Entertainment
The Best Martin Scorsese Movies
List Rules
Movies directed by Martin Scorsese (including documentaries)
Director Martin Scorsese is most closely associated with gangster and crime films, particularly the 1990 classic Goodfellas and the Vegas-set Casino. He has had a remarkably diverse career, including raucous comedies (The King of Comedy), documentary films (Shine a Light), period dramas (Gangs of New York), psychological thrillers (Shutter Island), and the hit kid's film Hugo. Throughout his illustrious career, Scorsese has been honored with numerous awards, including Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, the Palme D'Or, and the Oscar for The Departed.
Scorsese is known for his use of longstanding award winning actors as Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Leonardo DiCaprio. He has been named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World and is frequently listed as one of the greatest directors of all time, in the ranks of such legends as Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock. And he constantly ranks in the upper echelon of Ranker's top directors and current directors lists.Â
Scorsese's top films lean more towards period pieces, gangster dramas, violence, and New York City, but this ranking of the top Scorsese movies includes documentaries, including multiple rockumentaries of classic rock legends. Keep an open mind as you vote!  Â
Ranked by
1Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci- Released: 1990
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
A young man grows up in the mob and works very hard to advance himself through the ranks. He enjoys his life of money and luxury, but is oblivious to the horror that he causes. A drug addiction and a ...more
2Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd- Released: 1976
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of ...more![Casino]()
3Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci- Released: 1995
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
In early-1970s Las Vegas, low-level mobster Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but over the years, ...more![The Departed]()
4Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson- Released: 2006
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
South Boston cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes under cover to infiltrate the organization of gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). As Billy gains the mobster's trust, a career ...more![Raging Bull]()
5Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci- Released: 1980
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
The story of a middleweight boxer as he rises through ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown. He falls in love with a gorgeous girl from the Bronx. The inability to express his ...more- 6Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
In 1987, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes an entry-level job at a Wall Street brokerage firm. By the early 1990s, while still in his 20s, Belfort founds his own firm, Stratton Oakmont. ...more - 7Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
- Released: 2019
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
In the 1950s, truck driver Frank Sheeran gets involved with Russell Bufalino and his Pennsylvania crime family. As Sheeran climbs the ranks to become a top hit man, he also goes to work for Jimmy ...more ![The King of Comedy]()
8Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard- Released: 1983
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) is a failure in life but a celebrity in his own mind, hosting an imaginary talk show in his mother's basement. When he meets actual talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry ...more![Shutter Island]()
9Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley- Released: 2010
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Check out more shows and movies like Shutter Island!
The implausible escape of a brilliant murderess brings U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner (Mark Ruffalo) to Ashecliffe Hospital, a fortress-like insane asylum located ...more![Cape Fear]()
10Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange- Released: 1991
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
When attorney Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) knowingly withholds evidence that would acquit violent sex offender Max Cady (Robert De Niro) of rape charges, Max spends 14 years in prison. But after Max's ...more- 11Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Richard Romanus
- Released: 1973
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
A slice of street life in Little Italy among lower echelon Mafiosos, unbalanced punks, and petty criminals. A small-time hood gets in over his head with a vicious loan shark. In an attempt to free ...more ![Gangs of New York]()
12Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a young Irish immigrant released from prison. He returns to the Five Points seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), a ...more![The Aviator]()
13Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Billionaire and aviation tycoon Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a successful public figure: a director of big-budget Hollywood films such as "Hell's Angels," a passionate lover of Hollywood ...more![The Color of Money]()
14Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio- Released: 1986
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Former pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) decides he wants to return to the game by taking a pupil. He meets talented but green Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise) and proposes a partnership. As ...more![After Hours]()
15Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Teri Garr- Released: 1985
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
In a Manhattan cafe, word processor Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) meets and talks literature with Marcy (Rosanna Arquette). Later that night, Paul takes a cab to Marcy's downtown apartment. His $20Â ...more- 16Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield
- Released: 2011
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his ...more ![The Age of Innocence]()
17Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Wealthy lawyer Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) is engaged to sweet socialite May Welland (Winona Ryder) in 1870s New York. On the surface, it is a perfect match. But when May's beautiful cousin ...more![Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore]()
18Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Green Bush- Released: 1974
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
After her husband dies, Alice (Ellen Burstyn) and her son, Tommy, leave their small New Mexico town for California, where Alice hopes to make it as a singer. Money problems force them to settle in ...more![The Last Temptation of Christ]()
19Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey- Released: 1988
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Jesus (Willem Dafoe), a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas (Harvey Keitel) -- despite his ...more- 20Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Two 17th-century Portuguese missionaries, Father Sebastian Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver), embark on a perilous journey to Japan to find their missing mentor ...more ![The Last Waltz]()
21Robbie Robertson, Muddy Waters, Neil Young- Released: 1978
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Seventeen years after joining forces as the backing band for rockabilly cult hero Ronnie Hawkins, Canadian roots rockers The Band call it quits with a lavish farewell show at San Francisco's ...more![Bringing Out the Dead]()
22Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
After a disheartening and haunting career wears him down, New York City paramedic Frank Pierce (Nicolas Cage) begins to collapse under the strain of saving lives and witnessing deaths. Through the ...more![No Direction Home]()
23Bob Dylan, B.J. Rolfzen, Dick Kangas- Released: 2005
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
This documentary film traces musician Bob Dylan's evolution from folk troubadour to iconic rock star. Live concert footage and press conferences from the 1960s and a new interview with Dylan are used ...more- George Harrison: Living in the Material World is a 2011 documentary film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the life of Beatles member George Harrison. It earned six nominations at the 64th ...more
- 25Frank Capra, John Cassavetes, John Ford
- Released: 1995
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese, Michael Henry Wilson
This lauded documentary by revered director Martin Scorsese explores the history of American cinema by focusing on the work of a number of highly influential filmmakers. In addition to examining ...more
