Ranking - Scorsese Films (I've seen)

Haven't seen: Who's The Knocking At My Door?, Boxcar Bertha, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, New York, New York, Kundun, Bringing Out the Dead, The Last Temptation of Christ

N/A: The King of Comedy (4/5)

This is definitely one I need to re-watch as up till the very end I was very unsure about what Scorsese was trying to get at. This is possibly his most 'off-putting' film as its central characters are all unbearable, the character of Masha because she's a dreadfully acted caricature, but the dynamic between the central two characters - talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) and stalker and aspiring comedian Rupert Pupkin (Robert de Niro) - just felt a bit 'off' to me, as well as the film's whole intentionally unappealing tone. I thought everything was well directed but just not enjoyable to watch and I kind of was waiting for it to end. Then came the finale which consists some of Scorsese' all-time best work. I need to re-think and give this another go, but I'd definitely consider this a film worth watching and re-watching, if only to compare your initial and subsequent reactions.

Best scene: The ending, of course.


2000s The King of Comedy, directed by Martin Scorsese

Jim Carrey as Rupert Pupkin
Steve Coogan as Jerry Langford
Brittany Murphy as Masha

15. The Color of Money (2.5/5)

Just one of the oddest films ever to pop up in a great filmmaker's filmography. A sequel to a 60s classic that captures none of the original's sass, spirit, energy? It's infamous for being what garnered Paul Newman a 'sympathy' Oscar win (over Bob Hoskins' all-time great work in Mona Lisa) when he would have been a deserving winner every other time.

For a better version of this film: The Hustler

Best scene: I'd say this one's the most memorable scene from the film, but probably mostly because it has a very young Forest Whitaker in it.

2010s The Hustler directed by Martin Scorsese

Matthew McConaughey as Fast Eddie
John Carroll Lynch as Minnesota Fats
Sarah Gadon as Sarah Packard
Ben Mendelsohn as Bert Gordon (the exact reversal of his role in Mississippi Grind)

14. Casino (3/5)

Technically a competent film; the editing is excellent, the cast is good with Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci giving solid portrayals of (you guessed it) gangsters, and Sharon Stone giving a career-best performance, and a solid through-and-through ensemble. The problem with this film is that I don't remember any of it that well, because it was just so forgettable. It felt like discordant bits and pieces cut out from Goodfellas, made into a far lesser film. A re-watch might help this film, but I largely found it lifeless, though not a bad film.

For a better version of this film: The Long Good Friday. For a better Scorsese version of this film...Goodfellas.

13. Cape Fear (3/5)

I mean, this isn't a bad film by any stretch. In parts it's actually a pretty entertaining reimagining of the classic 1960s stalker thriller, complete with cameos by stars of the original (Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum). Robert de Niro, as the deranged Max Cady, is fun when he's putting on that unrepentant, low-key menace, and the somewhat indulgent direction has enjoyable qualities. The problem is that, despite having an invested Nick Nolte on hand, Scorsese's decision to make all the characters despicable to some extent makes this a very emotionally distant (even for Scorsese standards) piece of viewing. Also, the supporting cast is mostly quite awful (Jessica Lange is in full ham mode and who knows what they gave Juliette Lewis that Oscar nomination for), and despite the certain enjoyment factor it has you can tell Scorsese was doing this as a means to an end, to gain funding for his passion project Kundun.

For a better version of this film: The original Cape Fear, or Killer Joe.

Best scene: Cady murders the private eye.

2010s Cape Fear directed by Martin Scorsese

Matthew McConaughey as Max Cady
Matthias Schoenaerts as Sam Bowden

12. The Aviator (3/5)

This is a beautifully made film in terms of production values. It depicts the life and times of the extravagant and quirky billionaire Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) and certainly looks the part, with every Hollywood set and luxurious mansion looking impeccable. The problem to this film I feel is that it's on the surface very compelling, but when you re-watch it you realize there's not a whole lot of substance to it. DiCaprio's performance as Hughes technically hits the right notes of the quirky troubled genius enigma, but it feels fairly overcooked, and many of the supporting performances, Cate Blanchett's Oscar-winning turn as Katherine Hepburn included, feel very artificial. I don't think it was entirely out of Scorsese's intent to have such a pretty, vapid feel to the film, but it just did not work that well for me.

