Joey Magidson
Today, Martin Scorsese has his newest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, officially in theaters. Another long in the making movie, Scorsese not just has an epic runtime here, but an epic canvas to paint on. You can see my review of the flick here, but what better time is there than now to put out a ranking of his filmography? He’s a master, plain and simple, so organizing the list was a little harder than you’d expect, but I’m ready to share it with you all today, especially since I’ll get to see all of yours as well!
Scorsese has obviously made some of cinema’s most seminal works. Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, any one of those would make you an icon. Throw in The Departed and The Wolf of Wall Street, just to name two more, and you have a true legend. So, this is all just different levels of amazing. There’s only one film here I don’t care for, at the very bottom, and as much as anything, it’s a matter of personal taste. The movie works for some, just not me. Different strokes for different folks.
Below, you can see how I rank Scorsese’s narrative features, from Who’s That Knocking At My Door all the way to Killers of the Flower Moon. I opted to exclude his documentaries, since I’ve only seen a handful of them, as well as his segment from New York Stories (though Life Lessons is excellent and would be smack dab in the middle of this list). Other than that? It’s all here, though in an order that’s uniquely mine…
Here is my ranking of Martin Scorsese’s narrative features to date:
26. Silence
25. Boxcar Bertha
24. Kundun
23. The Age of Innocence
22. Who’s That Knocking at My Door
21. The Color of Money
20. New York, New York
19. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
18. The Last Temptation of Christ
17. Bringing Out the Dead
16. Cape Fear
15. After Hours
14. Casino
13. Hugo
12. The Aviator
11. Shutter Island
10. Mean Streets
8. Gangs of New York
7. The Irishman
6. Goodfellas
5. Raging Bull
4. The King of Comedy
3. The Departed
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
1. Taxi Driver
As you can see, I have a mix of new and old at the heights of his resume. Silence is the one that just is a chore to sit through, but then again, The Irishman flew by for me. The King of Comedy might be the big surprise on my list, in terms of how high it places, but I’d urge you to revisit it. Hell, watch all of these again. He’s one of the greats, from top to bottom. What’s more, he’s showing no signs of slowing down, either…
Overall, no matter how you organize your list, Scorsese is a master. We’re lucky to have him. Killers of the Flower Moon is just another example of him being in complete control of his craft. Here’s to many more from Marty!
What are your favorite Martin Scorsese films? Let us know!
[…] Ranking the Films of Martin Scorsese […]
I was surprised I had such a hard time with this one. I go 20 deep with movies I consider great. 8 deep with ones I consider special. And it’s really splitting hairs. I’m putting the latest one second because I’m scared of being too high on it since I just saw it. But when I left the theater I said it’s his best. Maybe in a year it could also go down a peg or two. Or maybe up and replace Goodfellas. The Last Waltz, both of his dylan docs, Shine a Light and Public Speaking would be in my top 20 if I included docs. No Direction Home and The Last Waltz might be close to top 10.
GoodfellasKillers of the Flower MoonDeparted, TheWolf of Wall StreetRaging BullIrishman, TheAge of InnocenceTaxi DriverAviator, TheCasinoColor of Money, TheKing of Comedy, TheGangs of New YorkMean StreetsHugoAlice Doesn’t Live Here AnymoreBringing Out the DeadLast Temptation of ChristShutter IslandCape FearBoxcar BerthaAfter HoursNew York New YorkSilenceWho’s That Knocking on my DoorKundun
It’s not easy!