There is no better director-actor duo than Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. They might not be the duo with the most box office success, but in terms of pure quality, the collaborators are responsible for some of the best and most iconic gangster movies, sports biopics, and cinematic odes to New York.

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The movies Scorsese and De Niro have made together are all classics, even The Irishman, which was released just one year ago, and it shows in their IMDb scores. No other actor-director duos have as many movies in the IMDb top 250, as Scorsese and De Niro have four in there, and a couple of others that come close too.

New York, New York (1977) - 6.7

Jimmy plays the trumpet while Francine since in New York, New York

Following the Palm D’Or winning Taxi Driver, Scorsese and De Niro delivered somewhat of a toned-down take on New York with this romantic movie where two people bond over their love of music.

As it was a much-needed break from the dark and gritty movies he had been making, the fact that it wasn’t as well-received upon its release was unfortunate. However, it is incredibly underrated, beautifully shot, and if a 6.7 is the worst score the duo will ever have, that’s not bad at all.

Mean Streets (1973) - 7.2

Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets

Being their first-ever collaboration, Mean Streets is rough around the edges, but it’s still an exciting crime drama that shows how well the director and actor play to each other’s strengths.

Though Scorsese had directed movies before this, Mean Streets was the first movie where he really experimented with the way he moves the camera, his quick editing, and his exciting choices for the soundtrack. It was similarly the breakout role for De Niro, as he was able to sink his teeth into a crime movie, something that would become his bread and butter.

Cape Fear (1991) - 7.3

Max Cady laughing in the movie theater in Cape Fear.

Though it could have looked a lot different, as it was one of the roles Bill Murray almost played, De Niro’s role in Cape Fear, a man who is seeking revenge on the lawyer who put him in prison, is one of the most against-type roles in his career.

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Out of all the nine movies the actor-director duo has made together, including iconic movies such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and even Goodfellas, Cape Fear was a much bigger financial success than all of them. The movie made more than $180 million worldwide, and that’s a shocking $130 million more than Goodfellas ever made.

The King Of Comedy (1982) - 7.8

Robert DeNiro in The King Of Comedy, on stage receiving praise.

Though it’s one of the more unknown movies that the two collaborated on, King of Comedy features one of the best De Niro performances of all time. As the movie very much has a strikingly similar narrative to 2019’s Joker, which De Niro also stars in, the movie has become massively influential despite being a box office disaster.

Now, King of Comedy’s failure is chalked up to being way ahead of its time and misunderstood upon release, and as time passes by, the movie’s IMDb score continues to slowly increase.

The Irishman (2019) - 7.9

Robert De Niro at a funeral in The Irishman

Playing Frank, a hired gun for many different people, the role is one of the best characters in a Scorsese movieThe Irishman is an amazing movie for many different reasons.

It not only harkens back to Scorsese’s older movies by getting the whole gang back together and being an epic, decades-spanning gangster movie, but it’s a fascinating look at mortality and regret. It’s incredible that this far into their careers, they are still able to put out one of the best films of the past decade.

Raging Bull (1980) - 8.2

Robert De Niro punching an opponent in Raging Bull (1980)

Being one of the best book-to-movie adaptations, Raging Bull is a magnificent sports movie and arguably the best boxing movie ever made. Being shot in black and white, paying homage to many movies that came before it, and being one of the most stylish movies ever shot, Raging Bull has become a cult classic.

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It also sees the first time in which the pair became a trio, as this would be one of four collaborations with the small but fiery Joe Pesci too.

Casino (1995) - 8.2

Casino

Being somewhat of a spiritual successor to Goodfellas and being somehow even more epic, as the movie again spans decades, features more cars set ablaze, and Joe Pesci again playing a guy whose bark is worse than his bite, Casino is another incredible gangster movie.

Though the movie isn’t quite as great as Goodfellas, it performed much better at the box office, and it could be because De Niro and Scorsese were now cemented as a filmmaking pair that just couldn’t do any wrong.

Taxi Driver (1976) - 8.3

Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver

Being one of the best vigilante movies ever made, Taxi Driver is one of the most grotesque depictions of New York, as it follows Travis Bickle's attempt to rescue an underage prostitute from a murderous pimp.

The movie is fascinating, sad, and triumphant all at the same time, and it has become cemented in pop culture for De Niro’s many different deliveries of the line “you looking at me?” De Niro and Scorsese even share a scene together, as the director has a rather shocking cameo.

Goodfellas (1990) - 8.7

Goodfellas crew

Goodfellas is the movie that every gangster movie is unfairly compared to and it’s arguably better than The Godfather, at least it’s certainly more stylish. As the movie is now 30 years old, it remains undefeated as the best fast-paced, fast-talking gangster movie, and that’s owed to its memorable characters, the soundtrack, the performances from De Niro, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, and many more.

It also includes one of Pesci’s most iconic roles. Between the whip pans and tracking shots, and the calculated performance from De Niro, Goodfellas is firmly their greatest ever collaboration.

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