17 best movies and TV shows by Martin Scorsese

Feature Films by Martin Scorsese

1. Angry Streets

USA, 1973.
Drama.
Duration: 110 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 3.

Charlie is the nephew of a prominent mobster from Little Italy in New York. He wants to open his own restaurant, and therefore must win the favor of his uncle and be organized and restrained. But all of Charlie's plans are spoiled by his childhood friend Johnny.

This film can be called Martin Scorsese's debut in a really big movie. Prior to that, he directed the films Who Knocks at My Door? and "Bertha, nicknamed the Freight Car", but it was the "Wicked Streets" that made him famous.

The director put a lot of personal memories into this story: he grew up in Little Italy. And therefore, he came out not just a crime film, but a real picture of life.

And it was "Wicked Streets" that became Scorsese's first work with a very young Robert De Niro - their collaboration will last for many years.

2. Taxi driver

USA, 1976.
Drama, thriller, neo-noir.
Duration: 114 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 3.

Former Marine Travis Bickle suffers from chronic insomnia and therefore works as a night taxi driver. He travels the streets and meets many people, each with their own tragedy. Constantly faced with dirt and brutality, Travis decides to cleanse the city of crime. He buys weapons and begins to crack down on the bandits.

It was "Taxi Driver" who fully revealed Scorsese's talent. The director managed to convey the absorbing loneliness of the protagonist and the experiences of even episodic characters. There is not too much action here, and the story itself is not focused on violence, but rather on the tragedy of fate.

And a separate plus of the picture is the amazing actors. De Niro and Harvey Keitel, who had already starred in two Scorsese films, were joined by Jodie Foster and Cybill Shepard (she would later be remembered for the Moonlight Detective Agency series).

The result is four Oscar nominations.

3. Raging bull

USA, France, 1980.
Drama, biography, sports.
Duration: 129 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 2.

A biographical drama based on the memoirs of the famous boxer Jake Lamotte. He was called the Bronx Bull for the pressure and aggression in the ring. But it was these qualities that interfered with his personal life: he constantly suspected his wife of treason, and then attacked his brother, who was his coach.

Martin Scorsese initially did not want to direct a sports drama. But in 1978 he nearly died of a drug overdose. In a difficult situation, he was supported by Robert De Niro. He persuaded the director to shoot a picture about a man who himself ruined his career.

Of course, De Niro played a major role. He specially gained about 20 kg and even personally got acquainted with the prototype of his hero.

4. King of Comedy

USA, 1982.
Tragicomedy, drama, crime.
Duration: 109 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 8.

Rupert Papkin believes that his calling is to make people laugh. He is absolutely confident in his talent, but he wants to start his career not with a performance in some club, but immediately with television. Having accidentally met a famous TV presenter, Rupert tries to beg him time on the air, and after refusing, he takes him hostage.

After several works, the plot of which was somehow connected with the mafia, Scorsese released a rather unusual film for himself. There is no outright cruelty in it, but simple angry people are shown.

The character Robert De Niro (he starred again) looks both interesting and repulsive and creates ambiguity in a seemingly simple story.

5. After work

USA, 1985.
Comedy.
Duration: 97 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 7.

Young programmer Paul Hacket meets charming Marcy in a cafe. She invites him to visit, but then everything goes awry: the girl tries to commit suicide, Paul runs away from her and gets involved in literally all the troubles that one can imagine.

Martin Scorsese released a charming comedy that parodies his own traditional plots. It seems that the set of elements is the same: romance, mafia, crime, night city. But all this is in an atmosphere of irony and absurdity, turning the action into a farce.

6. The last temptation of Christ

USA, Canada, 1988.
Drama.
Duration: 164 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 6.

Jesus of Judea is a carpenter who makes the crosses on which the Roman government crucifies criminals. Voices and visions visit him, but he cannot understand whether God or the devil is talking to him. Jesus has to walk the path of the messiah and accept death for the sins of people.

A girl comes to the already crucified Jesus on the cross and calls him to follow her. Risen, he continues his worldly life and marries Mary Magdalene. But perhaps everything should have happened differently.

Martin Scorsese himself is a staunch Catholic. At the same time, the book on which the plot is based was written by an Orthodox Christian, and a Calvinist reworked it into the script. The film was shot with pure enthusiasm: all the actors worked for a small fee, and the limited budget did not allow to show large-scale scenes.

Of course, the picture caused fierce controversy and protests from religious organizations. Moreover, Christ was played in it by Willem Dafoe, better known for negative roles. But over time, the controversial work about the dual nature of Jesus became a cinematic classic.

7. Nice Guys

USA, 1990.
Crime drama.
Duration: 146 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 7.

The story of the life of the gangster Henry Hill, who helped mafia bosses from his youth. At first, he carried out small errands, and then became a full member of the gang and began to run big business. Like everyone around him, Henry is cruel, arrogant, but very charming.

"Nice Guys" is another milestone in Scorsese's work, continuing the atmosphere of "Angry Streets". Here Robert De Niro has already moved into the category of "senior friend", giving way to the main character Ray Liotta, and the plot has become more global.

The scene where Henry and his girlfriend enter the Copacabana club deserved special recognition. Three minutes of complex action with the heroes walking through the back rooms and dialogues were filmed in one shot without editing.

