Martin Scorsese turns 80: Ranking all 25 of his narrative features, from ‘Goodfellas’ to ‘The Departed’

“There is no such thing as simple. Easy is hard.” – Martin Scorsese

Legend. Master. The upper floor of modern cinema in its endless splendor. Director, writer and producer Martin Scorsese is undoubtedly one of the most influential and greatest filmmakers of all time. His visceral focus and distinct devotion to filmmaking have inspired generations of artists not only as directors and screenwriters, but also aspiring actors, craftsmen and everyone who loves the medium.

The visionary director turns 80 on Thursday, and to celebrate his birthday, diversity lists the 25 narrative feature films of his career so far.

I was first mesmerized by Scorsese with his remake of the 1962 film Cape Fear (1991), which starred Oscar nominee Robert DeNiro and a young Juliette Lewis, whom I picked up from the cult classic My Stepmother is an Alien” knew. (1988). The visceral nature of the way the film is framed and cuts back and forth between DeNiro’s loud and rollicking monologues startled me. This Oscars was the first one I watched from start to finish where movies like The Silence of the Lambs won the Big Five, including Best Picture. More importantly, it showed the academy’s appetite for excitement and suspense, something Scorsese excelled at.

From his endless list of accolades, both US and international, he has amassed an impressive list, including nine Best Director Oscar nominations, the most by any living artist, and second to William Wyler’s 12 overall. These include Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), “Hugo” (2011), “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) and “The Irishman” (2019). His only statuette is for the 2006 remake of Infernal Affairs, which also won Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (William Monahan) and Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker).

His entire filmography has grossed more than $2.1 billion worldwide. Domestically, his films are among the top 50 best-selling directors in history. Born in New York City to Italian parents, he is known for his undying love for films, which has been reciprocated ten times. After attending Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, Scorsese initially wanted to be a priest and attended a preparatory seminary, but dropped out after the first year. He later enrolled at New York University and earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education.

After making several short films throughout the 1960s, he made his directorial debut Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967), originally titled I Call First, with fellow actor Harvey Keitel and longtime editor Schoonmaker. From there he went to the races where he worked with countless actors, many of whom won Oscars. Some of these include winners Ellen Burstyn for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Robert DeNiro for Raging Bull, Paul Newman for The Color of Money (1986), Joe Pesci for Goodfellas, and Cate Blanchett for “The Aviator”.

Next up for Scorsese is his adaptation of David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which brings him together with his frequent muses and Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro, alongside Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone and Brendan Fraser. It is distributed by Apple Original Films and is scheduled for release in 2023.

Read diversity Ranking of his 25 narrative feature films below.

“Death comes in a flash and that’s the truth, the person is gone in less than 24 frames.”