It’s easy to list off the greatest Martin Scorsese films, because the man’s filmography is full of some of the most amazing movies ever made. However, he also has a host of works that didn’t garner immense critical acclaim, but are still well worth watching. Let’s check them out.
Shutter Island (2010)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
About: A noir psychological thriller based on the 2003 Dennis Lehane novel, this suspenseful film is set in the mid-1950s and follows DiCaprio and Ruffalo as a pair of US Marshals investigating the disappearance of a patient from Shutter Island’s Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane.
This twisting and turning mystery keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, much like the original novel. Mainly filmed on location in Massachusetts, the film contains many nods to the film noir and horror genre and is often considered an homage to Alfred Hitchcock, another of the all-time great filmmakers.
It received mixed, but generally positive reviews upon release – which, for Scorsese, is pretty below average! However, we think that this is a generally good film with few flaws that keeps you gripped from start to finish.
Gangs of New York (2002)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
About: This epic drama set in the heart of mid-1800s New York City tackles the effects of heavy Irish immigration and the American Civil War on US society. Daniel Day-Lewis puts on a typical masterclass as Bill “The Butcher” Cutting, a New York gang leader and political influencer.
Leonardo DiCaprio takes the main role as Amsterdam Vallon, the son of an Irish immigrant and leader of the Irish Catholic “Dead Rabbits” gang. When Amsterdam witnesses the death of his father (Neeson) at the hands of Cutting, the events of the film are set in motion.
The film was nominated for many awards including Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It has been criticised for historical inaccuracies, and more so for one of the worst Irish accents in cinema history courtesy of Cameron Diaz. However, it is still an extremely awesome movie that no Scorsese fan should miss!
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
About: This black comedy based on the real-life Wall Street fraudster Jordan Belfort is adapted from Belfort’s memoirs of the same name. Belfort’s firm, Stratton Oakmont, Inc., defrauded shareholders to the tune of $100 million in revenue and allowed its executives to live a drug-fuelled life of excess.
Leonardo DiCaprio takes the starring role as Belfort, with Jonah Hill as his fictional partner Donnie Azoff. Margot Robbie makes her memorable debut as Belfort’s second wife and the trio join an all-star cast in an epic comedy-drama that spans a minute shy of three hours.
The direction, comedic performances and cinematography received praise from critics and garnered the film five Academy Award nominations. However, it rarely gets recognised as one of Scorsese’s true masterpieces. Last, but not least, a fun fact: it is also the film boasting the most uses of the word “fuck” with a total of 569 for over three per minute!
Casino (1995)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
About: Casino, released in 1995, has since become one of Scorsese’s all-time classics and is often ranked up alongside Goodfellas, Taxi Driver or Raging Bull. However, at its release, it received very mixed reviews and was heavily criticised for the excessive violence it portrayed.
However, many have claimed that the violence shown in the movie was toned down compared to the real-life version of events! The film chronicles the domination of the Las Vegas strip by the Mafia and the bloody war between gangs who sought to hold the Nevada goldmine with an iron fist. Fortunately, these days Las Vegas is gangster-free – and we can all just gamble online (and on our mobile device too!) without worrying about Joe Pesci coming after us, anyway!
Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci play Sam Rothstein and Nicky Santoro, characters based on real-life gangsters Frank Rosenthal and the psychotic mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro. Sharon Stone plays Rothstein’s wife in an acclaimed performance that earned her a Golden Globe.
The Aviator (2004)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
About: Yup, Scorsese is such a renowned filmmaker that we have to class a movie with an 87% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as “underrated” just to make up this list. Must be nice to be him!
This film, based on the non-fiction book Howard Hughes: The Secret Life depicts the life of film producer and aviation mogul Howard Hughes (DiCaprio). He becomes a huge success, but his life and relationships are jeopardised by his increasingly severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
The Aviator was not underrated by the Academy Awards, being nominated for 11 including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. It won none of these, but did take home five Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction and a Best Supporting Actress win for Cate Blanchett.