They say that this had to be done due to the fact that the director was not allowed to film at the main entrance. But in the end, this scene became one of the standards of long shots.

8. Casino

USA, France, 1995.
Drama.
Duration: 178 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 2.

Sam Rothstein is great at making money. That is why the mafia put him in charge of a casino in Las Vegas. He takes work to the next level and the business is booming. And always next to Sam is his childhood friend Nicky Santoro - an aggressive and cruel thug.

But in the world of money and crime, nothing lasts forever. One day Sam's empire collapses. And a bloody war begins.

In fact, in this film, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci duplicated their images from The Nice Guys. And the theme of the picture is very similar: the development of the criminal business and its subsequent collapse. But it is very clearly seen that each time an experienced director turns to more and more large-scale stories, telling not just about some episodes, but about the history of an entire business.

At this, the cooperation between De Niro and Scorsese was interrupted for a long time. Only in 2019 was the film "The Irishman" released, where the famous actor again played the main role.

9. Apostates

USA, 2006.
Crime, drama, thriller.
Duration: 151 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 5.

The adaptation of the Hong Kong film "Castling Double" follows two of the best graduates of the Police Academy. One of them was sent by a criminal group to law enforcement agencies to leak data from the mafia. Another deliberately commits crimes in order to get into a gang and pass information on to the police. Both of them are forced to pretend. But gradually it turns out that the world on both sides is very ambiguous.

For the first time Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio worked together in Gangs of New York, but it was in The Departed that the duet of actor and director was fully revealed. The charming Leo replaced Ray Liotta and then more than once starred in Scorsese's films.

And it was for “The Departed” that the director finally received an Oscar.

10. Isle of the Damned

USA, 2010.
Psychological thriller, detective.
Duration: 138 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 1.

Two bailiffs are sent to a closed island where a psychiatric hospital is located. They must investigate the disappearance of the patient, but are faced with a whole web of lies and hiding evidence. In addition, a hurricane hits the island and cuts the heroes off from the rest of the world. But then things get even stranger.

Even after becoming a cult director, Martin Scorsese did not give up experimenting with genres. Island of the Damned begins as a regular detective thriller, and it seems that the investigation will simply lead to the exposure of some complex crime story. But in fact, this is a picture about mind games, and the unexpected development of the plot is the main advantage of the film.

11. The Wolf of Wall Street

USA, 2013.
Biography, crime, comedy.
Duration: 180 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 2.

Another biographical picture. This time about Jordan Belfort - the famous motivator and salesman. His persistent and persuasive style of communication with clients quickly propelled him to the top of the business world. Jordan, along with friends, opened his own company. But a riotous lifestyle and far from the most honest methods attracted the attention of the FBI to the company.

This film became one of the highlights of 2013. Thanks to the skill of the director, the story is kept on the verge of comedy and real drama. Moreover, he again shows the main characters in many ways unpleasant people, but he does it very witty and lively.

Martin Scorsese documentaries

1. The last waltz

USA, 1978.
Documentary, music.
Duration: 117 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 2.

In 1976, Skorese filmed a concert by a folk-rock band with the simple name The Band. And two years later he released the film "The Last Waltz", which many still call the standard of concert filming.

2. My trip to Italy

USA, Italy, 1999.
Documentary.
Duration: 246 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 3.

In the late 1990s, Scorsese released a very long review of the work of famous Italian directors and showed the entire development of Italian cinema and its main stages.

3. Conversations with Fran Lebowitz

USA, 2010.
Documentary.
Duration: 84 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 7.

The writer Fran Lebowitz is famous for her flamboyant and very harsh speeches on public life. Martin Scorsese made a documentary, almost entirely consisting of her interviews and speeches, supplemented with graceful art inserts illustrating the life of the heroine.

4. George Harrison: life in the material world

USA, 2011.
Documentary, biography, music.
Duration: 208 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 1.

A documentary about the life and work of a member of The Beatles. The film consists of archival footage, performances and interviews and covers almost the entire life of Harrison: from the first musical experiments to spiritual quests and the last days in the hospital.

TV series by Martin Scorsese

1. Boardwalk Empire

USA, 2010.
Crime drama.
Duration: 5 seasons.
IMDb: 8, 6.

The action takes place in the United States just before the passage of Prohibition. Enoch Thompson works as a treasurer, but at night he trades in a criminal business. The hero decides to seize the opportunity and make quick money on underground alcohol. But he is not the only one who makes such plans.

Martin Scorsese directed the first episode himself and executive produced the series. And his participation here is immediately felt: a criminal drama, mixed with human relations, develops in the best traditions of the director's films. At the same time, he strove to completely recreate the surroundings of America in the 1920s, very attentively and accurately approached all the details.

2. Vinyl

USA, 2016.
Musical drama.
Duration: 1 season.
IMDb: 7, 8.

In the 1970s, Richie Finestra runs a recording studio. Things are going badly, business is mainly based on fraud and bribery. In order to somehow rectify the situation, Richie tries to find new stars, but drug addiction and intemperance greatly interferes with him.

This series was created by Martin Skorese with Mick Jagger. That is why the music and the atmosphere of show business are conveyed here so vividly and accurately. The first episode, which was filmed by the director himself, was even shown in cinemas.

After the season ended, the series was renewed almost immediately. But then the plans of the creators changed, and "Vinyl", unfortunately, was closed.