Martin Scorsese is undoubtedly a legend in the history of cinema. The last of the golden era, Scorsese has carved out a name in the highest altars of cinema. With the Academy awarding him an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, Scorsese might just be a term for good cinema now. Here are the top 5 films by Martin Scorsese.
Mean Streets (1973)
Scorsese’s breakthrough film was Mean Streets. He had previously been a small-time director who primarily made dramas. But that changed with the release of this modest picture with a non-famous cast. Mean Streets also introduced an actor by the name of Robert de Niro to the notice of the film business. Mean Streets was a drama about shame, sin, loyalty, and friendship centred on Charlie (Harvey Keitel), a Catholic who works for the Italian Mafia, and his companion Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), a gambling addict with several obligations to loan sharks.
Goodfellas (1990)
Goodfellas is widely regarded as one of the best gangster films of all time. While The Godfather trilogy dealt with family, treachery, and humanity, Goodfellas offers us the full shebang. It provides us with the clothes, the vehicles, the Italian cuisine, and the glitz and glam of being a mafia boss. That entire film contains more legendary moments than the entire filmography of most directors. The ‘funny man’ moment, the stroll inside the restaurant, the pistol whip on the neighbour, and the shine box sequence are all memorable. One of the greatest triumphs in cinema, it has had an impact on all levels of culture, from Tarantino films to The Sopranos.
The Departed (2006)
Colin Sullivan is a detective of the Massachusetts State Police. He has climbed through the ranks to become the head of a specialised department. Frank Costello, a crime network boss and Sullivan’s principal objective, is the major public adversary. Sullivan, on the other hand, is a paid informant for Costello, providing him with information on police raids and other helpful information. Billy Costigan, on the other hand, works for Costello. He is, however, an undercover cop who is spying on Costello. Both eventually realise that there is a rat in their organisation, but they don’t sure who it is. A dangerous cat-and-mouse game follows, with both attempting to unmask the other without being found.
Raging Bull (1980)
Jake LaMotta is a prizefighter when he enters a boxing ring and annihilates his opponent. When he treats his family and friends in the same manner, he becomes a ticking time bomb, ready to detonate at any moment. Though LaMotta desires his family’s affection, something constantly seems to stand in the way. It might be his violent episodes of paranoia and envy. This type of fury helped him become a champion, but in real life, he ends himself in the ring by himself.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Travis Bickle is a lonely, impotent, and insomniac ex-marine who spends his evenings driving his cab around the dark streets of New York City in the mid-1970s. Travis is fed up with the world in which he finds himself, hoping for a “genuine rain to come and wash all the muck off the streets.” However, Travis’s nature prevents him from connecting with almost anybody until he falls in love with a blonde campaign worker named Betsy and subsequently encounters an adolescent prostitute named Iris. As Travis becomes increasingly anxious about his circumstances, he begins to perceive the connections he forms as ‘missions’ for which he will need to be the rescuer.
