December 22, 2023
With the year winding down, and the march to the Academy Awards well under way, it looks like there are two films emerging as the frontrunners for Best Picture. While we could have a surprise movie sneak in there (Barbie? The Holdovers?), at this point Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon appear to be the favorites. Back in August I wrote about the incredible filmography of Christopher Nolan and agonized over how to rank his movies. Over the last few years, I’ve been making my way through Martin Scorsese’s impressive catalog, seeing almost all of his feature films, including a number of his excellent documentaries. And with the impressive Killers once again putting our greatest living filmmaker in the spotlight, it seemed like the perfect time to rank his movies and settle on a top ten.
If you’re looking for an update on the latest releases, don’t worry – I plan to write about a number of my favorites throughout January and early February, including my ten favorite films of 2023. In fact, I may need to make it a top 20 list given how strong 2023 is shaping up, especially with some highlights coming out over the next few weeks. I still have a number of films to see before I finalize my list – it’s not easy being an obsessive movie fan. Let’s move on.
Before we jump into my Scorsese rankings, a few caveats:
No Recency Bias
If you’re looking for Killers of the Flower Moon in my top ten, you won’t find it. Even though I was able to slot Oppenheimer into my Nolan rankings, I just can’t decide where I would rank Killers in the Scorsese hierarchy. It’s way up there for sure, but I want to watch it again before I settle on how it compares with his other masterpieces. Speaking of which, the film is now available to rent or buy on demand and will be streaming on Apple TV+ soon.
We All Have Different Tastes
Two years ago, I did a similar ranking for Steven Spielberg’s filmography and I struggled with what to do with Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List and Lincoln. They were important films and impressive movies considering the technical craft, but I had a hard time calling them “favorites.” So, I left them out of my top ten list, but did share some thoughts about each of the films. I had a similar feeling when considering three pictures that are considered Scorsese masterpieces – Mean Streets, Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. Listen, I love Robert De Niro and I admire those three performances. I can also appreciate what Scorsese achieved with each movie, especially at that point in his career when he was still establishing himself as a visionary filmmaker. I just find each of those movies a tough hang, especially Raging Bull, a film I will probably never watch again. So, if you’re looking for those selections on my list, sorry to say you won’t see them.
A Word About Documentaries
Being a numbers guy, I naturally rate every film I watch on Letterboxd, the wonderful social media site for movie lovers. I also rank new releases each year (because I am a movie sicko) to influence how I write about them for my website. That being said, I actually rank narrative films separately from documentaries. I just can’t compare them objectively – it’s an apples and oranges thing for me. With that in mind, you won’t see any of the dozen documentaries that Scorsese has directed over the last fifty years on my top ten list, but it’s worth mentioning a few I recommend:
A Word from the Professor – A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) – There’s a reason Scorsese is revered by the film community and movie obsessives like me. Not only does he create incredible art, he has an appreciation for the history of film and he is an advocate for young directors, encouraging fans to check out their work. In 1995, he set out to help the casual movie fan better understand how film can be appreciated not just for the obvious thrills, laughs, and tearful moments. Scorsese wanted people to understand the motivations of directors and the evolution of storytelling on film during the 20th century. Over the course of almost four hours, he teaches us more about the history of movies than you could ever ask for, with clips from dozens of classics and lesser known pictures that showcase why he loves the art of cinema. This is a true film nerd selection here – I’m just glad I can self-diagnose myself for this condition.
A Concert Film for the Ages – The Last Waltz (1978) – I almost referred to this selection as the best concert film of all-time (which some people believe), but I would put Stop Making Sense at the top of that list, and maybe (just maybe) The Eras Tour in second place (but I am incredibly biased toward the Time Person of the Year.) On Thanksgiving night in 1976, The Band played their final concert in San Francisco and Scorsese was tapped to film the show. The concert featured a number of special guests, including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Joni Mitchell, and covered not only The Band’s music, but collaborations with the special guests. It was a legendary concert and the two hour picture captured the electricity on stage. The Last Waltz is noteworthy for having a title card at the beginning that states “This film should be played loud!” (a sentiment I feel about a lot of movies) and is a great rewatch for all music fans.
