Top 10 Martin Scorsese Movies

Direct Answer

The Best Overall Martin Scorsese movie is Goodfellas (1990), a propulsive, decades-spanning mob epic that perfected his voice — voiceover narration, needle-drop soundtracks, and tracking-shot bravado — and stands as one of the greatest American films ever made. The Best Value pick — the most rewatchable, most accessible gateway into his catalog — is The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), a fast, funny, three-hour rocket that needs no film-history homework to enjoy.

This list is for film fans ranking Scorsese's own directorial filmography of narrative features, weighing screenplay, direction, performances, rewatchability, and cultural footprint. Every pick is a real Scorsese-directed feature with verified director, year, runtime, rating, and lead cast.

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. The weighting:

• Story and screenplay — 25%
• Direction and craft — 20%
• Performances — 20%
• Rewatchability — 15%
• Cultural impact — 10%
• Where-to-watch access — 10%

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/buy on Prime Video, Apple TV

The definitive Scorsese film, Goodfellas charts the 30-year 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. Nominated for six Oscars, it carries a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score 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/buy on Prime Video, Apple TV

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 four Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and gave cinema the immortal "You talkin' to me?" It holds a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and is routinely named one of the greatest films of the 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) 💎 BEST VALUE

Director: Martin Scorsese | Year: 2013 | Runtime: 180 min | Rated: R | Where to watch: Stream on Paramount+; rent on Prime Video

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 five 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, with an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score.

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/buy on Prime Video, Apple TV

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 gaining 60 pounds to play the older LaMotta, opposite Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty.

Editor Thelma Schoonmaker won an Oscar for the savage fight sequences. Nominated for eight Oscars, it carries a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score and is frequently called the greatest film 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: Stream on Netflix; rent on Apple TV

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 four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director — Scorsese's first directing Oscar after decades of nominations.

It holds a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score 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 his biggest hit 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: Stream on Netflix

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 ten Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and supporting nods for Pacino and Pesci.

At 209 minutes it is his longest film, a mournful meditation on mortality and regret, holding a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Pros:

• A reflective, moving capstone to his crime saga
• De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci together at last
• Ten 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/buy on Prime Video, Apple TV

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 holds a 80% Rotten Tomatoes score and 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/buy on Prime Video, Apple TV

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 five Oscars total from eleven nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director nods.

With lush period craft and thrilling flight sequences, it holds an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score and is his most glamorous epic.

Pros:

• Cate Blanchett's Oscar-winning turn as Hepburn
• Won five Academy Awards from eleven 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: Stream on Max; rent on Prime Video

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 holds a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score 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: Stream on Apple TV+

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 ten Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director.

At 206 minutes, it is a patient, mournful reckoning with American greed and racism, holding a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and standing among his finest late works.

Pros:

• Lily Gladstone's historic, Oscar-nominated performance
• Ten 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.

Which One Should You Watch Tonight?

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.

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 more than 25 narrative features across five decades, plus numerous acclaimed documentaries; this list ranks the ten 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.

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 decision tree 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.

Sources

• IMDb — Martin Scorsese filmography
• Rotten Tomatoes — Martin Scorsese movies ranked
• Metacritic — Martin Scorsese films
• Letterboxd — Martin Scorsese
• Roger Ebert — reviews archive
• Variety — Scorsese coverage and rankings
• The Criterion Collection
• Academy Awards database (Oscars.org)
• The Cannes Film Festival — Palme d'Or winners

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