Martin Scorsese is a highly acclaimed film director, producer, and screenwriter. The winner of four British Academy Film Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, two Directors Guild of America Awards, and an Academy Award, the American has done it all when it comes to the movie industry. The Library of Congress has inducted five of Scorsese’s films into the National Film Registry as culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant but what are the best Scorsese movies?
1. GoodFellas (1990)
There are so many memorable quotes and fabulous scenes in Goodfellas that are often referred to in isolation today, that the overall magnificence of the movie is sometimes lost. The film was based on the book Wiseguy, written by Nicholas Pileggi and many critics will argue Goodfellas is the greatest mob movie ever made, surpassing The Godfather. The performances by Robert De Niro, Tommy DeVito, and Joe Pesci are fantastic and bring home the thrill, glamour, and violence of the mob in a way that is unlikely to ever be repeated.
2. Taxi Driver (1976)
Robert De Niro has starred in several of Scorsese’s movies but never has been better than his performance in Taxi Driver. Playing the role of Vietnam vet Travis Bickle, he spends his days and nights driving around New York City in his taxi and forms his own views on what he believes to be a morally broken society. The movie is both scary and sad in equal measure as Bickle rapidly declines mentally and becomes a danger to other people and himself. Scorsese’s nightmare depiction of New York has never been matched and Taxi Driver comes close to being his best movie.
3. Raging Bull (1980)
The same trio who collaborated on the Taxi Driver movie come together again in Raging Bull. Scorsese, De Niro, and screenwriter Paul Schrader returned 4 years later to produce a movie following the boxing career of middle-weight Jake LaMotta. There are many tremendous aspects to Raging Bull, but the boxing scenes are incredible, in addition to the transformation of De Niro into a beast inside the ring. Scorsese brings out the rage in LaMotta brilliantly on screen, as the man is only happy when he is giving someone a beating or on the receiving end himself.
4. Casino (1995)
Casino is a story of power, greed, and betrayal in Las Vegas and follows casino operator Sam “Ace” Rothstein, who is played by De Niro. Pesci also returns in this movie and the duo are joined by Sharon Stone, who produces one of the best performances of her career. Some of the scenes under Scorsese’s direction in this move are mind blowing, including the scene showing the movement of money from the casino floor to the count room. Casino will have you itching to get some of the action for yourself but rather than head to a casino, you can play at Casumo online casino. This will give you a bonus to get started when playing at one of the world’s leading online casinos.
Some of the other top Scorsese films that did not make the top four ranking include Mean Streets (1973), The King of Comedy (1982), and The Irishman (2019).