runtime of his movies is … often long.
That doesn’t mean they’re all brilliant, and sometimes, even the brilliant ones (like the underrated The King of Comedy) are still buried in the grand scheme of Scorsese’s lineup because his great films are just so good that it’s hard to rank them all. So, I did the impossible. I knocked down Scorsese’s movies to a ranking of the top 10 films.
10. Shutter Island
A movie that many agree is better when you don’t know the twist, Shutter Island is still a pretty good movie, in my opinion. Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes to investigate a missing woman with his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), and he’s plagued by memories of his own wife and what she did to their children.
An exploration of grief and what happens when you don’t explore your own pain, Shutter Island does end up being a lot of show without the substance that it needs to really sell it in the end. Still, it isn’t a bad watch. Just out of the grand scheme of Scorsese movies, it doesn’t quite reach the very top, but it is one of the movies that are the easiest most fun to rewatch.
9. The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence feels like a departure for Scorsese compared to the rest of his filmography, but one that works to set him apart for his style of filmmaking. Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a man stuck between his marriage to May Welland (Winona Ryder) and his draw to Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Released in 1993, it is sweet in comparison to Scorsese’s other work and truly stands out in comparison to films like Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995), but is still about the perils of man and focuses on Newland and his inability to see the good things he has in his life while they are there at his disposal.
8. Casino
Casino feels like the rightful successor to Goodfellas, probably because of the narration, but it is Scorsese’s glimpse into the glamour of the Las Vegas scene through the life of Sam “Ace” Rothstein. In actuality, the movie is based on a true story (like much of Scorsese’s work), the real story of Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal.
Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone, the movie was another entry in Scorsese’s gangster filmography and put Stone in the center of Sam Rothstein’s world as his wife Ginger. It’s a long film, detailing the rise and fall of Rothstein and his partner in crime, Nicky Santoro (Pesci), filled with Scorsese’s dark themes and his destruction of man in the glitz and glamour of the Vegas strip.
7. The Aviator
Have you ever wanted to watch a nearly three-hour movie about Howard Hughes? Well, you’re in luck! That’s what The Aviator is, and look, it’s great because it’s Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard and Adam Scott is there, along with a never-ending cast of women that play the women who colored Howard Hughes’ love life. Cate Blanchett plays Katharine Hepburn, Kate Beckinsale is Ava Gardiner, Gwen Stefani is Jean Harlow, and that’s just the start of this brilliant cast.
Yes, it is long, but it’s worth it and one of Scorsese’s best. His work with DiCaprio is some of the best in his catalog (and it’s often debated who his best collaborator is between DiCaprio and De Niro), but this is just genuinely a brilliant film. You just have to dedicate some time to it.
6. Raging Bull
Welcome to the era of “Robert De Niro is a horrible, no-good man,” but Martin Scorsese sure knows how to film him and make him look beautiful. Jake LaMotta (a real boxer, making this part of Scorsese’s trend of adapting real stories into films) was a middleweight boxer who squared up against stars like Sugar Ray Robinson in the ring. Raging Bull does not shine a good light on Jake or his toxic nature and highlights what his “brilliance” in the ring was hindered by: his inability to see his own faults.
Most of the time, he blames his failures on “bad luck” and only acknowledges his bad mistakes once. He’s a man who consistently disrespects the women in his life, controls every aspect of those around him, and is abusive, disgusting, and not a good man. Beautifully shot and captivating to watch, Raging Bull ends up being hard to digest but is still a classic for a reason.
5. Taxi Driver
Another entry in the Scorsese book entitled “Men, We Suck” is Taxi Driver. Travis Bickle brings a girl on a date to a porno and suddenly decides that everyone must die. MEN. The movie is an exploration of a man on the brink, brought on by insomnia and a hero complex towards the women around him. The men who think like Travis? Terrifying. Unpacking why Travis’ hero complex and his own ineptitude brought him to the brink of murder? A fascinating character study.
Look, this is like the antithesis of American Psycho in the sense that Travis sees himself as a hero and the movie almost sells him as one, where Patrick Bateman is a villain for the crimes he may or may not have committed. Taxi Driver is very much a movie you’ll think about after, wondering what was real for Travis and for everyone else.
4. Goodfellas
One of the greatest stories about the mafia out there, Goodfellas changed cinema. There are lots of movies that call back to Goodfellas and its story structure. It’s a staple of Italian families everywhere (or at least my family) and one of those movies that really is just iconic for how it brought together the story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his connection with the mafia.
It is hard to pinpoint which part of Goodfellas is a favorite or even the best line. You’ve probably heard “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” because it is one of the best lines in the movie. It also is probably why we even have the tone of Casino.
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese worked with Eric Roth to bring to life the story of the Osage Nation murders. The film highlights Mollie Burkhart (Lily Gladstone) and the pain her family went through at the hands of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and William King Hale (Robert De Niro). The nearly three and a half hour movie never feels like a drag, mostly due to Gladstone’s stunning performance as Mollie, but it is still hard to watch the brutal murders of the Osage people due to the greed of the white people who took their land and their money in Oklahoma.
Filled with stunning performances and another look at the fragile ego of white men, Killers of the Flower Moon gets into the FBI involvement in the case, but it is truly the least important aspect of the film as a whole. This is Mollie’s story, and is a heartbreaking look at the truth of the Osage Nation.
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a man who used the system to gain wealth, fame, and everything he could want until his life came crashing down around him, and rightfully so. He was doing it illegally, but watching The Wolf of Wall Street and seeing the lighter elements of this film in comparison to Scorsese’s other work has it standing out as one of his best films to date.
Vibrant, fast, and packed with the high-stakes world of stocks, Scorsese made a movie that could have been so incredibly boring into something special and outrageous that still tackles the horrific lengths men like Belfort will go to for their own success.
1. The Departed
Easily the best of Scorsese’s gangster movies, The Departed takes its inspiration from Infernal Affairs and brings us a look at Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he works undercover to take down Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) as part of the Irish mob in Boston. Trying to figure out who the rat is in the police department and unpacking Frank’s relationship to Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) as he plays both sides of the war, The Departed is easily Scorsese’s best look at the crime boss mentality.
A movie that changed my life when I saw it, The Departed became the Scorsese movie that was completely mine. Out of them all, this was my movie—my choice of favorite and a movie I can always watch and find something new to enjoy in it. Just an all around brilliant piece of storytelling, The Departed will always be my favorite Scorsese movie.
(featured image: Warner Bros. Pictures/Universal Pictures/Paramount Pictures/Columbia Pictures/Illustration by The Mary Sue)
