Let's rank Scorsese films, for no reason whatsoever...

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duskvstweak
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Let's rank Scorsese films, for no reason whatsoever...

Post by duskvstweak »

There's a bunch I still haven't seen so I'm just going to rank what I've watched.

Goodfellas
Mean Streets
The Departed
The Last Waltz (if I can include it here)
King of Comedy
The Last Temptation of Christ
Silence
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Irishman
Casino
The Aviator
Raging Bull
Shutter Island
Taxi Driver
Hugo

I know Raging Bull and Taxi Driver are too low, but it's a personal preference for myself. I just don't like the characters in Raging Bull and Taxi Driver made me feel like I needed a real rain to come and wash all the scum off myself. This list says nothing about the actual quality or importance of the movies.
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Caligulas Horse
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Re: Let's rank Scorsese films, for no reason whatsoever...

Post by Caligulas Horse »

Taxi Driver
Goodfellas
King Of Comedy
Raging Bull
Mean Streets
Cape Fear
The Irishman
After Hours


I could imagine a few of these swapping around on a re-watch but Taxi Driver is my favourite and always will be.

I somehow still haven't gotten around to The Departed, I put it off for so long the idea of watching it became overwhelming, it's a weird psychological block I get sometimes but I'm starting to get better with it. I watched Infernal Affairs (The original HK film) recently and I liked it quite a bit but I felt the music and editing was really cheesy in places, from what I've read about the differences in the two I think I'll much prefer The Departed so I'm looking forward to finally breaking that mental barrier, maybe it'll end up in that top 5 tier!
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Let's rank Scorsese films, for no reason whatsoever...

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Cool thread idea!

Of those that I've seen, most of which multiple times:


1. Raging Bull - Sometimes, it's the simplest stories that have the most impact. This is little more than the life of a mindless brute who manages to destroy everything and everyone around him. But everything about this film oozes class and purpose. With all the talk about toxic masculinity these days, this film knows how to humanize this sort of character without ever making any excuses for him. Probably my favorite De Niro performance overall.

2. GoodFellas - Film history. Equal parts terrifying and fascinating. Endlessly quotable. Pesci deserves all the awards in the world. Better than The Godfather. I said what I said.

3. The Departed - I've seen Infernal Affairs and I love Infernal Affairs. Nevertheless, I genuinely feel like this film is one of the very few examples of a Hollywood remake surpassing the original (won't hear me say that every day!). As far as police thrillers go, it's up there with the best of the best. Perfect cast, unforgettable writing. Vera Farmiga's character being poorly utilized is the only issue I have, really.

4. Taxi Driver - An impeccable character study, and as relevant today as it was 43 years ago. Plus Harvey Keitel is :lol: .

5. Casino - An over-indulgent retread of GoodFellas filled to the brink with despicable characters and barely held together by its gratuitous violence and expensive set pieces. And yet I love every single minute of it. Sharon Stone is brilliant in this, doing the absolute best she can with the rather superficial role she's been given. And that desert scene! Most filmmakers go their entire career without ever attaining that kind of class.

6. Gangs of New York - Day-Lewis delivers one of the greatest (albeit scenery-chewing) performances of the century. Plus a surprisingly underused setting among historical epics.

7. Silence - Fascinating subject matter and impeccable cinematography. Top tier acting. Not exactly an easily digestible crowd-pleaser, but a must-watch regardless. You can tell how much Scorsese cares about the material he's dealing with here.

8. The Aviator - Very interesting film although a bit too meandering for my tastes (like most biopics). Cate Blanchett might be my favorite Hollywood actress working today and she is mag-ni-fi-cent in this.

9. The Wolf of Wall Street - Difficult to watch at times, but gets its point across very effectively.

10. The King of Comedy - Difficult to watch at times, but gets its point across very effectively.

11. The Irishman - Perfectly watchable with a handful of great scenes. Would have benefited from tighter editing and less CGI jank.

12. Shutter Island - Nice soundtrack and interesting story beats. But Scorsese's directing style seems like an odd fit for this sort of film. Maybe Fincher could have traded this one in exchange for Benjamin Button and everybody would have been happy. :P

13. Mean Streets - I get that it's his first one and therefore historically significant and all, but it didn't do much for me. I might need to watch it again.

14. Cape Fear - Much has been said about De Niro's performance in this, and for good reason. But this type of story greatly benefits from having an unshakably heroic protagonist, and Nick Nolte doesn't come anywhere near close to possessing the same sense of moral gravitas as Gregory Peck (but then again, who does?). I also prefer the original's more sober directing and cinematography.

15. The Color of Money - Some nice scenes. Paul Newman is always watchable. Rather unnecessary overall.

16. Hugo - Not bad, I'm just not the target audience.
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Alex79
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Re: Let's rank Scorsese films, for no reason whatsoever...

Post by Alex79 »

Interesting, there are a ton I've not seen. I'll rank the ones I have:

1. Gangs Of New York
2. Goodfellas
3. Shutter Island
4. Casino
5. The Departed
6. The King Of Comedy
7. Taxi Driver
8. Bringing Out The Dead

Right - so, I've only watched Taxi Driver once, over 20 years ago, and I know I need to watch it again. Also, Raging Bull is a huge blank there. I love boxing, love DeNiro, own it on DVD - I have no excuse.

I didn't even realise Bringing Out The Dead was his. Only saw it once and thought it was boring.

Gangs Of New York is my all time favorite film, so that wins by default. I also want to watch The Irishman soon.
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