Every Martin Scorsese Film Ranked From Worst to Best

Martin Scorsese has spent nearly 60 years making films that challenge, entertain, and occasionally divide audiences. With Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) bringing renewed attention to his career and another feature already in development, now feels like the right time to look back at a filmography that's remarkably consistent, even when it misses the mark.

The Bottom of the List Still Has Something to Offer

Ranking Scorsese is harder than ranking most directors because even his weaker films have flashes of the filmmaker you know from Goodfellas or The Departed. Still, something has to come last.

At the bottom sits Boxcar Bertha (1972). Made early in his career for producer Roger Corman, it's a competent exploitation drama that rarely feels like a true Scorsese picture. You can spot hints of his visual style, but the film never escapes its low-budget roots.

Next comes New York, New York (1977). Pairing Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli sounded like a dream on paper, yet the ambitious musical drama struggles to balance romance with old Hollywood nostalgia. It's fascinating as an experiment, even if it doesn't fully work.

Kundun (1997) deserves more credit than it usually gets. Roger Ebert awarded it four stars, but many viewers overlooked it after a limited release. Its meditative pace won't suit everyone, although the cinematography remains among the most beautiful Scorsese has ever put on screen.

Then there's Bringing Out the Dead (1999), starring Nicolas Cage as a burned-out paramedic. Released between Casino and Gangs of New York, it often gets forgotten despite delivering one of Cage's strongest dramatic performances.

The Middle Tier Is Full of Hidden Gems

This is where the rankings become personal. You could swap several of these films around without anyone accusing you of bad taste.

The Color of Money (1986) is sometimes dismissed as "the sequel to The Hustler," but Paul Newman won his only Academy Award for the role. Tom Cruise brings restless energy, while Scorsese turns pool matches into tense action scenes.

Cape Fear (1991) remains one of the director's most entertaining thrillers. Robert De Niro's terrifying Max Cady chews through every scene, and the film earned approximately $182 million worldwide, proving Scorsese could deliver a mainstream hit without losing his edge.

The Aviator (2004) doesn't get mentioned alongside his gangster classics often enough. Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of Howard Hughes captures both extraordinary ambition and crippling obsessive-compulsive disorder. The film won five Academy Awards and received 11 nominations.

You could also make a strong case for Silence (2016). It earned widespread critical acclaim, including a Rotten Tomatoes score of approximately 83%, but its slow, demanding pace meant many casual viewers skipped one of Scorsese's most thoughtful films.

Where the Legends Begin

Once you reach the top ten, almost every film has legitimate claims to the number one spot.

The King of Comedy (1982) felt almost prophetic decades before social media blurred the line between fame and obsession. Robert De Niro's Rupert Pupkin is funny, unsettling, and painfully believable.

After Hours (1985) remains the director's funniest film. Its nightmare version of New York unfolds like a comedy of escalating disasters, and it has gained a devoted following over the years.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) sparked enormous controversy upon release, but today it's widely recognised as one of Scorsese's boldest artistic achievements. Willem Dafoe delivers a deeply human performance that still invites discussion nearly four decades later.

The Age of Innocence (1993) proves Scorsese didn't need violence to create tension. Every glance, conversation, and missed opportunity carries emotional weight in this elegant adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel.

The Greatest Scorsese Films Ever Made

Now for the heavyweights.

At number five is The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). Clocking in at exactly three hours, it somehow never feels slow. Leonardo DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort is magnetic and exhausting in equal measure, while the film became Scorsese's highest-grossing release at the time with approximately $406 million worldwide.

Fourth place belongs to Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). Rather than turning the Osage murders into a conventional mystery, Scorsese focuses on greed, complicity, and systemic corruption. Lily Gladstone delivers one of the finest performances of the decade.

Third is The Departed (2006), the film that finally earned Scorsese his long-awaited Academy Award for Best Director. Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mark Wahlberg all bring something different to a thriller that never relaxes its grip.

Second goes to Casino (1995). It often lives in the shadow of Goodfellas, which feels unfair. Sharon Stone received an Academy Award nomination for her unforgettable performance, while the film explores the rise and fall of Las Vegas with extraordinary detail.

That leaves Goodfellas (1990) at number one. Few films move with this much confidence. Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci create characters who feel dangerously alive, and scenes like the Copacabana tracking shot or Tommy's "Funny how?" confrontation have become part of cinema history. More than 30 years later, directors are still borrowing its editing, narration, and storytelling rhythm.

Why You Should Care

You don't need to watch every Scorsese film to appreciate why he's one of cinema's defining directors. Even if gangster movies aren't usually your thing, his best work explores ambition, loyalty, faith, guilt, and obsession in ways that still feel fresh.

And because his catalogue stretches from 1967 to 2023, you can watch the evolution of modern American filmmaking through one filmmaker's career. That's a rare opportunity, whether you're discovering these films for the first time or revisiting an old favourite.

What to Watch Next

If this ranking leaves you wanting more, start with Mean Streets (1973) to see where Scorsese's signature style first came together. Then watch Raging Bull (1980), many critics' choice for his finest achievement even if it narrowly misses the top spot here. Finally, pair either film with The Irishman (2019), a reflective crime epic that feels like Scorsese looking back on the characters who defined so much of his career.

One of the pleasures of ranking Martin Scorsese's films is knowing someone will disagree with you. That's the mark of a director whose catalogue runs deeper than a handful of classics. Even the debates are worth having.