Portrait of a Genius – No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2010) – The first of two Scorsese films about Bob Dylan, and in my opinion, the far superior one. Over the course of 3 ½ hours, Scorsese takes us through the early career of Dylan – from a young boy exploring music, to his early folk days, through his controversial transition to rock music, which alienated many of his fans. The documentary has a nice mix of contemporary interviews with people who knew Dylan well and footage of his performances during the early 1960s. No Direction Home was a revelation to me (as someone who never listened to Dylan), and it opened up my eyes to his talents. I can now say that I’ve added some of his better known songs to my listening rotation.
The Quiet Beatle – George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011) – I haven’t done an exact tabulation, but I would guess that there have been about a million hours of video footage of The Beatles recorded since they emerged on the scene sixty years ago. So you might ask yourself if we need a documentary about a Beatle and the answer is a resounding yes, especially if it’s from the creative genius of Scorsese. Harrison was always thought of as the “Quiet Beatle.” Ringo was the goofy Beatle and Harrison wasn’t thought of as a songwriting genius like Lennon and McCartney, although his songwriting catalog would argue differently. Speaking of which, I hope you aren’t exposed to McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime this holiday season. We all know it’s the worst song ever written. Anyway, Scorsese’s portrait of Harrison is a cradle-to-grave look at the musician, but with less emphasis on the Beatle years, since we’ve seen that story told many times. Instead, we get a deeper look at his personal life, how religion shaped his beliefs and songwriting, and his impressive solo career. If you are a Beatle fan, this is a must watch.
OK, that’s more than a few words about my favorite documentaries from the master. Let’s move on to my top ten narrative films from Martin Scorsese.
#10 – Silence (2016)
When people think of Martin Scorsese, the first type of film to come to mind is probably a gangster movie. Don’t worry, there’ll be a few of those on this list, but I’m starting with a completely different type of picture that is magnificent in its own right. Silence is a 17th century story of two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver in phenomenal performances) who travel from Portugal to Japan in search of a fellow priest who has disappeared. They also spread the word of Christianity, despite the persecution that followers of their religion have suffered at the hands of Japanese security officials. Along their journey, the priests and their followers are forced to renounce their faith to avoid torture or death.
Silence is an excellent film to compare with The Irishman, both of which Scorsese has made as he contemplates his own mortality these last several years. Speaking of which, I highly recommend the recent GQ profile of Scorsese, written by Zach Baron here, who is one of the best interviewers working today. Some people may dismiss Silence as a boring movie that doesn’t have the action of Goodfellas or the comedy of The Wolf of Wall Street, but I admire Scorsese’s choice of doing a project that he is passionate about. Considering the stakes of the two priests risking their lives to stay true to their religious beliefs, Silence is as compelling as any action film the director has ever made.
#9 – The Age of Innocence (1993)
Early on in my blogging days (three years ago – how did that happen?), I wrote a piece about directors who take risks. I have always admired filmmakers who were willing to step out of their comfort zone to make a completely different kind of picture. In that post, I wrote about Scorsese’s decision to make a fantasy adventure movie (Hugo) and a period-piece romance drama (The Age of Innocence, which is my next selection). After directing Goodfellas and Cape Fear, not many people expected Scorsese to adapt a Edith Wharton novel about repressed love among wealthy New Yorkers in the 1870s, but he demonstrated that he could be successful in any genre.
The cast is led by Daniel Day-Lewis as a lawyer who is asked to represent his fiancée’s cousin in a divorce that has left her ostracized by the high society New Yorkers in their social circles. He quickly becomes enamored with his client (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) and he experiences a crisis of confidence about who he should spend the rest of his life with. The passion between Day-Lewis and Pfeiffer is palpable (no surprise given their acting talents), highlighting the struggle of two people falling in love, despite the consequences of their actions. The film is also notable for a major Oscar upset. Winona Ryder was the leading candidate for Best Supporting Actress as the fiancée, but lost to 11 year-old Anna Paquin for her film debut in The Piano. It’s also worth noting that even though this is a period-piece romance, Scorsese’s trademark filmmaking techniques are on hand, including the way he moves the camera to capture his actors’ performances. A wonderful picture that is somehow thirty years old.
