As one of the most gifted and prolific directors working today, Martin Scorsese can balance a wide range of cinematic tones. He’s worked across a variety of different genres and, by extension, a variety of different emotions. His films have given viewers scenes that are heartbreaking, hilarious, harrowing, and scenes that keep us on the edge of our seats.

RELATED: 10 Movies To Watch If You're A Fan Of Martin Scorsese

Scorsese has only directed a couple of thrillers and tends to go for more cerebral subject matter, but he’s delivered his fair share of anxiety-fueled set pieces. So, here are the 10 most suspenseful scenes from Scorsese’s filmography.

The XF-11 Crash (The Aviator)

One of Scorsese’s most overlooked gems is The Aviator, his spectacularly made biopic of Howard Hughes. In one of the film’s most breathtaking sequences, Hughes takes the prototype XF-11 airplane for a spin.

Something goes horribly wrong, and the plane begins plummeting towards the Earth, eventually crashing on a suburban street in Beverly Hills. In this scene, Scorsese perfectly captures the panic of being in a plane that’s going down.

“Funny How?” (Goodfellas)

The suspense in this scene is not a result of well-paced editing or in-camera trickery; it’s entirely down to the power of Joe Pesci’s performance. Pesci’s character Tommy DeVito tells his friends an anecdote at the bar and Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill tells him he’s a funny guy. Suddenly, the atmosphere sours as Tommy is offended and asks Henry what he means by “funny.”

After a furious tirade followed by a few tense moments of silence, Henry says, “Get the f*ck outta here, Tommy!,” and everyone at the table starts laughing as the whole thing is revealed to be a prank.

Jordan Belfort Takes Quaaludes (The Wolf Of Wall Street)

The Quaaludes scene in The Wolf of Wall Street

Scorsese’s riotous pitch-black comedy The Wolf of Wall Street has been accused of glorifying the lifestyle of scam-happy stockbroker Jordan Belfort, but Belfort’s desperate struggle to get home while tripping on Quaaludes doesn’t look too fun. Assuming the drugs weren’t working, he took a bunch of them, and then drove to the country club to take a call, learning that his phones have been tapped by the feds.

And then, the drugs hit. As the ‘ludes take effect, the audience, like Belfort, doesn’t know what’s real and what’s not, and as funny as the on-screen events may be, that uncertainty keeps us on the edge of our seats.

Daniels Breaks Into Ward C (Shutter Island)

Jackie Earle Haley in Shutter Island

Whenever a character in a movie is prohibited from going somewhere, there’s inevitably a scene in which they go to that place. In Shutter Island, Teddy Daniels breaks into the restricted Ward C to find some answers. It’s a terrifying scene as it’s unclear what Daniels will find in there.

RELATED: 10 Twisted Thrillers To Watch If You Like Shutter Island

In the ward, he meets George Noyce, a patient in solitary confinement who desperately tries to convince Daniels that he’s being tricked and he’s part of a huge conspiracy. At the time, Noyce sounds like the craziest character of all, but he later turns out to be the only one telling the truth.

Costigan Chases Sullivan Through Chinatown (The Departed)

The Departed is a special kind of cat-and-mouse thriller because it’s not just about one cat chasing one mouse; the mouse is also chasing the cat. Colin Sullivan is a corrupt cop on mob boss Frank Costello’s payroll, and Billy Costigan is an undercover cop who’s infiltrated Costello’s crew, and they’re each trying to figure out the other’s identity.

At the movie’s midpoint, they come very close to a confrontation as Costigan chases Sullivan through the crowded streets of Chinatown. Although neither of them sees the other’s face, it’s an incredibly suspenseful sequence.

Frank Flies Out To Kill Jimmy (The Irishman)

Frank shoot Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman

One of Scorsese’s directorial hallmarks is choosing the perfect track from his record collection to play over a given scene. But in The Irishman, when Frank Sheeran is sent to fly out to his close friend and associate Jimmy Hoffa’s house to kill him, Scorsese lets the entire 20-minute sequence play out in near-silence. Without music to distract us, we’re left with all the thoughts that are going through Frank’s head as he’s sent to perform this grisly deed.

The whole time, we know the outcome is inevitable, but there’s a hope that maybe Frank will change his mind at the last second. And then, of course, he doesn’t, and the killing is depicted very bluntly.

The Thumb-Sucking Scene (Cape Fear)

Juliette Lewis in Cape Fear

After the sadistic Max Cady is released from prison, he’s determined to exact revenge on Sam Bowden, the public defender who got him locked away, and his family. In one of Cape Fear’s creepiest scenes, Cady approaches Bowden’s teenage daughter Danielle at school under the guise of her new drama teacher. He kisses her and puts his thumb in her mouth.

Since we know who Cady is, and Danielle doesn’t — not to mention that the actual content of the scene is disturbing — we’re fraught with anxiety throughout the whole sequence.

Travis Bickle Attempts To Assassinate Senator Palantine (Taxi Driver)

Travis at a political rally in Taxi Driver.

After being dumped by one of Senator Palantine’s employees, condescended to in his cab by Palatine himself, and generally disappointed by Palantine’s management of his city, New York’s self-appointed savior Travis Bickle heads down to one of his campaign rallies to assassinate him.

RELATED: Taxi Driver: 10 Most Iconic Moments, Ranked

To Palantine, Travis is just a face in the crowd, but we know his intentions. Before the Vietnam vet can pull the trigger, he’s spotted by some Secret Service agents and flees the scene.

The Lighthouse Scene (Shutter Island)

When Shutter Island, the closest thing Scorsese has made to a horror movie, comes to a head in its final act, Teddy Daniels arrives at the lighthouse where patients get lobotomized; the place that holds the answers to his questions.

Those answers could provide some much-needed relief, or they could provide an outcome more shocking and horrifying than Daniels — or the audience — ever imagined. Of course, the latter turns out to be the case.

Henry Is Followed By A Helicopter (Goodfellas)

Henry drives a car and looks up at the sky in Goodfellas

In the climactic sequence of Goodfellas, arguably Scorsese’s masterpiece, Henry Hill is organizing a huge drug deal, racing all over town to put it together. Mentally, he’s all over the place as he’s descended into cocaine addiction from getting high on his own supply. And then, he spots a helicopter in the sky, and fears he’s being followed by the feds.

Scorsese does a fantastic job of reflecting Henry’s headspace with the cinematography, editing, and music. As the camera deliberately hides the helicopter, and the soundtrack goes through five abrupt song changes, it’s unclear whether or not the helicopter is a delusional result of Henry’s drug-addled paranoia — until there’s a gun pointed at his head.

NEXT: Quentin Tarantino's 10 Most Suspenseful Sequences