If you liked this, watch: Tucker: The Man and his Dream

Best scene: Flight of the XF-11

11. Shutter Island (4/5)

Dennis Lehane is a writer I really need to check out, since everything he's written has been adapted into films I at the very least liked - Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, The Drop, and of course Shutter Island. Anyway, the film is centred on two U.S. Marshalls (DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) investigating the disappearance of a patient from a hospital from the criminally insane. The titular setting is incredibly well drawn-out, with a good sense of atmosphere and tension, and the ensemble is all very stellar, although I think if Leo had brought a bit less intensity to his character at the beginning it'd have made the final act of the film work much better. I think this is a film which I can't pick out anything bad about, but it just never really reaches the heights of his best work, which all the following films do.

Best Scene: Meeting George Noyce.

1980s Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese

Griffin Dunne as Teddy (come on, this would be great)
Edward James Olmos as Chuck
Laurence Olivier as Dr John Cawley
Martin Landau as Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Rosanna Arquette as Dolores
Carol Kane as Rachel Solando
Diane Keaton as 'Doctor Rachel Solando'
Frederick Forrest as George Noyce
Tom Noonan as Warden

10. Gangs of New York (4/5)

Strictly speaking I should rank this below Shutter Island because of its lower lows. The two young leads, DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz, are pretty bland and some of the midsection of the film meanders, and its climactic ending does sputter out a bit. There's many flaws to this film, but they're largely rectified by some incredible strengths. Daniel Day-Lewis gives an incredible performance as Bill the Butcher, and this film is representative of some of his most extreme bits of acting; the set design is marvellous, some of the best of Scorsese's career, and though the storytelling is muddled it does craft out a rather compelling look into the world of 1860s New York.

Best scene: Either Bill the Butcher's flag speech, or the ending (I'd say the torture scene of Amsterdam would've been my choice but Cameron Diaz ruins that scene)

1970s Gangs of New York, directed by Martin Scorsese

Timothy Dalton as Amsterdam Vallon
Robert Mitchum as Daniel Cutting
Sarah Miles as Jenny Everdeane
Trevor Howard as 'Priest' Vallon
Leo McKern as 'Monk' McGinn
Alan Arkin as Happy Jack Mulraney

9. Hugo (4/5)

A beautiful kids' story brought to life tenderly. It's interesting to see this heartfelt, unique spin on Scorsese's style as it incorporates the dynamic camerawork, swift pacing and above all, passion for cinema into a child's film - although the strongest scenes are those which directly pay homage to director Georges Méliès. On the whole it's a very slight film, perhaps a bit overlong (which unfortunately might have contributed to its lack of box-office success), but all its technical awards were incredibly well-deserved, it's a sight to look at and really does touch your heart. It's not an unforgettably good film, but it certainly is a good one.

Best Scene: Tribute to Georges

1980s Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese

Henry Thomas as Hugo Cabaret
Winona Ryder as Isabelle
Jean-Louis Trintignant as Papa Georges
Steve Martin as Inspector Gustave

8. Mean Streets (4.5/5)

A terrific early entry into the lowlife crime genre, with two fantastic early turns by De Niro and Keitel as two New York Mafia goons, which shows off a very casual, yet still very gritty and powerful style of Scorsese's. It's technically not as refined as much of his later work, but it's a very entertaining film that hinges on its explosive quality around every corner, and paved the way for the indelible impact of the Scorsese/De Niro partnership.

Best scene: Johnny Boy's entrance

1990s Mean Streets, directed by Martin Scorsese

Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie
Val Kilmer as Johnny Boy

7. Raging Bull (4.5/5)

I don't find Jake LaMotta all that interesting a real-life figure, and subjectively I prefer a Rocky to a Raging Bull sort of tale. Having said that, though I may not be a huge fan of the substance to this film, I can't deny the style; the film features some of Scorsese's best as a director. It's brilliantly directed and filmed in marvellous black-and-white, the acting from De Niro to Joe Pesci (in his breakthrough role) is stupendous, and I've grown to really admire this as a deconstructive sports movie in the best possible way.

