…………………………………………………

Ranking Martin Scorsese Films

Martin Scorsese is one of the most renowned American directors not just of our era, but of all time as well. While I do find his obsession with gangster stories frustrating as someone who isn’t a fan of that genre, he’s still made a plethora of different movies across multiple genres throughout the decades. This list will, thus, focus on his more unique outings and my personal favorites, so it’s going to be quite different than your standard ranked lists online. Without further ado, here is my ranking of all films that Scorsese has directed so far.

 

26. After Hours

After Hours is often regarded as one of the most underrated Scorsese films, but this is in fact one of his worst movies as it lacked a compelling story and memorable characters to make any impact. It’s technically quite polished and even artistic, but strong audio-visuals can only take you so far. The movie is populated by unappealing characters and ridiculously implausible scenarios. It’s classified as a black comedy, but not only is the movie never funny, but it doesn’t even try to be. It’s among only a couple of Scorsese movies that I strongly dislike.

 

25. Goodfellas

This placement is obviously a contentious one, but I have to speak from my heart and tell it how I really feel. Yes, Goodfellas is renowned as the director’s magnum opus, but to me it is actually one of his most malignant efforts, a film where he put all of his worst instincts as a filmmaker in one annoying package. The movie is not just thoroughly unrelatable in its unlikable, horrible characters, but it’s also highly morally objectionable in its glorified and romanticized depiction of mobsters and their lifestyle. The mastery of its technicalities was sadly spent on such a terrible, problematic story, leading to his second worst film.

 

24. Boxcar Bertha

Boxcar Bertha is pretty much a retread of ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ in its basic plot, but nowhere near as memorable as that much more famous movie. Barbara Hershey is great here and the movie is solidly made, but the story is meaningless and the exploitative elements were frustrating. This was only Scorsese’s second film and it was even weaker than his debut, but I am always going to be softer toward a director’s first couple of features than to some of their later overrated works, which is why this movie isn’t dead last on my list.

 

23. Gangs of New York

Gangs of New York looks superb due to fantastic sets, costumes and a meticulous attention to detail in recreating this time period. Daniel Day-Lewis was also very good. But Diaz and DiCaprio left a lot to be desired in their performances and their characters. The movie is also obviously meant to function more as an allegory than a historical lesson given that it’s so historically inaccurate, but it was too messy and poorly structured to be more effective overall. How this film isn’t criticized more is beyond me when it’s by far one of his weakest efforts.

 

22. The Color of Money

The Color of Money is a remake of 1961’s ‘The Hustler’ and both movies couldn’t be more overrated if you ask me. Just like the original, this one is also tedious to watch and wholly forgettable. Yes, the performances from its cast are very good, especially that of Paul Newman, and the main relationship in the film is very well developed. However, the storyline is stale, the runtime is prolonged and, for a Scorsese production, it’s surprisingly uncinematic and unimpressive. It remains one of his most uninteresting projects.

 

21. Who’s That Knocking at My Door

Who’s That Knocking at My Door was a solid debut for Martin Scorsese. The plot is basic and it failed to fully explore its central theme of religion’s role in sexuality, but the black-and-white cinematography is terrific and at times even quite artistic. The rough editing, pacing and too many unnecessary detours in plot definitely made the movie feel too amateurish at times, but for a debut, it was perfectly fine and it showcased from the get-go Scorsese knack’s at creating believable characters and cinematic storytelling.

 

20. The Irishman

The Irishman’s last thirty or so minutes are emotional, powerful and they left a very strong impression on me. But the rest of the film, and I am talking about a huge rest, is very boring, uninteresting and excruciatingly slow. Couple the staggering length with the uninspired technical aspects and you’ve got what is essentially a TV show, rarely a cinematic picture. It has good intentions, which I admired, and it is very well acted across the board, but it’s also very dull and filled with absolutely horrible CGI. They wasted so much money on this unappealing mess. Released in 2019, it later went on to lose all ten of its Oscar noms and for a good reason.

 

19. Kundun

Set in Tibet, Kundun is one of Scorsese’s most outside of the norm efforts. But it is also one of the weakest of Scorsese’s spiritual/religious movies. He should have taken either a realistic or spiritual approach to tell this story, but he got stuck in this odd middle between the two. The actors were authentically cast, but the characterization was slight, so I wasn’t emotionally engaged as a viewer. The story is important, but only sporadically moving and effective. Still, this is definitely worth seeing for its Oscar-nominated production and costume design as well as superb cinematography and a truly incredible score.

