My TOP 5 Martin Scorsese films of all time

"Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame and what's out". - Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese is undoubtedly one of the best directors of all times. He is the regarded as one of the most influential and visionary directors of the New Hollywood era. With his long narratives and attention to detail, Scorsese keeps the audience hooked for hours. Being the guy who made crime genre what it is today, Scorsese has done a number of documentaries and some family friendly films. Starting with his short, "What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1963)" and "The Big Shave (1967)" to films like "The Departed (2006)" and "The Irishman(2019)" , Marty has never let his viewers down.

With an Academy award win for Best director for "The Departed" and 9 nominations, Martin Scorsese has no plans of retiring.

A great watch:

The Big Shave (1967) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1T93rJ9p-s&t=19s

Out of the numerous films in his career, these are my TOP 5 Martin Scorsese films of all time.

1. Goodfellas (1990) : With an amazing cast and a beautiful narrative, this is one of the classic films in the history of cinema. This film won The Academy award for Best picture in 1991 and got Scorsese a nomination for Best director.

Synopsis :Young Henry Hill, with his friends Jimmy and Tommy, begins the climb from being a petty criminal to a gangster on the mean streets of New York.

Cast : Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

Also Watch :

Goodfellas trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ilzidi_J8Q

Rating : 4.6/5

2. Taxi Driver (1976) : This is one of the cult classic films in the history of cinema. With the amazing Robert De Niro and the beautiful images taken by Michael Chapman, Taxi Driver is one of Scorsese's greatest. This film won The Academy Award as well as the BAFTAA award for best picture in 1977, Robert De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor and Jodie Foster won the Academy Award for Best actress in a supporting role.

Synopsis : Travis, an ex-marine and Vietnam veteran, works as a taxi driver in New York City. One day, he is driven to save an underage prostitute from her pimp in an effort to clean the city of its corruption.

Cast : Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Martin Scorsese

Also Watch :

Taxi Driver trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUxD4-dEzn0

Rating : 4.4/5

3. The Departed (2006) : This 2006 crime thriller is the one that got Scorsese his first academy award as Best director. With the amazing performances given by Jack Nicholson, Leo Di caprio, Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon, this is a must watch movie for crime genre lovers. The cinematography is amazing as well as the pacing of the narrative. This film won 4 academy awards including Best Picture, Best director, Best adapted screenplay and Best editing.

Synopsis : An undercover agent and a spy constantly try to counter-attack each other in order to save themselves from being exposed in front of the authorities. Meanwhile, both try to infiltrate an Irish gang.

Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg

Also Watch :

The Departed trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iojhqm0JTW4

Rating : 4.3/5

4. Raging Bull (1980) : This 1980 sports drama, changed the world of films with it's brilliant incorporation of visuals, sound and silence. Inspired by Hitchcock's filming style, Raging Bull is one of Scorsese's biggest achievements. This film won De Niro the Academy award for Best actor and Thelma Schoonmaker, the Academy award for Best editing. Martin Scorsese received a nomination for Best director and 5 more nominations for Best Supporting actor, supporting actress, cinematography and sound mixing.

Synopsis : A middleweight ascends through the ranks to achieve his first shot at a boxing title. But his personal life, laden with paranoia, jealousy and rage, scuttles his professional growth.

Cast : Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty

Also Watch :

Raging Bull trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUp6d79WRVI

Rating : 4.1/5

5. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) : This comedy with crime as an icing is the only funny film of Scorsese film. Diving into the world of comedy with Leo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill and the amazing Margot Robbie turned out to be a cult classic of the 21st century. The film got 5 Academy award nominations including best director for Martin Scorsese and Best actor in a leading role for Leonardo DiCaprio.

Synopsis : Introduced to life in the fast lane through stockbroking, Jordan Belfort takes a hit after a Wall Street crash. He teams up with Donnie Azoff, cheating his way to the top as his relationships slide.

Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill

Also Watch :

The Wolf of Wall Street trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iszwuX1AK6A

Rating : 4.1/5

The cinematic world of Martin Scorsese has taught aspiring filmmakers and inspired them to follow the line of cinema as a career. He is hands down, the best director of our generation. Condensing his entire career to a top 5 list was tough. So here are some honorary mentions.

1. Casino (1985)

2. Gangs of New York (2002)

3. Kundun (2007)

4. Shutter Island (2010)

5. Hugo (2011)

6. The Irishman (2019)

Despite of having long narratives and a ton of information and depth to his characters, Martin Scorsese always delivers the best of cinema to the entire world. He is truly The Raging Bull, that won't stop creating.

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FUN FACT : Kundun is one of the most under rated work of Scorsese. The film didn't include any actors. The film based on the life of the 14th Dalai Lama had only Tibetan people and monks. Scorsese said, the passion for the land and the love for the Dalai Lama can't be portrayed with any other actor of any other origin.

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- Siddharth Padhee

Everything-Film

31-07-2020