As far back as I could remember, I always wanted to do a list about Scorsese movies.
Martin Scorsese's mafia epic Goodfellas (1990) turned 30 years old last week, so this is a good time to share some of my favorite movies from the director. Scorsese has been a constant icon of cinema for five decades, having made a name for himself with a signature style but also equipped with a major range whenever he feels like making something different from his usual body of work. Here are my favorite films directed by Martin Scorsese!
Honorable mentions: Casino (1995), Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story By Martin Scorsese (2019), The Aviator (2004), The King Of Comedy (1982).
10. Shutter Island (2010)
The creative mind of Martin Scorsese can truly go far whenever he ventures away from his usual style. A good example is the psychological thriller Shutter Island, which often feels more like a David Lynch project than traditional Scorsese, but is just as well-directed as the filmmaker's down-to-earth crime dramas. With this film, you get an unsettling setting, well-built tension and some playing with concepts of horror, as well as some fantastic performances from Leo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo. And that ambiguous ending really stays with you.
9. The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
You can see this as a cautionary tale, a true story on the actions of a despicable person and the dangers of human greed. You can also see this as the movie equivalent of the devil on one's shoulder - I see the way the films veers on glorifying the actions of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) as a powerful way of making the viewer think. There's something so fun and glorious in how his worldview and actions are presented, that a part of every viewer wants to be him and experience the same thrills, only for the film's latter half to be a huge "careful what you wish for" statement. Scorsese has always worked well with stories of anti-heroes and criminals, lengthy biopics, and with DiCaprio as his main star, so this entertaining film allows the director to play many of his strengths.
8. Mean Streets (1973)
This is not Scorsese's first or even second feature film, but it is largely considered to be his breakthrough, and the first movie to be a "Scorsese film" in the sense that 'Scorsese' is being used as an adjective. Mean Streets introduces a signature style that would go on to serve as the foundation for not only Scorsese's own masterpieces, but the modern mafia movie genre in general. It is clear how even the critically acclaimed TV series The Sopranos (1999-2007) has taken a lot of influence from this revolutionary work.
What makes Mean Streets so intriguing and addictive, especially when watched after seeing films like Goodfellas and Casino, is weirdly enough the small scale. It is fascinating to follow the dramatic dynamics and machinations of organized crime at a very low level - truly on the streets. The film is also one of the best examples for Scorsese's fascination with religion as a theme, as the story explores the strong Catholic faith that traditional mafiosos swear by, and its paradoxical relationship to the atrocities they commit. Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro are exquisite in their main roles, making for an all-in-all delicious crime flick.
7. Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver didn't quite resonate with me enough for me to see it as the cinematic masterpiece that many movie buffs consider it to be, but it definitely is a very fine and above-average crime drama all the same. Robert De Niro carries the film with his haunting and layered performance as Travis Bickle, and the societal criticism comes across as realistic and gripping. Jodie Foster also deserves praise for her breakthrough role in the film, skilfully acted at the mere age of fourteen years.
Taxi Driver is filled with memorable dialogue and impeccably directed action. Through the grim misadventures of Travis Bickle, the viewer grows concerned and even scared of what the protagonist might do, yet also becomes invested in this person who society has left behind and ultimately hopes the best for him.
6. Hugo (2011)
After making himself world-famous with violent and loud-mouthed crime dramas about horrible people, Martin Scorsese took the most unexpected turn: directing one of the most pure, sweet and innocent family movies I've ever seen. And he sure pulled it off.
Hugo is an absolutely magical film about a boy called Hugo (Asa Butterfield) in 1930's Paris. Scorsese uses his chops as one of the world's best movie directors to surgically create the absolutely perfect milieu for a children's movie: the soundtrack, the cinematography, the set design and the dialogue all create a perfect atmosphere of childlike enthusiasm and the feeling of adventure. Butterfield is excellent in the lead role, as is the strong supporting cast, including Chloe Grace Moretz as Hugo's adventuring companion, Ben Kingsley as a brooding take on real-life movie pioneer George Méliès, and Sacha Baron Cohen as a wonderfully cartoonish bad guy.
Not any childlike adventure wins 5 Academy Awards, but this masterful work of nostalgia sure deserved its prizes. Instead of exploring his usual themes of religion, crime and mental issues, Scorsese proved that he can do just as much with the theme of capturing his love for movies and the magic of the medium.
5. Raging Bull (1980)
Good sports movies are a curious thing - especially the ones about sports that I'm not interested in. I can't even begin to describe how little I care about boxing, yet there are some absolutely amazing films about it, and Raging Bull is one of them. One of the two major reasons behind my high regard for this film is just how creative and intense the directing is. As opposed to other boxing films where the matches are filmed from outside the ring, Scorsese took the cameras inside the ring for carefully crafted boxing sequences that really capture the sheer intensity of the sport. As little as I care about the sport, it is pretty fascinating to watch it with the amount of realistic brutality that Scorsese's directing techniques managed to capture.
