Right off the bat, you’re immediately gonna know it’s going to be a great film if it’s made by Martin Scorsese. The award-winning director has been around since the 1960s, and every decade, he graces us with some of the best movies we will never forget. Here’s our very own ranking of the top 5 greatest Martin Scorsese films of all time. Note: You may or may not agree with our list, but be sure to subscribe and leave a comment!
5) Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Martin Scorsese’s most recent project came in the form of a Western drama based on the book of the same name, Killers of the Flower Moon. Featuring two of his favorite actors (Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro), the award-winning director makes another proof of why he is still one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
The movie begins when the Osage tribe discovers an oil reserve underneath their lands in Oklahoma. As the law states, the Osage were required to be governed by white people. Then follows Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio), a war veteran, as he returns to living a simple life after World War I. Ernest returns to his uncle, William “King” Hale, a renowned man on the reservation. With the help of William, Ernest would find the love of his life, Mollie (Lily Gladstone), who is one of the wealthy Osage people. However, murders became rampant in the area after Hale started ordering the killing of the wealthy Osage elders one by one.
IMDB: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
4) Shutter Island (2010)
Would you believe that, despite his eerily amazing performance in this movie, Leonardo DiCaprio was not even nominated as the Best Actor in the Academy Awards? Believe it or not, Scorsese has the knack to bring the best out of Leo.
Being the captivating U.S. Marshal in the neo-noir psychological film Shutter Island surprised everyone. The twist at the end of the film really had us sitting at the edge of our seats. Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Deputy Edward “Teddy” Daniels as he joins his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), in an attempt to investigate a psychiatric facility after a patient goes missing despite the place being located in the middle of the ocean. If you’ve seen Shutter Island, you know what really happens next. It’s a horrifying thriller movie that is still worth watching even to this day.
IMDB: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
3) The Departed (2006)
Have you ever been so terrified of a fictional character solely because of how it was perfectly portrayed by the actor? Well, Jack Nicholson may have a couple of those. Scorsese was known for crime action thrillers in the ’80s and ’90s, like Casino, Cape Fear, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, Mean Streets, and Taxi Driver. The American-Italian filmmaker has also delved into other genres in the latter part of his career. But, he returns in his forte in the 2000s as he brings Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg in a star-studded crime thriller, The Departed.
The film is set in metro Boston where corruption and crime are very rampant. Irish mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson), who basically runs the area, started grooming Collin Sullivan (Damon) to become a future cop and become his very own spy. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts State Police (MSP), unknowing of the partnership between Costello and the now detective Sullivan, also procured their own undercover agent in the form of Billy Costigan, a cop wannabe who was selected due to his ties with a former mob member.
The movie becomes a cat-and-mouse play between Costello/Sullivan and Costigan/MSP. The Departed was positively received by critics and moviegoers. Unfortunately, Martin Scorsese did not want a sequel and just wanted to leave it that way. As a result, the film was forced to end with the death of the main characters (except for Mark Wahlberg’s Sergeant Dignam).
IMDB: 8.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
2) Goodfellas (1990)
Scorsese already has literally hundreds of titles in his filmography. Since starting his journey, he has made a masterpiece for every decade.
Taxi Driver put his name on the map during the ’70s; Raging Bull was a hit in the ’80s; The Aviator and Gangs of New York were his best projects in the early 2000s; Shutter Island, Hugo, and The Wolf of Wall Street proved he’s not just a crime thriller guy in the 2010s; and, he cemented his name as an All-Time great with Killers of the Flower Moon in the 2020s. But what about the ’90s? Some would argue that Casino or Cape Fear was Scorsese’s best film in that era. But, deep inside, you know it was always Goodfellas.
Yet again, in another crime drama, Robert De Niro works with Martin Scorsese (one of their many partnerships). Alongside them is up-and-coming actor, the late great Ray Liotta and beloved Joe Pesci. These three actors portrayed three Italian-American mafia members who lived a lavish life of crime. Ultimately, their luck would run out mainly because of the consequences of their doings as youngsters.
IMDB: 8.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
1) Taxi Driver (1976)
“You talkin’ to me?” – This line has been and always will be an iconic movie phrase.
After working on huge projects like Mean Streets (1973) and The Godfather Part II (1974), Robert De Niro returns in a psychological thriller a few years later. He steps in the shoes of a disturbed adult Travis Bickle who seems to be struggling to keep sanity. Bickle, while suffering from mental problems, takes on a new job as a taxi driver in New York City.
But something different is happening inside of his mind. Each night, as he drives around the Big Apple, Bickle fantasizes about cleaning up the dirt in the city and goes all-out vigilante. The film’s writer, Paul Schrader, has said it is not based on a real story. Although he mentioned, that he took inspiration from a real person.
IMDB: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Other great Martin Scorsese films (Honorable mentions):
- Gangs of New York
- The Aviator
- Raging Bull
- Casino
- The Wolf of Wall Street
- Mean Streets
- Cape Fear
