Top 10 Martin Scorsese Movies

How We Ranked the Top 10

We weighted each film against what makes Scorsese's work endure, leaning on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, IMDb, Letterboxd, Roger Ebert's archive, and Academy Award records. In rough order of importance, we weighted:

• Story and screenplay — the heaviest factor
• Direction and craft — the signature style
• Performances — the actors who anchor each film
• Rewatchability — how well it holds up on repeat viewings
• Cultural impact — its lasting footprint
• Where-to-watch access — how easily you can see it today

A film that looks stunning but drifts in the script drops fast; the winners balance all six. Only narrative features Scorsese directed are eligible, so his acclaimed documentaries and concert films sit out.

1. Goodfellas (1990) 🏆 BEST OVERALL

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 1990 | Runtime: 145 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Rent or buy on major digital platforms

The definitive Scorsese film, Goodfellas charts the decades-long rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill, from wide-eyed kid to coked-out informant. Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci lead, with Pesci winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the volcanic Tommy DeVito. The film's restless voiceover, music cues, and the famous Copacabana tracking shot became a template every crime film since has chased. A multiple Oscar nominee, it draws near-universal critical acclaim and sits atop most "greatest mob movie" lists.

Pros:

• Joe Pesci's Oscar-winning, electrifying performance
• The legendary Copacabana single-take tracking shot
• A propulsive, kinetic style that defined the genre
• Endlessly quotable and infinitely rewatchable

Cons:

• Relentless profanity and brutal violence
• Its breakneck energy gives little room to breathe

Verdict: The complete Scorsese — the peak of his style, his cast, and his cultural reach.

2. Taxi Driver (1976)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 1976 | Runtime: 114 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Rent or buy on major digital platforms

A nightmarish portrait of urban alienation, Taxi Driver follows insomniac Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) as he spirals toward violence in a grimy 1970s New York. Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, and Harvey Keitel co-star, with Bernard Herrmann's final, haunting score. It won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, earned Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and gave cinema the immortal "You talkin' to me?" It draws overwhelming critical praise and is routinely named one of the greatest films of its decade.

Pros:

• De Niro's iconic, unnerving Travis Bickle
• Palme d'Or winner and a permanent cultural touchstone
• Bernard Herrmann's haunting final film score
• A searing, unflinching character study

Cons:

• Bleak, disturbing tone throughout
• A shockingly violent climax

Verdict: Scorsese's most haunting character study — essential, harrowing, and unforgettable.

3. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 2013 | Runtime: 180 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Available on major streaming and rental platforms

The most flat-out entertaining film in the catalog, The Wolf of Wall Street follows corrupt stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) through a debauched rise and crash. Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and Matthew McConaughey co-star in a savage, hilarious satire of greed. It earned Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director, and DiCaprio's manic physical comedy is a career high. Despite a three-hour runtime, its breathless pace and humor make it the most rewatchable, lowest-effort entry point.

Pros:

• DiCaprio's funniest, most committed performance
• Fast, hilarious, and endlessly quotable
• No film-history knowledge required to enjoy
• A sharp, energetic satire of greed and excess

Cons:

• Three hours of relentless excess can exhaust
• Extreme content and a morally slippery tone

Verdict: The best value pick — maximum entertainment and rewatchability with zero homework required.

4. Raging Bull (1980)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 1980 | Runtime: 129 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Rent or buy on major digital platforms

Shot in stark black-and-white, Raging Bull chronicles the self-destruction of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose jealousy and rage detonate his career and family. Robert De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor, famously undergoing a dramatic physical transformation to play the older LaMotta, opposite Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker won an Oscar for the savage fight sequences. A multiple Oscar nominee, it draws near-unanimous critical acclaim and is frequently called one of the greatest films of the 1980s.

Pros:

• De Niro's Oscar-winning, total physical transformation
• Brutal, balletic black-and-white boxing sequences
• Thelma Schoonmaker's Oscar-winning editing
• An uncompromising portrait of self-destruction

Cons:

• LaMotta is a deeply unlikable subject
• Punishingly bleak and violent

Verdict: A towering, brutal masterpiece — the definitive boxing film and a peak of acting.

5. The Departed (2006)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 2006 | Runtime: 151 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Available on major streaming and rental platforms

The film that finally won Scorsese his Oscar, The Departed is a twisty Boston crime thriller about a cop embedded in the mob and a mole embedded in the police. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg lead a stacked cast. It won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director — Scorsese's first directing Oscar after decades of nominations. It earns strong critical acclaim and remains his most purely propulsive thriller.

