Martin Scorsese Films Ranked
Martin Scorsese Movies Ranked
I haven’t seen Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon (debuting this weekend), but here’s my list of his best-to-worst movies, which spans a 50-year career as a director:
—My Top 20 List—
1. Goodfellas – an almost perfect film, witty dialogue, soundtrack, cleverly shot, stands the test of time as his best work
2. Raging Bull – stylish in B/W, great performances, gritty and real
3. Casino – met high expectations, a mixed-messaged postcard to the old (now dead) Las Vegas
4. Pretend It’s a City – directed and co-stars in a narrative expose on NYC with Fran Lebowitz-this most unlikely duo talking about city life, conversing mostly in NYC bars with film clips, nails it
5. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore – underrated and largely forgotten, with Scorsese mastering a film largely from a female perspective
6. The Last Waltz – one of the best live concert movies ever made
7. Hugo – out of character departure for Scosese who proves he can master a child’s story, but which appeals to adults
8. The King of Comedy – Jerry Lewis is incredibly great in a serious role, a quirky movie with Sandra Bernard and Robert DeNiro playing a frustrated comedian
9. No Direction Home – phenomenal documentary on Bob Dylan; a comprehensive examination of the life, work, and influence of an American poet
10. The Departed – has some excellent moments, but drags somewhat; still, deserves consideration in top-10
11. The Age of Innocence – period piece set in 1800s with Daniel-Day Lewis, very good in a Merchant-Ivory sort of way
12. Taxi Driver – one of Scorsese’s most acclaimed films, shocking at the time, but also seems gratuitously violent and profane
13. The Color of Money – much-anticipated follow-up to the 1961 classic “The Hustler,” the sequel mostly delivers
14. The Wolf of Wall Street – like the subject matter is purports to expose, this over-the-top and often excessive storyline has its moments, but also seems repetitive
15. Mean Streets – one of Scorsese’s first commercially-released films, we see the early techniques and style that will later define the director’s canon of work
16. Cape Fear – a remake of the Robert Mitchum thriller with De Niro in the lead, this seems like a money grab (and it worked)
17. Gangs of New York – Scorsese’s pet project for many years finally got made, I thought the movie dragged and was dull
18. George Harrison: Living in the Material World – One expects there’s nothing new on The Beatles, but Scorsese managed to provide some unique insights into “the quiet one.”
19. Shutter Island – a meandering mess with some moments, though a bit dark for my tastes
20. The Last Temptation of Christ – I still can’t accept a bunch of New York-accented actors running around the Middle East 2,000 years ago, courageous to make this, but an average film at best
*Note: New York Stories (belongs somewhere in here, but he directed only 1/3rd of this film-along with W. Allen and F.F. Coppola) – should be ranked in the middle of the pack, Scorsese’s segment with Nick Nolte is pretty good
—Major Disappointments (the bottom 5)—
The Irishman – overly long and very likely complete bullshit (regarding Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance); the miscasting of Al Pacino playing Hoffa is almost unintentionally bad/funny
Shine a Light – let Scorsese direct a documentary about the Rolling Stones playing a classic NYC venue, let’s see what happens. Problem is, nothing happens.
New York, New York – De Niro is so badly miscast as Liza Minelli’s sax-blowing love interest, it should be featured on Mystery Science Theater
The Aviator – Leo Di Caprio playing Howard Hughes? I didn’t buy this for one second; a major disappointment given the intriguing biographical subject matter
Bringing Out the Dead – possibly Scorsese’s worst movie about paramedics who work the graveyard shift, stars Nick Cage (enough said)
Photo Credit: Philip Montgomery for The New York Times