 

18. The King of Comedy

The King of Comedy was a different movie for the director in terms of subject matter and tone. While the ending is simply brilliant and quite emotionally effective, the rest of the film was tonally indecisive and it only really found its footing in that third act. The performances are strong and the movie is well written in dialogue and script, but it needed a more sympathetic protagonist and a better balanced tone. Scorsese and comedy don’t quite mix well together as evidenced by this film and the much worse ‘After Hours’.

 

17. Bringing Out the Dead

Bringing Out the Dead is one of the lesser-known Scorsese movies, but a solid one nonetheless. A drama about the straining but honorable work of paramedics, it’s a very depressing and dark story, but one that was quite moving in certain scenes. Nicolas Cage was excellent in what is one of his best roles. It’s an effective film, but one that was too episodic in nature and underdeveloped in the numerous characters that it follows. This movie is easily one of his least-known efforts, so it deserves more attention from cinephiles for sure.

 

16. Casino

I am not a fan of gangster movies, but I actually quite liked Casino and I find it to be much better than the overrated ‘Goodfellas’. This was one of the safest projects for the filmmaker, one that failed to differentiate itself much from his previous crime films. It’s worth seeing for its excellent third act alone, one featuring an engaging family drama and a career-best turn from Sharon Stone. It’s a shame that this came way too late in the game as the remainder of the film is much less interesting.

 

15. New York, New York

I get why most Scorsese fans would dislike New York, New York as it was quite a tonal departure for him, but I respect the effort myself and I find it to be quite underrated. Yes, this ode to movie musicals of the past was undeniably messy, structurally uneven and way too long, but the third act featured superb musical numbers and Liza Minnelli’s performance was electric throughout. The romantic elements were the highlights here as the central relationship was so memorable and well explored. It’s such an underappreciated experiment of his.

 

14. Mean Streets

As crime films go, Mean Streets is as good as they can get with some pretty dramatic scenes with even some tender moments in them, excellent performances from Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro and a great, ambiguous ending. This movie represents Scorsese quite well, especially in its examination of Catholic guilt. It’s by far one of the most crucial films that defined his style and fixations going forward, but a lack of any likable or relatable characters and a tedious second act brought this one down to this spot for me.

 

13. The Departed

The Departed is famous for finally winning Marty his Oscar for both directing and best film, but most would argue that this was certainly not the movie to finally recognize him for, and I do have to concur with that sentiment myself. Yes, this is a very entertaining thriller with particularly strong acting performances across the board and a very solid premise. It’s one of the director’s most fun movies for sure. But it’s also one that has a familiar story, a lack of thematic or emotional resonance and an overlong runtime. It’s solid, but far from his best works.

 

12. The Aviator

The Aviator is a flawed biopic that features two disparate halves in tone and structure. The second half didn’t fully explore the main character’s mental issues. But the first half is where the movie truly shined as it depicted the Hollywood system and excess impeccably well. The costumes, sets, editing and directing are all outstanding, but it is the acting that is particularly worthy of praise, especially from Cate Blanchett herself as she brought Katherine Hepburn to life remarkably well. It’s a messy movie for sure, but one of his most ambitious efforts to date.

 

11. Cape Fear

Cape Fear is probably the most genuinely entertaining Scorsese movie. It is silly and over-the-top in that third act that resembled more a slasher horror than a psychological thriller, but everything else was excellent. The menacing score is iconic and the movie is quite disturbing in many of its scenes. The character of Max Cady is phenomenally written and extremely effective, in no small part thanks to De Niro’s surprisingly outstanding performance as he was genuinely horrifying here. It’s rare for Scorsese to make such a fun crowd-pleaser, so this one takes extra props for that.

 

10. Shutter Island

Now we arrive to the top ten films on this list and all of these movies are genuinely great. The first of the bunch is Shutter Island, which is surely one of the most underrated Scorsese movies that deserves more praise for everything that it had going for it. This is more of a pulpy than serious genre flick for better and for worse. The middle section needed a quicker pace and more momentum, but the opening scene was very intriguing and the twist ending was fantastic utterly believable within the context of the story. The movie has its flaws, but its noirish atmosphere, superb cinematography and a menacing score made it a treat to watch.

 

9. Silence

Silence is a fascinating film that is very thought-provoking in its religious themes and historical context. It is sluggishly paced, but otherwise remarkably well made. The acting is strong across the board, the cinematography is superb and the film’s script and especially dialogue are phenomenal. Scorsese portrayed this difficult situation in the best, most honest and unbiased way possible with intriguing conversations and such a sophisticated, complex take on religion. It’s another of his underrated gems that deserves more attention from cinephiles.