Pros:

• Won Scorsese his long-overdue Best Director Oscar
• A stacked, magnetic ensemble cast
• A tense, twisty, expertly paced thriller
• Best Picture winner and one of his biggest hits at the time

Cons:

• Heightened, almost operatic violence
• A famously divisive final shot

Verdict: His most crowd-pleasing thriller and his Oscar breakthrough — endlessly rewatchable.

6. The Irishman (2019)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 2019 | Runtime: 209 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Available on major streaming platforms

A late-career elegy, The Irishman spans decades as hitman Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) recounts his ties to the mob and the disappearance of union boss Jimmy Hoffa. Al Pacino and Joe Pesci co-star, with groundbreaking digital de-aging. The film earned numerous Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and supporting nods for Pacino and Pesci. As his longest film, it is a mournful meditation on mortality and regret that draws wide critical acclaim.

Pros:

• A reflective, moving capstone to his crime saga
• De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci together at last
• Multiple Oscar nominations including Best Picture
• Pesci's restrained, Oscar-nominated comeback

Cons:

• The 209-minute runtime demands real commitment
• De-aging effects can distract early on

Verdict: A somber, masterful elegy — his most reflective film, best savored in one sitting.

7. Casino (1995)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 1995 | Runtime: 178 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Rent or buy on major digital platforms

A lavish companion piece to *Goodfellas*, Casino dramatizes the mob's grip on 1970s–80s Las Vegas through casino boss Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro), his volatile enforcer (Joe Pesci), and his unraveling wife (Sharon Stone). Stone earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination and won the Golden Globe for her ferocious performance. With dense voiceover, opulent costumes, and explosive violence, it stands as one of his most sumptuous crime epics.

Pros:

• Sharon Stone's Oscar-nominated, career-best role
• Opulent, detailed recreation of mob-era Las Vegas
• De Niro and Pesci reuniting at full power
• Rich voiceover and a stellar period soundtrack

Cons:

• Covers similar ground to Goodfellas
• Extreme violence in its final act

Verdict: A dazzling, brutal companion to Goodfellas — essential for fans of his crime saga.

8. The Aviator (2004)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 2004 | Runtime: 170 min | Rated: PG-13 | Where to watch: Rent or buy on major digital platforms

A sweeping biopic of aviation tycoon and filmmaker Howard Hughes, The Aviator follows Leonardo DiCaprio through Hughes's daring exploits and worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cate Blanchett won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as Katharine Hepburn, anchoring a film that won multiple Oscars and earned nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. With lush period craft and thrilling flight sequences, it earns strong critical reception and stands as his most glamorous epic.

Pros:

• Cate Blanchett's Oscar-winning turn as Hepburn
• Won multiple Academy Awards across many nominations
• DiCaprio's compelling, layered lead performance
• Spectacular period detail and flight sequences

Cons:

• The 170-minute runtime feels expansive
• A conventional biopic structure

Verdict: His most glamorous epic — a sweeping, award-laden portrait carried by a stellar cast.

9. Mean Streets (1973)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 1973 | Runtime: 112 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Available on major streaming and rental platforms

The breakthrough that announced Scorsese's voice, Mean Streets follows small-time hood Charlie (Harvey Keitel) torn between guilt, ambition, and loyalty to his reckless friend Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro, in his first Scorsese collaboration). Shot raw on the streets of Little Italy with a jukebox soundtrack, it established the Catholic guilt, jittery camera, and music-driven energy of everything to come. It draws strong critical acclaim and is preserved in the National Film Registry.

Pros:

• The blueprint for Scorsese's entire signature style
• De Niro's electric, star-making first collaboration
• Raw, authentic Little Italy atmosphere
• A landmark of 1970s American independent cinema

Cons:

• Rougher, lower-budget look than later work
• Loose, plot-light structure

Verdict: The origin point of everything Scorsese — essential viewing for serious fans.

10. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 2023 | Runtime: 206 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Available on major streaming platforms

A sprawling true-crime epic, Killers of the Flower Moon dramatizes the 1920s murders of Osage Nation members for their oil wealth. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone lead, with Gladstone earning a historic Best Actress Oscar nomination. The film received numerous Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. A patient, mournful reckoning with American greed and racism, it draws wide critical acclaim and stands among his finest late works.

