5. The Departed (2006)
He's taken on the mean streets of New York. He's even ventured out to the wild west of Las Vegas in Casino. But in The Departed, we saw Scorsese delve into Boston's underbelly. And who knew it would take New York's rival (Boston) - and a remake of a Hong Kong crime thriller - to get him the Oscar?
The Departed put Scorsese on the (21st century) map. Youngsters paid attention to the maestro. It's edgy, the cast is star studded and it sees Scorsese return to his favoured themes of obsession and greed. And when you get Jack firing like this, well, one might as well just put it on the list.
The Scorsese Moment: The elevator scene.
4. Gangs of New York (2002)
Of all the American men Daniel Day-Lewis has played, Bill The Butcher is my favourite. Perhaps it's the uncensored truth that the character brings to the film. Or perhaps it's the history Scorsese and co. uncovered in preparation for this epic. This is definitely not your average Scorsese film set in New York. In fact, I dare say we've never seen New York portrayed like this before. It flips the script and erases what I like to call "postcard history".
From the first rather bloody scene, Scorsese has us wrapped around his finger. The storytelling is captivating and the dramatic irony makes it spell binding.
The Scorsese Moment: Bill The Butcher hacking up democracy.
3. GoodFellas (1990)
Ah yes, GoodFellas. It's that movie you watch over and over again. It's also the kind of movie you re-watch, only to find a new scene to marvel over. Last time it was the whole jail charade that had me in raptures and stole the show. Before that it was the marinara stirring, drug taking, FBI snooping (in helicopters!), nanny bitching scene. It's the pinnacle of movies within a movie.
What's odd about GoodFellas is that its characters possess charm. It's bloody, ugly, and debauched, yet there's also immense charm. And it's incredible how attached and involved we feel throughout. It's an influential movie, too, as David O. Russell's most recent gem, American Hustle, has strong ties to GoodFellas.
The Scorsese Moment: The marinara scene.
2. Raging Bull (1980)
Scorsese and De Niro smack us around more than LaMotta does his poor wives in Raging Bull. How can we cheer for such a twisted bloke? So go on, tell me you aren't cheering for Jake. I dare ya. See, you can't. It's the honesty which marks Scorsese's characters which draw us in. We find ourselves sympathising and even connecting with them. Sure he's a lowlife, but he's still fighting.
It's said that before making this film Scorsese was in the dumps. Apparently, he had almost overdosed on cocaine, only to be approached by De Niro to make Raging Bull. (Scorsese would comment that De Niro's efforts to get him working again saved his life.) This state of chaos in the director's life has to have bled into the film. You can feel the intensity, self destruction and spiraling chaos. It's one of those rare moments when a director receives a film which he can possess.
The Scorsese Moment: Joe Pesci going to work on De Niro's face.
1. Taxi Driver (1976)
"A loss of innocence and realisation of sin film."
That's how I'd describe Schrader and Scorsese's Taxi Driver (Schrader also co-wrote Raging Bull). I was a young teenager when I first saw it, and I felt physically sick by the end. But I also walked away thinking about how stories can be told. It was the first time that I thought movies could do more than fire a gun and explode shit. In Travis Bickle I saw that isolation not only kills a man, if given the chance, it can become a man. When you travel around New York City with Travis Bickle, anything goes.
The Scorsese Moment: De Niro's opening monologue.
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