Martin Scorsese’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked According To Letterboxd

Martin Scorsese is one of Hollywood’s most revered directors, as he has released several classics in every decade since the 1970s. Few filmmakers are as prolific as him, and few can deliver the energetic and exciting mob dramas that he can either.

However, interestingly, Letterboxd users aren’t completely in line with users of IMDb or critics on Rotten Tomatoes, as they favor a couple of the director’s lesser-known films more than some of his classics. Between an undeservedly forgotten ’80s comedy, a flawless modern-day cat-and-mouse thriller, and a boatload of gangster movies, Scorsese continues to be unmatchable.

10 The Irishman (2019) – 3.9

Even though the director has been criticized for his opinions on superhero movies, there’s no denying that Scorsese adapts to modern filmmaking and storytelling. Throughout his career, there are so many examples of him experimenting with the film format and attempting to push the medium forward, such as using 3D in Hugo.

But the best example of that is the use of de-aging in The Irishman, and though it might have led to somewhat polarizing results, Scorsese couldn’t have made sprawling, decades-spanning, 3.5-hour epic without it. The Irishman is almost like a greatest hits movie when it comes to gangster movies, and it’s impossible to resist a Scorsese-directed crime film starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, and Harvey Keitel.

9 Shutter Island (2010) – 4.0

Shutter Island is a psychological thriller that hadn’t been done by Scorsese before, at least not like this. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name, the movie follows a U.S. Marshal who is sent to investigate a missing person case at a psychiatric facility on an island, which leads to all sorts of strange events.

The movie has one of the most shocking and haunting twists of the 2010s that’ll stay with audiences for weeks, and it’ll also make viewers want to rewatch the movie repeatedly and comb through each scene looking for clues. It’s the most atmospheric movie in Scorsese’s entire filmography and, interestingly, Shutter Island is a Scorsese movie that isn’t about organized crime, making the dark and moody thriller feel surprisingly refreshing.

8 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013) – 4.0

The Wolf of Wall Street is one of the funniest movies of the 2010s, and it shows to audiences that a filmmaker and actor who seemingly takes themselves very seriously can deliver a hilarious comedy. However, the movie fools audiences into thinking it’s a comedy when, in actual fact, it’s as much of a crime drama about a criminal on a downward spiral as Goodfellas.

With the way the movie is frantically paced and the way that classic rock songs soundtrack FBI raids, the 2013 flick is almost like a spiritual successor to the 1990 mob movie and hits all the same beats. While some viewers think that The Wolf of Wall Street glamorizes bad behavior, it acts as more of a cautionary tale, even if the parties and yacht life are so entertaining.

7 After Hours (1985) – 4.0

While audiences were enamored by The Wolf of Wall Street, which was just as much of a comedy as a crime film, critics were responding to it as if Scorsese had never directed a comedy before. The 2013 movie might have had people laughing out loud, but Scorsese also had viewers in hysterics almost 30 years earlier with After Hours.

The movie takes place over one night, as it follows a New York City yuppie as he attempts to get back home after a night of partying. It’s interesting that the 1985 movie is rated so highly on Letterboxd, as it isn’t even close to Scorsese’s highest-rated movies on IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes.

6 Casino (1995) – 4.1

Though Scorsese is obviously a popular filmmaker, he is an experimental director as much as anything else. However, Casino was more like a victory lap than anything, as it got the Goodfellas band back together.

The trio of Scorsese, De Niro, and Pesci, who had created the classics Raging Bull and Goodfellas together, collaborated again five years later, and it was another three-hour opus. This time, it was surprisingly melodramatic, and it was more heartfelt than any movie Scorsese had directed in years. However, the movie still moves at a typically breakneck speed that could give any viewer whiplash.

5 The King Of Comedy (1982) – 4.1

Though the movie isn’t an all-out comedy like the title would suggest, The King of Comedy is a gripping satire about a man who kidnaps his idol, a late-night talk show host. If that sounds familiar, that’s because the 982 movie inspired 2019’s Joker, which follows a similar relationship between Arthur Fleck and Murray Franklin.

The King of Comedy is more relevant today than it was when it was released 40 years ago, as it satirizes people’s obsession with celebrity culture. And though it was a box office bomb when it was first released, it has since found its audience and become a cult classic.

4 Taxi Driver (1976) – 4.2

Martin Scorsese had seen modest success in the early-mid ’70s with movies like Mean Streets and Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, but it was Taxi Driver that cemented him as an auteur. Between the beautiful mise-en-scene with steam rising from the grates, the majestic jazz score, and De Niro’s performance of an unhinged and psychotic vigilante, Taxi Driver is totally unique.

Though Scorsese has been criticized throughout his career for glamorizing violence, Taxi Driver has a decidedly unglamorous depiction of it, which is why it won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

3 Raging Bull (1980) – 4.2

While a lot of different Scorsese-directed movies appear on other filmmakers’ lists of favorites, it’s Raging Bull that consistently shows up on both directors’ and actors’ lists, whether it’s Paul Bettany’s or David O. Russell’s. It’s hardly a surprise, as both De Niro’s portrayal of Jake LaMotta and Scorsese’s craftsmanship are both in top form.

The movie has class and style, but it’s also powerful, ambitious, and unsympathetic. Between the alluring black-and-white cinematography, the inventive ways the boxing matches are shot, and the heartbreaking closing monologue, Raging Bull still holds up today.

2 The Departed (2006) – 4.2

Another movie that’s hardly surprising that it’s rated so highly on the website is The Departed. According to The New York Times, the largest demographic of Letterboxd users is 18 to 24-year-olds, so it makes sense that they’d gravitate to the 2006 movie.

Interestingly, The Departed is the only movie that Scorsese has directed that’s set in the modern-day, which makes the mob and the FBI’s use of cell phones and technology so fascinating in the film. The present-day setting, along with being a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase movie, is why The Departed is Scorsese’s best gangster movie.

1 Goodfellas (1990) – 4.4

While Letterboxd users tend to be more enthusiastic, and certainly more critical, about movies than IMDb, some things are just universal. Goodfellas is undisputedly the best Scorsese movie by all accounts, and it’s the perfect representation of his style, which has been mimicked to no end by countless other filmmakers.

The rock soundtrack, the long tracking shots, the improvisation, and the frenetic energy make for one of the most thrilling and entertaining American movies ever. Not to mention that it features career-best performances from De Niro and Pesci, and it’s one of the most accurate portrayals of the mafia. It’s a perfect movie.