The other reason, of course, is Robert De Niro's performance - my all-time favorite role from the actor. The way he channels the real-life anger issues of Jake La Motta is absolutely frightening, and a golden example of an actor really throwing themselves into a role. Sidenote: it's funny how nearly all of the films on this list star either De Niro or DiCaprio, but the two have never been in a Scorsese film together...there's something up with that.
4. The Irishman (2019)
The slightly lesser out of the two 2010's long-term passion projects on this list, The Irishman was one of my favorite films from the great movie year 2019. The film feels like Scorsese returning to the elements of his "golden age" that he had largely moved away from, for one last mob epic: Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are back in the main cast, the mafia is the main story element once more, the soundtrack is vintage Scorsese material and so on. Oh, and since the mob-genre star power of De Niro and Pesci (also Harvey Keitel) wasn't enough for this film's level of ambition, Scorsese broke new ground by working with Al Pacino for the first time. What a mix of people.
As can be expected, the acting performances are breathtaking. Pacino steals the show as the notorious gangster Jimmy Hoffa, while De Niro very much holds his own in the lead role. And, as I've mentioned before, this film differs from Scorsese's older mafia movies in one major way: while much of his work has been accused of glorifying crime, this film definitely doesn't do that. Instead, much of the runtime especially towards the end is dedicated to a cold and harsh statement of "crime doesn't pay", by showing what happened to the people involved after their 'glory days'. All in all, quite the ultimate Scorsese picture.
3. Silence (2016)
The slightly better out of the two 2010's long-term passion projects on this list, Silence is a vastly underrated piece of art. It is one of those films that should be watched only in a very specific frame of mind - between its nearly 3-hour runtime, the extremely slow pace, the 17th century setting and the deep religious themes that it ponders, this is not your average Friday night popcorn flick. But it is a movie that will make you think.
Silence takes a deep look at faith and its limits in this story of two Portuguese Jesuit priests, who travel to Japan on a mission of faith and loyalty. Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson contribute astonishing acting performances, and the film's Oscar-nominated cinematography makes for some truly artistic imagery. The film is a sobering and often excruciating look at some very serious moral dilemmas, and many of its scenes really stay with you. I recommend watching this film in a somewhat philosophical and very patient mood, as it ends up being an incredibly rewarding experience.
2. The Departed (2006)
The Irish mob has an inside man (Matt Damon) within the Boston Police Department, while the cops have an undercover man (Leonardo DiCaprio) within the mob. The two try to figure out each other's identities without getting busted themselves. Mark Wahlberg plays the police sergeant in charge of the operation, while Jack Nicholson plays the mob boss. So, yeah, there's no way in hell that this film could've been anything else than amazing, especially with Scorsese sitting in the director's chair.
The Departed is a thrilling crime drama, and one that rightfully won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Writing and Best Editing. I also want to specifically compliment the soundtrack department, as much of the film's awesome atmosphere comes from a majestic choice of songs: whether it's the Rolling Stones masterpiece Gimme Shelter rocking the opening scene, Badfinger's Baby Blue creating emotional tension in an interrogation sequence or The Dropkick Murphys's celtic punk anthem I'm Shipping Up To Boston as a recurring theme, the soundtrack is consistently phenomenal.
1. Goodfellas (1990)
"As far back as I could remember, I always wanted to be a gangster"
That iconic opening line, spoken by Ray Liotta as the protagonist Henry Hill, which is spoken just as Tony Bennett's Rags To Riches starts to play, convinced me that this was going to be a great movie. The fantastic opening scene is followed by two and a half hours of more greatness. Liotta, along with Scorsese's recurring partners-in-crime Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, form an amazing main cast, further complemented by Lorraine Bracco in a powerhouse performance as Hill's wife.
Goodfellas is a Shakespearean tragedy about a man's slow rise to the top, followed by a bittersweet fall from grace. Scorsese's directorial skills are at their absolute best as he creates a perfect and unique atmosphere*, with some help from the fantastic soundtrack department as well as Michael Ballhaus's amazing cinematography. The dialogue is pure gold, and the film is very entertaining despite its ambitious length and slow-ish pace. This is Scorsese at his best.
* I just have to mention that the style of this film (and some other mafia movies, but mostly this one) is recreated in a perfect fashion in the Community (2009-2015) episode Contemporary American Poultry (Season 1 episode 23). The episode's story revolves around chicken fingers at a community college cafeteria, but its style is a hilarious and well-done tribute to Scorsese and the mafia genre. Watching Goodfellas and then this episode as a cool-down would make for a great double feature.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my list of the greatest episodes of The Office (U.S.) (2005-2013).
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