#8 – Casino (1995)
So, you’re telling me that five years after Goodfellas, Scorsese is going to reunite with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi for a story about the mob and Las Vegas? Twist my arm. De Niro plays Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a gambler and Mafia enforcer, who is sent to Vegas to oversee one of the casinos. He quickly improves the performance of the operations and he becomes one of the leading mob bosses. Things seem to be going great for Sam until trouble shows up in the form of two people.
The first is his childhood friend Nicky who is sent out by the Mafia bosses back east to provide protection for Ace in Vegas. Why is this a problem? Well, Nicky has an extremely violent personality and a very short fuse. Who else to play Nicky but Pesci, who (despite playing a very similar character to the one that delivered him an Oscar for Goodfellas) is magnificent. Nicky starts causing all sorts of problems for Ace and a lifelong friendship is put to the test. The second problem for Ace is Ginger, the showgirl he falls in love with and quickly marries. He soon discovers that her spending and drug problems (as well as her devotion to her former pimp, played to slimy perfection by James Woods, a terrific actor before he lost his mind to Twitter conspiracy theories) will be the downfall to their relationship.
The biggest criticism people have with Casino is, “it’s the same movie as Goodfellas,” but I reject that argument. Yes, the principal players are the same, but this is a completely different story that has different conflicts (especially between Ace, Nicky and Ginger) that the other film doesn’t explore in the same way. It’s also worth noting that Stone is wonderful in her performance, which resulted in her only Oscar nomination. She plays Ginger with a vulnerability that we rarely see from Stone on screen. While the runtime of Casino is a little long (topping out at three hours), it’s still an excellent film from the dream team who you will be reading about again later in this list.
#7 – The King of Comedy (1983)
De Niro again? Well, he has starred in ten of Scorsese’s pictures, including this year’s Killers of the Flower Moon, so he will be featured in this list frequently. Six years after playing an obsessive person with clear mental issues in Taxi Driver, De Niro stars as a completely different kind of disturbed individual in The King of Comedy. I’ve written several times how difficult it is to create a successful satire film and it’s even more challenging to have one sustain itself as a brilliant comedy 40 years later. But Scorsese has achieved that feat with a film that was prescient in its depiction of celebrity obsession that resonates in today’s culture.
De Niro plays Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring (but terrible) stand-up comedian who admires talk-show host Jerry Langford, played by Jerry Lewis in a brilliant casting decision by Scorsese. Pupkin becomes obsessed with the idea that if he can get a chance to showcase his comedic skills to a national audience, he will achieve fame and success. When his efforts to land a spot on Langford’s show are thwarted, he kidnaps the celebrity to force his hand. What makes this dark comedy so enjoyable is the way De Niro and Lewis play off of each other. The former is an unlikeable protagonist that we know is in the wrong, and the latter is an unlikeable victim who treats everyone around him like dirt. The result is a cringe comedy that shows us the danger of fixating on becoming famous that we see in our social media obsessed world every day. It may make you uncomfortable, but The King of Comedy will deliver some laughs, even with a disturbing storyline.
#6 – Shutter Island (2010)
Leonardo DiCaprio has entered the chat. After De Niro, the most frequent collaborator with Scorsese has been DiCaprio, who has now starred in six of the master’s films, including Killers. Being one of my favorite actors, it’s no surprise that he will be featured heavily in this top ten list. Many people think of Shutter Island as one of Scorsese’s lesser works, but I am a big fan of it, mostly due to the creative way he brings this psychological thriller (with a twist ending) to the screen.
DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshall assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient at an institute for the criminally insane on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. Joined by his partner (played by Mark Ruffalo), he navigates the hospital administrators (led by Ben Kingsley and Max Von Sydow, in delicious performances) and the patients to determine what happened to the missing patient. Teddy is also dealing with the aftermath of his wife’s death and PTSD from his experience in World War II. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, a hurricane is bearing down on the island, complicating their mission. Shutter Island features a strong supporting cast and many twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Even if you’ve seen the film before, it’s still fun upon rewatch to look for little clues along the way that foreshadow the ultimate conclusion. An underrated Scorsese / DiCaprio partnership that is worth checking out.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next week with my top five Martin Scorsese films. Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe below.