Pros:

• Lily Gladstone's historic, Oscar-nominated performance
• Multiple Oscar nominations including Best Picture
• A powerful, overdue reckoning with a real atrocity
• De Niro's chilling, manipulative villain

Cons:

• The 206-minute runtime is demanding
• Its slow, somber pacing tests patience

Verdict: A monumental late-career masterpiece — heavy and long, but among his most important films.

What Makes a Great Scorsese Movie

• Restless camera and editing — Tracking shots, freeze-frames, and Thelma Schoonmaker's whip-fast cuts give his films a kinetic pulse no one else matches.
• Voiceover narration — His characters narrate their own rise and ruin, pulling the audience inside flawed, often monstrous minds.
• Needle-drop soundtracks — Rolling Stones, doo-wop, and opera become permanently fused to their scenes.
• Catholic guilt and consequence — Sin, redemption, and the price of violence run through nearly every film.
• Career-defining collaborations — His partnerships with De Niro and later DiCaprio yield some of cinema's greatest performances.
• Morally complex antiheroes — He refuses to soften his protagonists, trusting the audience to judge.

What matters less than the hype: the runtime and the body count. The long films earn their length through character, and the violence always carries weight rather than spectacle.

Which One Should You Watch Tonight?

• If you want pure entertainment: *The Wolf of Wall Street* or *Goodfellas*
• If you want a character study: *Taxi Driver* or *Raging Bull*
• If you want a thriller: *The Departed*
• If you want a sweeping epic: *The Aviator* or *Killers of the Flower Moon*
• If you want to see where it all began: *Mean Streets*
• If you want a reflective, slower film: *The Irishman*
• If you want a crime saga with spectacle: *Casino*

What to Look For

• Fit for your mood — crime saga, character study, biopic, or satire
• Time you have — several run three hours or more, so plan the sitting
• Content tolerance — most carry heavy violence, profanity, and dark themes
• Where it starts — early films like *Mean Streets* show the roots of his style
• Honest viewer reactions over marketing and awards buzz

FAQ

What is the best Martin Scorsese movie? Goodfellas (1990) is widely considered his best — a perfect distillation of his style, performances, and cultural impact, sitting atop most greatest-films lists.

Did Martin Scorsese ever win an Oscar? Yes — he won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed (2006) after multiple prior nominations across his career.

What order should I watch Scorsese's films in? Start with Goodfellas or The Wolf of Wall Street for accessibility, then explore by mood. Mean Streets and Taxi Driver show where his style began.

Which Scorsese movie is the most rewatchable? The Wolf of Wall Street and Goodfellas are the most rewatchable for their pace, humor, and quotability, while Taxi Driver rewards deeper repeat study.

How many films has Martin Scorsese directed? Scorsese has directed over 25 narrative features across five decades, plus numerous acclaimed documentaries; this list ranks the best narrative features.

Are documentaries included in this ranking? No — this list ranks only Scorsese's narrative feature films. His documentaries and concert films, like *The Last Waltz*, are excluded.

Which Scorsese film won the most Oscars? The Departed (2006) won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. The Aviator (2004) also won five Oscars across technical and acting categories.

Is Killers of the Flower Moon based on a true story? Yes — it is based on David Grann's nonfiction book about the Osage Indian murders in 1920s Oklahoma.

Bottom Line

The Best Overall Martin Scorsese movie is Goodfellas (1990) — the purest expression of his kinetic style, anchored by Joe Pesci's Oscar-winning turn, and one of the greatest American films ever made. The Best Value pick is The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), the most fun and rewatchable entry point in his catalog. If you want a haunting character study reach for Taxi Driver, for a propulsive thriller try The Departed, and use the guidance above to match a film to tonight's mood. Watch for the performances and the craft, not the runtime, and his catalog rewards a lifetime of revisiting.

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Sources

• IMDb — Martin Scorsese filmography
• Rotten Tomatoes — Martin Scorsese
• Metacritic — Martin Scorsese
• Letterboxd — Martin Scorsese
• Roger Ebert — reviews archive
• Academy Awards database (Oscars.org)
• Criterion Collection — Martin Scorsese

*Martin Scorsese movies review — best Scorsese films ranked, ratings, where to stream, and a review of the director's top picks.*

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