10 Best Martin Scorsese Films, According To Ranker

Martin Scorsese will return to the fold with Killers of the Flower Moon to continue his five-decade career. Scorsese has been a legendary director and filmmaker for decades, with massive successes like Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street ensuring he remains a household name. 

Fans on Ranker have cast their votes on which of Scorcese’s films they enjoy most. Since there are hundreds of users who have contributed to the rating, there’s no doubt that these movies are unanimously considered to be Scorsese’s best in terms of audience perception. With such a celebrated filmography, it’s worth looking into which of his movies are the pick of the bunch.

10 Mean Streets (1973) – Stream On HBO Max

The film’s core premise is about the issues the youths face on a daily basis due to their lifestyle as small-time hustlers. Scorsese’s collaboration with Keitel and De Niro worked very well in portraying the simple but powerful tale of struggle, which remains worth a watch, almost half a century later.

9 The Irishman (2019) – Stream On Netflix

Among the best Martin Scorsese movies featuring Robert De Niro, the pair returned to collaborating after almost 25 years with The Irishman. It details the life of Frank Sheeran as he moves up the ranks in a crime family as its hitman, eventually taking the life of teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).

Scorsese went for an epic-style length for The Irishman in order to fully depict Sheeran’s life from his youth to his elderly days. The movie de-aged De Niro and his co-stars so that viewers could follow the same actors across what were several decades in the characters’ journey.

8 The King Of Comedy (1982) – Stream On Hulu

In The King Of Comedy, Robert De Niro appears as Rupert Pupkin, a loser in life who’s so fixated on his imaginary talk show that he kidnaps real talk show host, Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), to legitimize his vision. Rupert eventually tries to bargain for Langford’s freedom if he can star on the latter’s show.

Audiences weren’t accustomed to dark comedies that featured a gritty premise back when The King Of Comedy was released, resulting in its box office failure. However, Martin Scorsese’s unorthodox movie has since had many fans who appreciate the movie’s funny take on what is essentially a thriller.

7 Shutter Island (2010) – Stream On Fubo TV

Among the few thrillers that can be watched twice, Shutter Island saw Martin Scorsese venture into the neo-noir genre. The movie is about Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), a U.S. Marshal who arrives at the titular psychiatric facility to investigate a missing patient, only to learn that a dark secret of his own is waiting to be uncovered at the island.

It’s the kind of story that makes viewers go back for a rewatch because they are bound to have missed clues the first time around. Shutter Island is a mystery-thriller that throws in numerous twists in the story to keep fans guessing where it will go by the end of the film’s runtime.

6 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013) – Stream On Paramount+

There aren’t many likable characters to follow in The Wolf of Wall Street, but that’s mainly by design. It depicts the real-life cons and schemes of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), as he lies, cheats, and steals his way to riches by using the stock market to steal clients’ money.

It’s easily Scorsese’s most provocative movie yet, featuring R-rated content that showcases just how out of hand Belfort’s hedonistic lifestyle became before it all came crashing down. Audiences arguably enjoyed it more than critics, and The Wolf of Wall Street became Scorsese’s highest-grossing film.

5 Raging Bull (1980) – Stream On Direct TV

Martin Scorsese veered into the biographical sports genre with Raging Bull, about boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) as he squanders his career through his self-destructive habits. Shown in black-and-white, the director went for a no-holds-barred approach that purposefully had an unlikeable protagonist.

Raging Bull remains one of Scorsese’s finest works, especially because of Robert De Niro’s performance, and he won an Oscar for the role. It also brought Scorsese’s partnership with De Niro and Jo Pesci into the mix, which has since gone on to become a favorite for fans.

4 The Departed (2006) – Stream On HBO Max

It’s hard to go wrong with stalwarts like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Matt Damon in the mix, and The Departed is considered, by many, to be the best gangster movie by Martin Scorsese. The story is a cat-and-mouse feature about DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan and Damon’s Collin Sullivan, both of whom are inside men for the police and the mob, respectively, and try to out each other before it’s too late.

The Departed’s engrossing style and anyone-can-die theme was a big hit upon arrival with critics and viewers, eventually getting Scorsese the Oscar for Best Director. It’s highly rewatchable for its memorable dialogue and characters with grey moralities.

3 Casino (1995) – Stream On Peacock

Casino wasn’t the biggest critical success in Martin Scorsese’s career, but fans appear to have a great fondness for it. The story follows Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro) over many years as he manages a Las Vegas casino that has ties to the mob.

The movie has similarities to Scorsese’s Goodfellas in the way it depicts mob mentality, only with the twist of a gambling backdrop. That doesn’t make it any less enjoyable, though, as Robert De Niro’s commanding performance was once again brought by Scorsese for what was their eighth collaboration.

2 Taxi Driver (1976) – Stream On Netflix

Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is a young taxi driver who’s returned from the Vietnam War and begins to lose faith in the world as he views New York’s seedy underbelly. Taxi Driver was Scorsese’s biggest hit at the time of release, with particular toward the cast that also features Cybill Shepherd and Jodie Foster in prominent roles.

It notably has an acting performance by Scorsese himself, who appears as a deranged passenger with evil intentions that fuels Travis’ existential crisis. Taxi Driver deals with the effect a person’s psyche undergoes due to loneliness and unchecked PTSD.

1 Goodfellas (1990) – Stream On HBO Max

It’s hard to argue against the notion that Goodfellas is the most defining film made by Martin Scorsese. The film shows the rise and fall of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) in the mob as he’s influenced by Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) to fully embrace a life of crime.

Goodfellas has remained as relevant more than three decades after its release as it was when it had just premiered. The distinct style of the characters, the epic nature of the story, and the overarching narrative all make this arguably the high point in Martin Scorcese’s career, with fans continuing to hold it in high esteem.

About The Author

Saim Cheeda
(1347 Articles Published)

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He’s been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.

http://3statesapart.com

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