What more can be said about the works of Martin Scorsese?  He’s a master, undeniably.  To just go over his works film by film would not do justice to his skill.  Faced with the opening of ‘Hugo’ this week, one must find a way to talk about Scorsese while still making it a worthwhile read.  For me, I think it means talking a bit about the best of Marty.  His best works, my favorites…the ones that really make you look at him and stand in awe.  I’ve got a top 10 list to share, much like the one Robert did for David Cronenberg.  Consider this mostly David Cronenberg week, but with some Martin Scorsese thrown in for good measure.  Let’s think of it as top notch filmmaker week.  Well anyway, here we go with what I consider to be Scorsese’s 10 best works.  Keep in mind that this list is likely very different than yours would be, so at the end of this, a good discussion in the comments section is sure to follow!

10. Casino
This is one of the few Scorsese films that I haven’t seen more than once.  Granted, I liked it quite a bit, but it just doesn’t have that extra special quality that makes you come back to his films a second and third time.  Honestly, this slot could have gone to an underrated flick of his like ‘Bringing Out the Dead’, but I ultimately went with this one.  It’s very good, but to me, it’s not great, and plays too much like a spin-off of ‘Goodfellas’.  That may mean higher quality to others than me, but this is my list, and it just sneaks in at the bottom.

9. The Aviator
There’s something about this biopic that just makes it go down easy and allow you to return to it again and again.  I honestly think that this would be higher on my list if Leonardo DiCaprio had waited a film or two more before doing it, but it’s still a fun and epic film that you can easily appreciate.  I was in the ‘Million Dollar Baby’ camp that year at the Oscars, but I would have hardly been disappointed if this Howard Hughes biopic was what took home the prize.

8. Shutter Island-
I may have spotted the ending coming a mile away, but I had a great time with this paranoid thriller.  A second viewing confirmed that the twist isn’t the only thing that this flick is about.  I kept coming back to how interestingly it was shot and how much fun Scorsese seemed to be having.  This movie is like a present to himself, and it comes across on the screen.  One of the better genre works of the past few years, I’d never argue that it’s one of his top 5 features, but it cracks this top 10 list.

7. Goodfellas
Many will no doubt be aghast that this isn’t closer to the top of the list, but honestly…I just don’t love this gangster tale as much as most.  I enjoy watching it and have seen it maybe a half dozen times, but it’s not the masterwork to me that others will claim it is.  There’s nothing overtly wrong with it, or else it wouldn’t be on this list, but Henry Hill never thrilled me as a protagonist.  Scorsese had done better before this, and he was going to do better after it as well.

6. Mean Streets
I came to this film only a few years ago, but it’s quickly become one of his most watched works for me.  Watching young Robert De Niro and Harvet Keitel light up the screen, you knew something special was happening.  I don’t think I’ve seen Scorsese hammer home a theme more than here, but it somehow works.  He made a film about guilt that’s more than a guilty pleasure for me.

5. Gangs of New York
It’s likely that almost no one will have this particular film ranked as highly in Scorsese’s canon as I do, but I simply love it.  I recognize that it’s a mess, but it’s a wonderful mess that’s got so much going on, almost all of it terrific in my eyes.  Plus, Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher is one of my favorite performances of the past decade.  The production design is also stupendous.  For all those reasons and more, I love this flick and find it rather unfairly maligned.  No one else may have it in their top 5, but I do.

4. The King of Comedy
Perhaps Scorsese’s most underrated flick, this is one of my absolute favorites of his.  It’s uncomfortable to watch in all the best ways.  It’s a misunderstood gem.  Very few people seemed to get it when it came out, but watching it now, it’s like Marty was gazing into a crystal ball. Factor in a performance by Robert De Niro that’s one of his most unique, and this is one that everyone should make time to see.  I toyed with actually ranking this one even higher, but at #4 it’s still a great slot.  If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out immediately.

3. Raging Bull
One of Scorsese’s hardest films to watch due to how painful it can be, this story of real life boxer Jake La Matta’s rise and fall is operatic in a way that you appreciate more and more as you watch it again and again.  De Niro is fantastic, Joe Pesci is terrific, and Scorsese does what I feel is his best directorial work.  There’s little you can say about this movie that hasn’t already been said many times over, but one has to refrain from praising it repeatedly.  It’s just that good.

2. The Departed
Is this one of Scorsese’s more disposable pieces of entertainment?  Yes.  That being said, it’s his most entertaining film of his career to me, and it’s a nearly perfect film.  What it lacks in importance it makes up in effectiveness.  The ensemble cast does wonders with the material…even Marky Mark is impressive.  This is worth its weight just for watching Jack Nicholson act in a Martin Scorsese picture.  I think I’ve already seen it a dozen times, and a dozen more are likely to come in the future, at least.

1. Taxi Driver
This was the first film of Scorsese’s that I ever saw (at too young an age, I’ll say that right off the bat), and it’s stayed with me in a way that few films have ever done.  Travis Bickle haunts me in such a unique way.  I credit this flick for being one of the handful of viewing experiences that got me interested in movies.  It’s safe to say that I do what I do today in part because of seeing ‘Taxi Driver’.  That alone makes it qualified for my #1 spot, but it’s also just a masterpiece in every way possible.  Bravo Mr. Scorsese, bravo.

Honorable mention: His segment ‘Life Lessons’ from the underrated short film collection ‘New York Stories’ that featured a work by Scorsese, one by Woody Allen, and one by Francis Ford Coppola.  It’s really well done, and few people seem to have seen this collection, so I wanted to make mention of it.

Where will ‘Hugo’ ultimately end up on Scorsese’s filmography?  Time will tell on that front, but I’m anxious to see what people think of it.  Some have already labeled it one of the best of his career, but others have shrugged it off as a minor footnote for Marty.  Is the truth somewhere in the middle?  Only time will tell, as previously stated.  As for my list, I’m sure there’s plenty to debate with here with it, so let’s get on with it then!  Do you agree with my top choice?  What ommisions did I make?  what would you exclude?  It’s your turn to talk about the best of Martin Scorsese.  Let the conversation begin!

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