There are many recurring tropes in Martin Scorsese movies, from Catholic guilt to needle-drop soundtracks to the inevitable pitfalls of a life of crime. Scorsese’s movies are character studies first and stories second. In many of his films, Scorsese rounds out his characters with a monologue verbalizing their internal struggles.
Scorsese is known for his deeply cinematic presentation of monologues, usually delivered by one of his go-to leading men, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, but sometimes performed by other actors, like Jack Nicholson or Joe Pesci.
A Product Of My Environment (The Departed)
The Goodfellas-esque voiceover narration in The Departed is delivered by Jack Nicholson’s Irish mob boss Frank Costello. Nicholson narrates the opening of the movie with an unwieldy monologue: “I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.”
This narration instantly establishes Costello’s lust for power, which eventually becomes his downfall when he’s revealed to be an FBI informant (à la the character’s real-life inspiration, Whitey Bulger).
You Too Good For This 10 Dollars? (Mean Streets)
Scorsese’s breakout movie Mean Streets contrasts Harvey Keitel’s remorseful mafioso Charlie with his younger, wilder friend Johnny Boy, played by Robert De Niro. When Johnny Boy is confronted by one of his many creditors, he insultingly offers him 10 dollars, then gives a lengthy speech that perfectly sums up his reckless lifestyle.
“I borrow money all over this neighborhood, left and right from everybody – I never pay them back.” Johnny Boy lights his 10 bucks on fire and his creditor lunges at him furiously. Charlie breaks it up but, true to form, the irresponsible Johnny Boy still feels the need to pull out his gun.
It’s Gonna Happen (The Irishman)
The framing narrative of Scorsese’s Netflix crime epic The Irishman sees De Niro’s mob hitman Frank Sheeran traveling to a wedding with his associate Russell, played by Joe Pesci. Along the way, Russell tasks Frank with killing his best friend, Jimmy Hoffa.
In a haunting monologue delivered by a subversively subdued Pesci, Russell essentially tells Frank that his friend’s murder is happening whether he takes the job or not: “You would never let it happen, and I know you wouldn’t... but it’s gonna happen. Either way, he’s going.”
How Vegas Works (Casino)
Scorsese and writer Nicholas Pileggi followed up the triumphant success of Goodfellas with a different sprawling mafia saga, Casino. De Niro plays Ace Rothstein, an expert gambler, who explains Las Vegas’ shady inner workings in captivating voiceover narration.
According to Rothstein, “In Vegas, everybody’s gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I’m watching the casino manager. And the eye in the sky is watching us all.”
Dr. Cawley Explains The Twist (Shutter Island)
At the climax of Scorsese’s psychological thriller gem Shutter Island, Leonardo DiCaprio’s disturbed U.S. Marshal goes to the lighthouse where he thinks his partner was taken. There, Ben Kingsley’s Dr. Cawley explains the twist in a lengthy monologue.
This kind of exposition-based twist reveal can be tricky to pull off, but thanks to Kingsley’s monologuing abilities, it lands in Shutter Island. Dr. Cawley explains that he’s not a marshal at all; he’s the facility’s “most dangerous patient” caught up in a complicated psychological experiment. He murdered his manic-depressive wife after she drowned all their children.
Rupert Pupkin’s Act (The King Of Comedy)
One of the Scorsese’s most underappreciated movies, The King of Comedy, is a biting satire of celebrity worship starring De Niro as a struggling comedian who kidnaps a famous late-night host just to get an opportunity to perform his act on the air.
In the finale of The King of Comedy, Rupert Pupkin takes over The Jerry Langford Show, tells all his jokes, and surprisingly kills with the live audience. In a classic “15 minutes of fame” moment, Rupert enjoys a fleeting stint on top before being taken to jail.
Henry Hill Breaks The Fourth Wall In Court (Goodfellas)
Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill speaks to the audience all throughout Goodfellas in voiceover form. After the tense helicopter sequence, Scorsese’s sobering music-free finale culminates in Henry ratting on all his friends to save himself from going back to prison.
In the courtroom, Henry addresses the camera directly, succinctly explaining how the mafia lifestyle seduced him and why it all came crashing down.
I’m Not F****** Leaving (The Wolf Of Wall Street)
DiCaprio gave one of his most hilarious performances in The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese’s pitch-black comedic biopic of stockbroker Jordan Belfort. He performs a few monologues in the movie, usually as pep rallies for his employees on the office floor.
Midway through the movie, he delivers what is supposed to be a farewell speech as he steps down to comply with the federal investigation. In the middle of his speech, he decides to stay (at great legal risk) and says, “I’m not f**king leaving!”
I Coulda Been A Contender (Raging Bull)
There are a few layers to De Niro’s final “I coulda been a contender” monologue in Raging Bull: it’s De Niro as Jake LaMotta doing an impersonation of Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront.
This scene provides the perfect heartfelt ending for the tragic saga of the rage-filled middleweight boxer-turned-nightclub entertainer. LaMotta has ended up talking to himself in the mirror after driving away everybody who ever loved him.
You Talkin’ To Me? (Taxi Driver)
To highlight Travis’ isolation, there are a lot of monologues in Taxi Driver. These monologues are mostly diary entries delivered in voiceover narration à la Robert Bresson’s Diary of a Country Priest. Travis’ journal charts his psychology and captures the “bad ideas” in his head.
But Travis’ most famous monologue is delivered to himself in the mirror: “You talkin’ to me?” This scene demonstrates that Travis is so lonely that he talks to himself. He practices pulling a gun on somebody on the street. According to Business Insider, this incredible scene was improvised by De Niro.