The Best Martin Scorsese-Directed Movies Of The 21st Century, Ranked According To IMDb
Martin Scorsese is one of the best filmmakers of all time, and what makes him one of the most beloved is that his movies are consistently great. Where even the very best auteurs have had bad days at the office, when it comes to critical and audiences receptions, the Italian American director has an untouchable batting average. It seems like he gets better with age too, as his eight films released in the 21st century are all fascinating in their own ways.
Between his first outright comedy, the only Scorsese-directed movie set in modern-day, and even a movie about Jesuit priests, the filmmaker went from one mind-blowing project to the next. While not all of them were box office successes, they were huge hits amongst cinephiles, and even the most niche of them are still well-liked by general audiences.
8 Silence (2016) - 7.1
For those who tune into Scorsese's movies for the frenetic pacing, graphic violence, and snappy dialogue, Silence isn't for them. And that might be part of why the film isn't rated quite as high as it deserves on the movie database. The film follows two Portuguese missionaries that travel to Japan in an attempt to track down their mentor who has gone missing.
In that respect, it's very much like a religious version of Apocalypse Now, only audiences don't have to be Catholic to love the movie. The film resonates with audiences emotionally, and it says more about human nature than any of Scorsese's other movies ever have. On top of the narrative, it's one of the most unique-looking movies, and it has a spectacular production design considering that it's set in the 17th century. The only thing holding it back from being a true classic is its bloated two-hour, 40-minute runtime.
7 Hugo (2011) - 7.5
Scorsese is always surprising cinephiles, even the ones who follow him so closely. Even though it sits outside of his usual type of movies, Silence isn't all that surprising of a directing choice considering it follows other Scorsese-directed religious movies like The Last Temptation of Christ. However, while there are loads of kids' movies made by unlikely directors, a children's film coming from the director of Raging Bull and Goodfellas is one of the most shocking. Nevertheless, Hugo is so magical and has some of the best uses of 3D ever.
It's a testament to how great of a filmmaker Scorsese is that he can direct a movie so outside of his comfort zone but it still ends up being the best of its kind. Between the incredible 3D, the charm of being set in 1930s Paris, and being about an orphan who lives within the walls of a train station, it's one of the most exciting family movies of the 2010s.
6 Gangs Of New York (2002) - 7.5
Gangs of New York is far from the height of Scorsese's powers when it comes to his gangster movies. It isn't as tightly edited or exciting as the likes of Casino or Goodfellas, and the performances outside of Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher are inconsistent, as almost everyone struggles with the different accents. But what it does well it excels at.
Day-Lewis took method acting to extremes once again, as he got pneumonia on set because he refused to wear a modern winter coat, and he then almost died because he refused to take medicine to treat it. And all of that is clear on screen, as his performance in the 2002 movie as Bill is electrifying. The butcher is scarier than almost any horror villain, and the entire movie is gripping from start to finish simply thanks to how imposing Day-Lewis is.
5 The Aviator (2004) - 7.6
Leonardo DiCaprio earned an Academy Award in 2016 for his performance in The Revenant, but many believe he deserved it 12 years earlier for his role as Howard Hughes in The Aviator. Scorsese and DiCaprio have a great working relationship, and while that relationship started with Gangs of New York, it was the 2004 movie that showed how they really brought greatness out of each other.
The movie follows the legendary filmmaker in the 1930s and 1940s, but it mostly focuses on his work designing aircraft. And as DiCaprio has built a career out of playing real-life historical figures, The Aviator isn't just one of the first examples, it's one the best too.
4 The Irishman (2019) - 7.8
The Irishman is Scorsese's most recent movie, which saw him return to the gangster genre 13 years after The Departed. It wasn't just a reunion between the director and the genre, but the film also brought Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel back on the big screen together. The movie was a Scorsese fan's fever dream brought to life, and it perfectly hit every beat that's expected of a Scorsese-directed gangster movie.
The movie had a snappy rhythm that jumped between 60s rock music, an eloquent voiceover, and profanity-rich dialogue spoken with heavy New York accents. Not only that, but The Irishman is the most expensive Scorsese-directed movie with a budget of $250 million, which was used for elaborate set pieces and de-aging technology. That all led to one of the most exciting and engaging gangster movies released in over a decade.
3 Shutter Island (2010) - 8.2
Scorsese had dabbled in the thriller genre before with movies like Bringing Out the Dead and Cape Fear, but Shutter Island is unlike any of them. The 2010 release is an exciting mystery film that leaves audiences guessing and constantly trying to figure out what's going on before the final shocking twist.
The film is about a detective who is sent to the titular island to investigate a psychiatric facility when a patient goes missing. And despite being on the darker side of Scorsese's catalog of movies, Shutter Island is endlessly rewatchable, especially given how more clues become clearer after knowing what happens in the closing moments.
2 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013) - 8.2
Scorsese is best known for depicting criminal activity and gangsters in such entertaining but still offputting ways. And in many ways, Jordan Belfort is a gangster, only he uses telephones instead of guns. The Wolf of Wall Street follows Belfort who cons people out of their life savings and uses it to party on private jets and yachts. The movie is one of the director's most entertaining, and it's the closest thing to a comedy that Scorsese fans will ever get from the filmmaker.
Between crawling to a car while on quaaludes and eating pet goldfish, there's a fascinating dichotomy in the humor, as it's so hilarious but also revolting, as audiences know that all of it actually happened. But more than anything, the movie gave audiences that iconic tribal chant, which is one of Scorsese's best-improvised scenes.
1 The Departed (2006) - 8.5
Being the third movie in they collaborated on, The Departed saw DiCaprio and Scorsese's relationship reach its peak. The movie is the best gangster film of the 21st century and the actor gives a career-best performance. It's a performance that often goes overlooked when debating DiCaprio's best roles, as he perfectly captures the trauma and stress that comes with being an undercover cop.
But the actor couldn't have given such a grounded and realistic performance if it wasn't for Scorsese. Where most movies about undercover cops portray them as cool and cavalier, Scorsese depicted what it's really like, and that's what makes it one of the best cat-and-mouse chase movies ever that's full of unique characters.