 

8. The Age of Innocence

It is very rare for Martin Scorsese to make a period piece that isn’t a crime story. It’s even rarer for him to make a female-driven story. But that is what this beautiful film is. The Age of Innocence is a deeply emotional and eventually quite touching romance that benefited from such a powerful ending. This is a wonderful literary story that is populated by well developed characters and a strong drama at its core, but it was elevated to the status of great cinema thanks to gorgeous sets and costumes, a great score and highly artistic cinematography with the focus and coloring effects being particularly effective. This movie would be regarded as the director’s masterpiece had it not been so different for him.

 

7. Hugo

Hugo is a movie that is an homage to silent era done wonderfully with very likable characters, a fairy tale charm as well as mysterious side to it. It’s a marvelous visual feast and a terrific personal drama altogether. It is an endearing and it can bring both tears and smile to your face how moving it is. Yes, the pacing isn’t the best and it could have been shorter, but Hugo is still one of my absolute favorite Scorsese movies that captured his appreciation for the history of cinema so deftly. It’s a magical film that is unlike anything else that he’s made before or after.

 

6. The Last Temptation of Christ

So well acted, wonderfully scored and being emotionally and thematically deep and spiritual, The Last Temptation of Christ is one of the best religious films ever made. The ending is out there, but very interesting. Temptation is so well explored, this version of Jesus is phenomenal, and there are a lot of scenes here that are unforgettable. The movie is also very engaging, which is commendable given its long running time. This was a very controversial film back when it was released, but it has aged beautifully and is now one of Scorsese’s most remarkable achievements.

 

5. Killers of the Flower Moon

Offering a crucial glimpse into the horrible history of this country that was started on stolen land and through greed, Killers of the Flower Moon serves as an important history lesson and a pretty great epic movie in its own right. While the focus on the villains of the story was definitely skewed, it also mostly fitted the material at hand and it ultimately worked. Watching this film you feel the huge tragedy and horrendous injustice that the Osage people experienced thanks to the movie’s urgent and heartbreaking tone that remained throughout. This is one of Scorsese best movies, one that is both epic and intimate in its approach.

 

4. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

As someone who isn’t a fan of the crime/gangster genre, I also appreciate more originality and versatility over doing the same story competently over and over again. This is why this top ten list focuses on Scorsese’s most unique and different efforts and here we have this 1970s drama that is his only fully female-driven story. This picture not only depicts a complex, believable and superbly developed female protagonist, but Ellen Burstyn elevated her even more with one of the best performances to ever win the Best Actress Oscar. This is such a well written, moving and very well made movie about single mothers and what they go through that also features a powerful, uplifting ending.

 

3. The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street is a film that seems to be glorifying the lifestyles of criminals, but at the end of the day I could forgive this movie for that due to the sheer number of laughs that it has given me. This is a rare Hollywood movie from this decade that was a full-blown comedy and a hilarious one at that. Leonardo DiCaprio gave his career-best performance in the iconic role of Jordan Belfort and Jonah Hill was also incredible. The film is three hours long, but you never feel it as it’s so insanely entertaining and featuring numerous unforgettable moments of deranged behavior. I will never forget laughing my ass off watching this one in the theater and for that alone it will always hold a special place in my heart and this very high, but deserved third place on this list.

 

2. Raging Bull

Superbly shot in polished black-and-white cinematography and phenomenally edited throughout, Raging Bull also benefits from the perfectly cast Robert De Niro in such a well written role. He was fantastic and Scorsese’s directing is among his best on this one. It’s surely one of his most accomplished movies that operates successfully both in those effective and unique boxing scenes and the sequences at home that functioned as a psychologically complex character study. It’s a film that has aged so well and undeniably it should be put on every list’s top five at the very least. For me, it sits firmly in the number two spot.

 

1. Taxi Driver

And of course the one film that is Martin Scorsese’s magnum opus has to be this 70s masterpiece. Superbly written, directed and performed, Taxi Driver is an unfortunately timeless psychological thriller that has only become more relevant with age. Strong dialogue, excellent cinematography and powerful, subtle characterization are the other highlights. Robert De Niro has never been better than he was as the unforgettable Travis Bickle. Fueled by an impressive atmosphere of pervading madness and dread, Taxi Driver also benefits from a couple of instantly recognizable sequences and lines of dialogue. It’s an iconic part of movie history for a reason, and for that alone it remains an unparalleled feat in this director’s filmography.