Martin Scorsese is considered one of the all-time best filmmakers to ever work in and out of Hollywood. The Oscar-winning director is responsible for some of the most iconic films ever made, from Goodfellas and Casino to Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.
Of course, Scorsese has reunited with the great Robert De Niro for The Irishman, which is set to bow in limited theaters on November 1, 2019. The film will then premiere on Netflix on November 27, 2019. With early word of mouth being so positive, we think it’s time to check out the 10 best Martin Scorsese movies, according to IMDb.
After Hours (7.7)
Scorsese movies aren’t typically known for their sense of humor, which makes After Hours one of his most surprisingly underrated movies to date.
The side-splitting pitch-black humor in After Hours comes when a copywriter has one of the worst and weirdest nights of his life. A simple date in Soho turns into an abject nightmare of an inescapable oddity as Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) moves from one strange scenario to another. He even runs into Cheech and Chong at one point! The absurdity is almost Felliniesque.
The King Of Comedy (7.8)
Okay, so who said Scorsese isn’t known for comedy? While his movies tend to feature outrageous bouts of violence, Scorsese’s versatility deserves more credit.
In The King of Comedy, Robert De Niro plays the ebullient sociopath Rupert Pupkin, a wannabe comic desperate for the national limelight. He consistently badgers his idol, comedian Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), to give him a shot at stardom. The movie is an intense character study of a sad clown — Joker anyone? — yearning to be seen in a better light. Hilarious, human, and downright heart-wrenching.
Shutter Island (8.1)
How many of you knew Shutter Island is an anagram of “truths and lies?” Freaky stuff, right?
In what amounts to a giant psychological puzzle, Shutter Island reunited Scorsese and Leo DiCaprio for the first time since the award-winning The Departed. Leo plays Teddy Daniels, an ostensible U.S. Marshall investigating the disappearance of a patient at an island-set mental institution. With a rug-pulling conclusion, the film demands a second watch to recalibrate your opinion.
The Last Waltz (8.2)
In his only documentary film to make the list, The Last Waltz stands alone as a monumental achievement more than 40 years later.
The film captures the farewell concert of the famed 1970s rock group The Band, which took place on Thanksgiving in 1976 at San Francisco’s legendary Winterland venue. Immersive, insightful and highly involved, The Last Waltz shows a side of Scorsese we hadn’t seen before. The intercut concert footage with intimate band interviews makes for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Raging Bull (8.2)
In their fourth collaboration, Martin Scorsese directed Robert De Niro to an Academy Award for Best Actor in Raging Bull. Scorsese was also nominated for Best Director, but would have to wait just over 25 to get the gold statuette.
The visceral boxing drama focuses on heavyweight Jake LaMotta’s biggest battles inside and outside the ring. His rise and fall as a boxer are beautifully mirrored by the triumphs and tribulations of his personal relationships. Directorially, Scorsese revolutionized how to shoot a boxing match from inside the ring.
Casino (8.2)
In what can be viewed as an unofficial sequel to Goodfellas, Scorsese’s sweeping tale of Sin City ruled under the Mafia still ranks among his most beloved films.
Starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, the epic saga follows Ace Rothstein’s soaring rise and plummeting downfall as a casino executive. Complicating matters is the arrival of his best friend Nicky Santoro, a wildly unpredictable racketeer whose greed threatens to upend their friendship. When Ace’s wife Ginger (Sharon Stone) begins to play both men from the middle, a devastating conclusion becomes inevitable.
The Wolf Of Wall Street (8.2)
In their fifth collaboration together, Martin Scorsese directed Leonardo DiCaprio to one of his most well-rounded performances ever in The Wolf Of Wall Street.
In a hilarious and tragic whirlwind of 1980s greed and excess, the film tells the true story of Jordan Belfort and his meteoric rise to extreme wealth as a stockbroker. Wild parties, upscale properties, excessive drug use, and the like lead Jordan down a path of irreparable self-destruction. The film earned five Oscar nominations, including ones for Scorsese as Best Director and DiCaprio as Best Leading Actor.
Taxi Driver (8.3)
Yup, we’re talking to you! Taxi Driver is not only one of Scorsese’s most adored films to date, but it’s also inarguably one of the most important films ever made.
The searing character study of a lonely and alienated taxi driver named Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) comes with all of Scorsese’s trademark flare. The angst-ridden war veteran works odd hours at night, scouring the city and wading through all of its inherent filth. When Travis makes the move to protect an underage prostitute from her pimp, a powerful conclusion erupts.
The Departed (8.5)
Scorsese finally won his first Oscar for Best Director on his work for the star-studded crime saga The Departed.
The film reunites Scorsese with his second-most collaborator, Leo DiCaprio, who plays undercover cop, Billy Costigan. Costigan is tasked with infiltrating the Irish mob lead by kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). On the other side of the law, a criminal named Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) sneaks his way into the local police force to stay one step ahead. As the cat-and-mouse game ensues, a harrowing conclusion takes place as only Scorsese accomplish.
Goodfellas (8.7)
Goodfellas is not only the highest-rated Scorsese flick, but it’s also the 19th ranked film of all-time, according to IMDb.
The towering crime drama follows the rise and fall of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who, from the time he was a child, wanted nothing more than to be a gangster. As he grows up and affiliates among the NYC Mafia with pals Jimmy (Robert De Niro) and Tommy (Joe Pesci), his life goes from the glamorous highs to the drug-addled lows. With every directorial trick used, every emotion plumbed, Goodfellas is as good as Scorsese gets.
