At this point, it goes without saying that Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors to even sit behind a camera. Through his incredibly versatile filmography, Scorsese has created some of the most acclaimed and influential films of all time. However, some people also tend to overlook how great he is at getting amazing performances from his actors.
Scorsese’s immense talent and reputation attract the best actors in the business. The perfect pairing of actor and director seems to occur often with him making for some truly unforgettable performances. Here are the best performance from Martin Scorsese movies.
Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)
In a film filled with amazing actors like Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s a little strange that Mark Wahlberg gives the best performance. Wahlberg plays Dignam in Scorsese’s Boston-set crime film about moles working in the mob and in the police force.
Dignam is a hot-headed cop who speaks his mind and takes things into his own hands when justice works too slowly for his liking. Wahlberg explodes off the screen with so much fiery, stealing every scene he’s in with some of the film’s funniest lines.
Al Pacino (The Irishman)
Fans have been waiting a long time to finally see the pairing of Martin Scorsese and Al Pacino. We were finally rewarded just last year when Al Pacino starred in Scorsese’s latest gangster film, The Irishman. The film centers on Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a working-class man who begins working for the mob and Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino).
Pacino’s big performances can sometimes eat up an entire movie, but that persona works well here. Hoffa is a larger-than-life figure and it is that large personality that bumps up against some of the other characters in the film. Pacino is charming, funny and intimidating in the stellar role.
Sharon Stone (Casino)
Casino was seen as a spiritual sequel to Goodfellas as it reteamed Scorsese with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci for another real-life gangster story about the rise and fall of organized crime in Las Vegas. However, as compelling as the two leading men are, Sharon Stone walks away with the film.
Stone plays Ginger, a hustler, and wife of Las Vegas boss Sam Rothstein (De Niro). Ginger is troubled and more than a little unhinged, but the brilliance of Stone’s performance makes us understand how she always seems to get her way. She is sexy, clever and as much as a player as the men.
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf Of Wall Street)
After first working together on Gangs of New York, Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have become frequent collaborators. While DiCaprio is always great in their movies together, The Wolf of Wall Street showed a whole new side of his amazing talent.
DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a wealthy stockbroker whose life of debauchery and excess rises and falls due to illegal activities and corruption. DiCaprio lets it all go in this wildman performance. Never has the actor been so funny as he is here while also showing the dark sides of this man as he drinks, smokes and snorts everything in sight.
Jodie Foster (Taxi Driver)
Jodie Foster has had a long career of great performances, but it was this very early performance that gave an indication of just how stunning her talents were. In Taxi Driver, Foster plays Iris, a child prostitute who Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) believes he has to save.
Just a child herself at the time, it’s amazing to see how authentic and honest Foster’s performance is. Clearly this is a dark role and a complex one for any actor to perform, but Foster holds her own incredibly well in her scenes with De Niro and creates a character that feels absolutely real in this world.
Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs Of New York)
Few actors have the kind of reputation that Daniel Day-Lewis has achieved in his amazing career. The famously selective actor might not work often, but whenever he does, you’re guaranteed an amazing performance.
Day-Lewis partnered with Scorsese for a second time in Gangs of New York and created an iconic cinematic villain with Bill the Butcher. Bill is the violent and racist head of a New York City gang in the 1800s. Day-Lewis commands the screen as the intimating man of power whose convictions are as unsettling as his deadly stare.
Cate Blanchette (The Aviator)
Scorsese’s deep knowledge of film is staggering, and The Aviator allowed him the opportunity to explore Old Hollywood he clear loves so much. The film tells the story of Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) who pushed boundaries while making enemies and dating the most beautiful women in show business.
One such woman was the great Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchette). It must be intimidating to play such an icon, but Blanchette is brilliant in the role. She never falls into a caricature yet always feels utterly convincing as the well-known actor. It’s a funny, charming and entertaining performance.
Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver)
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro will forever be linked to each other thanks to their incredible collaborative relationship throughout the years. De Niro’s first leading man role for Scorsese was Taxi Driver, the dark and violent story of an unstable New York City cab driver named Travis Bickle (De Niro).
De Niro is stunning in the complex lead role. He communicates so much through expressions as he observes people and looks at society with such disdain and disgust. While Bickle sees himself as some badass warrior, De Niro does an amazing job of presenting his socially awkward and uncomfortable nature.
Joe Pesci (Goodfellas)
Goodfellas is considered one of the masterpieces of the gangster genre. It is the true story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), a man who rose to power in a mob organization before it all came crashing down on him. The film explores the seductive fun of this lifestyle along with the horrific violence of it.
That notion of two halves of the criminal lifestyle is summed up in the character of Tommy DeVito, played by Joe Pesci. Through Pesci’s performance, Tommy can be the life of the part in one moment and in the next moment be a terrifying and murderous thug. Pesci walks that line wonderfully, filling each moment he’s on-screen with fun and tension.
Robert De Niro (Raging Bull)
Robert De Niro’s performance as Jake La Motta in Raging Bull is not only the best performance in a Martin Scorsese film, it is widely regarded as one of the best film performances of all time. The film follows La Motta rise in the world of boxing and his steep decline thanks to his explosive behavior.
De Niro perfectly captures how La Motta’s talent in the ring was mirrored by the violence and rage he showed outside the ring. He also undergoes a stunning physical transformation, showing how fit he was in his prime compared to his overweight appearance once his glory days are behind him.