Best scene: LaMotta v.s. Sugar Ray

2000s Raging Bull, directed by Martin Scorsese

Eddie Marsan as Jake LaMotta
Tom Cruise as Joey LaMotta
Samantha Morton as Vickie LaMotta

6. Taxi Driver (5/5)

A fascinating, unsparing character study of a truly twisted individual that's also scored by one of the most beautiful soundtracks of the 70s by Bernard Hermann. It's beautifully seductive in a very peculiar way in that far from sugercoating anything, it reveals the plight of a Vietnam war veteran-turned-taxi driver, Travis Bickle, stuck in the day-to-day monotony of New York life to be exactly that. Yet the film never feels repetitive, finding variation within his mundane routine and the brief glimpses of mental instability, aided by Robert de Niro's excellent performance. There's so many gems to this excellent film, from Jodie Foster's early turn as a young girl thrust into a horrible lifestyle, to Martin Scorsese's cameo as a cuckolded passenger, and of course that great finale. I don't think it was horribly snubbed of Best Picture as many seem to (I much prefer Rocky, the eventual winner, and the other nominees All the President's Men and Network), but it is a great film.

Best Scene: 'All the animals come out at night'

2010s Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese

Ben Foster as Travis Bickle (see The Program for proof)
Jon Bernthal as Sport
Kenneth Choi as Wizard
Sarah Gadon as Betsy
B.J. Novak as Tom

2000s Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese

Byung-hun Lee as Travis Bickle
David O'Hara as Sport
Michael K. Williams as Wizard
Kate Beckinsale as Betsy
John C. Reilly as Tom


5. The Age of Innocence (5/5)

A beautifully restrained adaptation of a deeply complex novel, Scorsese' depiction of high class, 19th Century New York life is both repressed and undeniably lively, this seeming paradox brought to life by his incredible handling of the covert romance between respectable Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) and the beautiful but unpredictable Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). Just writing about it makes me want to watch it again (haven't seen this one in a long time, 4 years to be exact), yet its most powerful moments still stick in my mind.

Best scene: The ending

2010s The Age of Innocence, directed by Martin Scorsese

Domhnall Gleeson as Newland Archer
Elizabeth Debicki as Ellen Olenska
Felicity Jones as May Welland


3. The Departed (5/5)

I've grown to love this film; initially I harbored reservations because of how different to my expectations it was as a remake of Infernal Affairs, but I've come to appreciate it as an entirely different beast, a taut and very bitingly made thriller with an incisive directorial style by Scorsese, an edge of dark humour, and some of the best editing of his career. I'm on the fence with Jack Nicholson's performance and some of the plot holes of the ending (how did Barrigan know they were going to be there? Why didn't Dignam come along?) but all in all, it's a great film.

Best scene: Queenan's death scene (with the Chinatown tracking scene a close second)

1970s

Christopher Walken as Billy Costigan
Al Pacino as Colin Sullivan
Burt Lancaster as Costello
Robert de Niro as Dignam

1980s

Mickey Rourke as Billy Costigan
James Woods as Colin Sullivan
George C. Scott as Costello
Bob Hoskins as Dignam

3. After Hours (5/5)

Flawless black comedy, consistently hilarious, great lead, great hijinks, with just the right amount of emotional investment and poignancy within it. I love just about everything about it - and I'll actually be writing more about this in the future, so stay tuned for more. But in case you're keen to check it out now, this is easily the most underrated Scorsese movie out there.

Best scene: Surrender Dorothy.

2010s After Hours, directed by Martin Scorsese

John Boyega as Paul
Eva Green as Kiki
Elizabeth Olsen as Marcy
Ruth Wilson as Julie
Kay and Peele as Pepe and Neil



2. The Wolf of Wall Street (5/5)

Extended thoughts here: http://actorvsactor.blogspot.hk/2016/09/the-wolf-of-wall-street-is-fantastical.html. That a film about such a questionable, no downright disgraceful individual can be so vivid, compelling and fun to watch is incredible, and a testament to the talents of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Best Scene: Confronting the FBI Agents on the boat

1. Goodfellas (5/5)

Perfection. No flaws. No, really. No flaws whatsoever. All my thoughts here: http://actorvsactor.blogspot.hk/2016/11/head-to-head-godfather-vs-godfather.html

Top 10 Goodfellas scenes:

1. 'Layla'

2. Copacabana back entrance

3. 'Sunshine of Your Love'  

4. Tommy gets made

5. 'Now go home and get your shinebox'

6. Jimmy has a dress

7. Spider gets whacked

8. Henry Hill's being followed

9. Late night dinner at Tommy's Mom's house

10. 'Wake Up Henry'

HM: Christmas Party, Samuel L. Jackson gets killed, 'Funny how?'

2010s Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese

Oscar Isaac as Henry Hill
Michael Angarano as Tommy Devito
Ray Liotta as Jimmy the Gent 
Cristin Milioti as Karen Hill
James Gandolfini as Paul Cicero