Martin Scorsese is one of the finest and most revered, as well as one of the most successful filmmakers of all time. For over 50 years, the man has crafted movies that will go down in cinematic history and will be watched for generations upon generations. Even to this day, he still makes hugely successful and critically acclaimed pieces and likely will not stop for another few years.
His films are massively popular amongst critics and fans and a good gauge of this popularity is via Rotten Tomatoes. Rather than look at just the critic Tomatometer or the audience score though, this list will look at both scores and take an average to rank the 10 very best. So, here are Martin Scorsese's 10 best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes (the list will only look at films with 40+ critic reviews and 1,000 audience reviews).
CASINO (1995) - 86.5% AVERAGE
Casino follows Ace, a mobster who has been put in charge of casino's in Las Vegas, with this Ace rises to power and becomes successful, however, complications arise in his hot head friend Nicky as well as his former hustler wife Ginger and her ex, Lester.
The film received an 80% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 93% audience score to bring its average to 86.5%. A lot about Casino is overlooked because Scorsese treads familiar water with the film with it only coming out 5 years after Goodfellas, nonetheless, its ambition and its character and narrative work are great, as is the look into the mafia's relationship with Las Vegas.
AFTER-HOURS (1985) - 87.5% AVERAGE
Coming 5 years before Goodfellas, After Hours follows office worker Paul as he meets Marcy in a café, he then takes a cab to her apartment downtown and a series of comical, awkward and unrealistic events occur.
The movie earned an 88% on the Tomatometer and an 87% audience score with the average coming out as 87.5%. The film is full of dark humor and is an energetic and underrated piece of Scorsese's filmography, with good performances and direction.
THE KING OF COMEDY (1983) - 89% AVERAGE
Another collaboration with Scorsese and De Niro comes in The King Of Comedy which follows Rupert, a deadbeat who sees himself as a celebrity who hosts his talk show in his mother's basement as he stalks and kidnaps real talk show host Jerry Langford and demands a spot on his show.
The film got an 88% on the Tomatometer and a 90% audience rating making its average 89%. The film was a massive box office fail on its release and was misunderstood, but a brilliant De Niro performance and creepy experience for those who see it, make it pretty fantastic.
MEAN STREETS (1973) - 90.5% AVERAGE
Mean Streets follows Charlie who is a loan collector for the mob who is always cutting his friend - and his girlfriend's cousin - Johnny Boy slack, despite Johnny Boy being a petty criminal, having no job, and owing to a lot of loan sharks.
The film earned 97% on the Tomatometer and an 84% audience score making its average 90.5%. The film is thoroughly engrossing and has some amazing performances from Robert De Niro - this being the first collaboration between the 2 - and Harvey Keitel. It is a good, raw look of its subject, beautifully brought to screen by Scorsese.
THE IRISHMAN (2019) - 91% AVERAGE
The latest Scorsese epic, The Irishman is the tale of the real-life union big shot Jimmy Hoffa and his fall from power and dives deep into the circumstances and events of his disappearance and mafia involvement told through the point of view of union man and mobster Frank Sheeran as we see his history with the Buffalino's and his rise to power.
The film has a 96% Tomatometer and an 86% audience score, making its average 91%. The film is slow and may be hard to get through hence the lower audience score, but brilliant performances, great direction, and an engaging narrative pulls the viewer in and more often than not keeps the audience member there, rooted in the story.
THE DEPARTED (2006) - 92.5% AVERAGE
Another fantastic Scorsese crime movie, The Departed follows Billy, a cop undercover attempting to infiltrate Frank Costello's crime syndicate, and Colin, a criminal groomed by Costello to infiltrate the police force, as they both attempt to weed out one another while staying undercover.
The film has a 91% Tomatometer and 94% audience score bringing its average to 92.5%. The Departed is full of excellent performances, brilliant suspense as well as being massively enthralling and is undoubtedly Scorsese's masterpiece of the 2000s, winning him Best Director at the Oscars for this Internal Affairs remake.
RAGING BULL (1980) - 93.5% AVERAGE
Martin Scorsese's brilliant sporting drama Raging Bull follows a middleweight boxing contender on the rise who, after falling in love, goes on a downward spiral of jealousy, paranoia, and anger which stifles him not just personally, but also in the ring.
The film sits at 94% on the Tomatometer with an audience score of 93% which gives it its average of 93.5%. Divisive upon release but solidified as a classic over time, Raging Bull features an Oscar-winning performance from De Niro, great supporting performances, brilliant direction, and beautiful cinematography.
TAXI DRIVER (1976) - 95% AVERAGE
Perhaps Scorsese's first masterpiece, Taxi Driver is the story of insomnia riddled, veteran, loner Travis Bickle who becomes a cab driver prowling around the night and becoming further detached from the real world as he becomes obsessed with the idea of cleansing and saving the world, starting with the assassination of the President.
The film has a 97% Tomatometer and 93% audience score making its average 95%. De Niro's performance is excellent, the tension and suspense are riveting and it is overall just one of the best movies of the past 45 years and will be long remembered and watched through generations.
THE LAST WALTZ (1978) - 96% AVERAGE
The Last Waltz is the only documentary on this list and details the famous night in rock history when various legendary acts took the stage for 'The Band's' 1976 farewell concert.
The film sits at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% Tomatometer making its average 96%. The movie is one of the best concert films and one of the best movies surrounding the subject of music. The film is revealing and beautiful and is unequivocally Scorsese's best documentary.
GOODFELLAS (1990) - 96.5% AVERAGE
Scorsese's masterpiece, Goodfellas follows Henry Hill from boy to man as he enters the mafia, rises up the ranks and is living the life before it all unravels, affecting the lives of everyone around him from the other mobsters to his family.
Goodfellas sits at 96% on the Tomatometer with a 97% audience score making its average 96.5%. From fantastic and ever so memorable performances to a brilliant script to phenomenal direction to beautiful shots as well as emotion and a raw look into the life of the mafia, Goodfellas is a classic and will be remembered as such for generations to come.