Martin Scorsese's 8 Best Biopics, Ranked

Biopics have long been dismissed by filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino as ignoring everything they ever did wrong, usually because that subject is attached as an executive producer.

What sets Scorsese apart is that he isn’t afraid to critique his subjects. Since a lot of Scorsese’s movies are biopics, here are Martin Scorsese’s 8 Best Biopics, Ranked.

Casino

Goodfellas. Unlike its predecessor, it feels overly-long, with extended sequences that should’ve been cut down and unnecessary subplots that drag out the runtime.

Gangs Of New York

Although it’s inspired by a few real-life figures like William M. Tweed, Gangs of New York is really a biopic about the life of America. It’s set in the 1800s, back when the United States was still in its infancy, and over the course of its grand, sweeping, epic narrative, we get the full story of how America was born.

There’s no doubt that it’s a spectacular movie with some incredible performances by a cast including such greats as Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio, but its 168-minute runtime and gargantuan plot mean that it sometimes feels like a Ken Burns documentary.

Kundun

Scorsese’s oft-overlooked biopic of the 14th Dalai Lama didn’t do so well at the box office, thanks to a limited marketing campaign by the studio, but it’s a really beautiful movie, helped by the subtle tones of Philip Glass’ musical score and the crisp composition of Roger Deakins’ cinematography. As Roger Ebert pointed out, Kundun doesn’t have a classically structured plot and is told more episodically across its runtime, but that just gives it a unique and understated style. The script by the great Melissa Mathison was written with the blessing of the Dalai Lama himself, so the film has a degree of accuracy that few biopics do.

The Last Temptation Of Christ

Themes of Catholic guilt and religious belief are all over Martin Scorsese’s filmography, so it was only a matter of time before he made a movie that depicted the life of Jesus Christ. But this might be the best religious movie ever made.

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Belfort motivates his employees during a company meeting

A lot of viewers criticized a neutral, impartial depiction of that lifestyle.

His film is neither for nor against people like Belfort – it merely offers an accurate representation of how stockbrokers operate and spend their free time and lets the viewer form their own opinions. Leonardo DiCaprio’s stellar lead performance presents Belfort as a damaged guy whose addictions have destroyed his life, while Margot Robbie provides a star-making turn as his long-suffering wife.

The Aviator

Leonardo DiCaprio committed wholeheartedly to the role of Howard Hughes – the multihyphenate who directed groundbreaking films, set aviation records, tried to invent a wooden plane, and eventually went mad as his O.C.D. made him increasingly paranoid – in the movie that solidified The Aviator was created by Scorsese recreating the look of bipack color photography from the era. The production team of the movie fired on all cylinders – the acting (particularly by DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, and John C. Reilly), the direction, the score, the cinematography, the editing, everything – to deliver a remarkable cinematic experience.