Martin Scorsese is one of the most beloved filmmakers working today — possibly even the most beloved, period — because he has a command of the craft that could rival the absolute best directors who ever lived, from Alfred Hitchcock to Akira Kurosawa.
Although he’s best known for making films about gangsters, Scorsese has dealt with all kinds of worlds and characters and themes, from the violent rage of a remorseful boxer to the Catholic guilt felt by Jesus Christ himself. Every Scorsese movie can be counted on for a handful of unforgettable scenes. Here are the best scenes from IMDb’s 10 top-rated Martin Scorsese movies.
After Hours (7.7) – Paul Bargains With Club Berlin’s Bouncer
Near the end of Franz Kafka’s The Trial, a priest recounts a parable called “Before the Law” about a man who is denied admittance through a vaguely defined door by a menacing gatekeeper, who encourages the man to continue trying to get through the door, despite his slim chances.
Martin Scorsese alluded to this parable in a scene in his underrated dark comedy After Hours in which the lead character, Paul, is denied entry into a nightclub called Club Berlin and the bouncer invites him to keep trying to get in.
The King Of Comedy (7.8) – Rupert Takes Rita To Jerry’s House
Rupert Pupkin’s dangerous delusions led to a handful of excruciatingly awkward moments in The King of Comedy, but the most awkward is when he takes Rita, his love interest to Jerry Langford’s house and claims to be a close friend of his.
Jerry’s housekeepers are uneasy letting Rupert into the house, and when Jerry gets home, he doesn’t recognize Rupert. Viewers saw them having dinner earlier in the film, but it was pretty easy to deduce that that was all in Rupert’s head.
The Irishman (7.9) – Frank Kills Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa’s death has never been officially solved, and it probably never will, but it almost definitely didn’t happen the way it did in The Irishman. But the point of The Irishman was not to be historically accurate; it’s an examination of the guilt felt by mobsters. The source of most of Frank Sheeran’s guilt in the film was his murder of Hoffa.
The scene plays out in near-silence as Scorsese withholds musical accompaniment and simply follows Frank through his day as he flies out, picks up his close friend, takes him to his house, and shoots him in the head.
Shutter Island (8.1) – The Twist Ending
Far and away, the most memorable scene in Shutter Island is the one that delivers the devastating plot twist. Throughout the film, viewers got the sense that all was not how it seemed, but no one could see the twist ending coming.
Teddy went down to the lighthouse, where he suspected patients were being lobotomized, to get some answers. When he got there, Dr. Cawley explained everything, blowing both Teddy’s mind and the mind of every audience member.
Casino (8.2) – Head In A Vice
Martin Scorsese has always been known for his depictions of violence, but he doesn’t glorify violence or make it look cool, like in the films of Quentin Tarantino. Instead, Scorsese portrays violent acts and their consequences very bluntly.
A prime example of this is in Casino, when a hustler is taken in the back and his head is squeezed into a bench vice. It’s not a badass moment; it’s gut-wrenching.
The Wolf Of Wall Street (8.2) – Jordan’s Quaaludes Meltdown
It would be an understatement to say that Jordan Belfort takes a lot of drugs throughout The Wolf of Wall Street’s three-hour runtime. In one scene, he gets a hold of some Quaaludes to take with his best pal and business partner Donnie Azoff.
However, they take a few and don’t feel anything, so they fear they’ve gotten a defective batch. Then, Jordan drives out to his country club and learns from his father that the FBI has wiretapped his phones — and that's the drugs start to take effect.
Raging Bull (8.2) – “I Coulda Been A Contender.”
At the end of Raging Bull, we see an aging Jake LaMotta sitting in his dressing room, ready to put on a show, speaking to himself in the mirror. He recites the “I coulda been a contender” monologue from On the Waterfront.
Watching Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta impersonating Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy is one of the most captivating displays of acting ever captured on film.
Taxi Driver (8.3) – “You Talkin’ To Me?”
No scene in Taxi Driver better exemplifies Travis Bickle’s isolation than this one. After rigging his sleeve with a gun-retracting device, Travis talks to himself in the mirror. He pretends to confront someone on the street, repeating the phrase, “You talkin’ to me?”
Robert De Niro reportedly improvised this entire scene based on a couple of lines of direction in the script. Without being beholden to written dialogue, De Niro was able to really sink his teeth into Travis’ raw intensity.
The Departed (8.5) – Billy Costigan Meets Frank Costello
Scorsese has joked that The Departed is his first movie with a plot. It’s a cat-and-mouse thriller about an undercover cop infiltrating the Irish Mob to figure out which of his fellow officers is working for local crime boss Frank Costello.
When the undercover cop, Billy Costigan, first meets Costello, he’s rigorously searched for weapons and surveillance equipment — including having the cast ripped off his broken arm by a hired goon.
Goodfellas (8.7) – The Copacabana Tracking Shot
In keeping with Goodfellas’ fast-paced, all-over-the-place style, the film switches perspectives from Henry Hill to his love interest Karen in the middle of the second act. Giving an outsider’s perspective of Henry’s lavish lifestyle contributed to the movie’s rounded portrayal of mafia life. On their first proper date, Henry takes Karen to the Copacabana.
In a long tracking shot nailed by cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, Henry takes Karen through the nightclub’s side entrance to skip the line. The staff brings out a new table for them right at the front and Henry tips every staff member generously along the way. It’s easy to see why Karen is seduced by Henry’s lifestyle just as he was when he was growing up around mafiosos.