Martin Scorsese is one of the most beloved and accomplished directors in film history, and each decade of his celebrated career has offered new cinematic visions. Getting his start in the late 1960s as part of the New Hollywood movement, it wasn’t until the ’70s that Scorsese’s feature film work began to hit its stride.

Known for his engrossing character portraits, the director excels at exploring the inner workings of his complex heroes and villains, and his films often have an epic quality. As his career progressed, he began to branch out into more and more genres, and there is hardly a corner of cinema that Scorsese hasn’t touched yet.

Scorsese’s frequent collaborators have helped him build momentum, with each partnership yielding amazing results for decades on end. Actors like Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio have done some of their best work with Scorsese, and the director is able to get the most out of his major stars while letting them explore as well.

In the seven decades that Martin Scorsese has been making feature films, the New Yorker has established a style that is instantly recognizable. However, he has also found interesting ways to subvert that style, and each new offering is unique in its own way. When zooming out and looking at the decades of Scorsese’s career, some shine brighter than others.

7

The 1960s

A Brand-New Director Hits The Scene

Because he was still very new to the filmmaking profession, Martin Scorsese only directed one feature film in the 1960s. However, it was clear from the start that he was going to be something special. Who’s That Knocking at My Door is a fascinating little independent movie that saw Scorsese cast frequent collaborator Harvey Keitel in his first major role.

The movie is not on the same epic scale as Scorsese’s later classics, but it shows the promise of his vision right away. Set in New York City, the movie captures the grit and grime of the Big Apple in the late 1960s, and the writing shows Scorsese’s grasp of complex characters.

Many of Scorsese’s tropes and themes are present, including Catholic guilt, New York City lifestyles, and the family dynamics of Italian Americans. It isn’t a perfect film, but as far as the first films from major directors, Who’s That Knocking at My Door is top-notch.

The 1960s, however, fell short of his other decades simply because he only made one movie, and it was not his best. His short films from that same period also show a lot of promise, but later decades saw that promise fulfilled in the form of excellent cinema.

6

The 2020s

Where Will Scorsese Go Next?

Much like the 1960s, Martin Scorsese has only made one movie in the 2020s thus far. Killers of the Flower Moon is the filmmaker’s epic historical drama set on the plains of Oklahoma in the 1920s, and is the closest he has come to making a western. It saw Scorsese reunite with DiCaprio, who turned in a truly chilling performance.

The film isn’t his best, but the 2023 release proved that Scorsese could still deliver a gem at 80. The epic scale was matched by the enchanting vistas, and the director’s use of the camera captured the grand scope of the then-untamed West. He also introduced the world at large to Lily Gladstone, who stole the show despite stiff compeтιтion.

The decade as a whole is difficult to rank because it isn’t over yet. Unlike the ’60s, which ended with one film from the maestro, there’s always time for more. It remains unclear what will eventually materialize from all of his ideas, but the chance of another great movie helps elevate the decade to a slightly higher position.

5

The 2000s

A Strong But Somewhat Inconsistent Decade

For the first time since the 1960s, the 2000s saw Martin Scorsese direct fewer than five films. However, far from slowing down, he used that extra time to craft a diverse range of three movies that continued his trend of exploration. Continuing his popular work in gangster films, Scorsese released Gangs of New York in 2002, which was a success.

The historical drama got decent reviews, and the performance of Daniel Day Lewis was particularly well-liked. However, it fell far below his other gangster movies and has somewhat faded to the background of Scorsese’s lengthy filmography. 2004’s The Aviator was an improvement, and it also scooped up a slew of awards and critical praise.

Both are complex character portraits, but they lack the same rewatch value as some of the director’s other films. There was a sameness to many of the choices, and a lot of the familiar tricks were repeated to a diminishing result. That cannot be said for Scorsese’s 2006 outing, and The Departed often ranks among his best films.

The crime thriller brought Scorsese into the modern age, and he put all of his storytelling tricks to good use. Working with Jack Nicholson for the first time, Scorsese ᴀssembled a dream team of powerhouse performers. Despite the success of The Departed, the 2000s are still a down decade for the director, largely because it is overshadowed by others.

4

The 2010s

A Return To Form & Some Surprises Too

After a down period during the 2000s, Martin Scorsese entered the 2010s on a mission and delivered a handful of diverse offerings. 2010’s Shutter Island saw him return to the horror-adjacent sphere, and while the film got mixed reviews, it was yet another financial smash. It also continued his partnership with Leonardo DiCaprio, who got to stretch his range again.

Hugo was a box office disappointment, but it got stellar reviews. It was an illustration of Scorsese’s deep love for cinema, and was a playful departure from the gloom of his recent work. The Wolf of Wall Street proved to be his best from the 2010s, and it utilized the rise and fall format that worked so well before.

He then released the understated historical drama, Silence, which was a well-meaning financial failure that mostly squandered its good ideas. Just before the decade concluded, Scorsese finally reunited with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci for The Irishman, his first conventional gangster movie since Casino.

It got excellent reviews, but its release on Netflix meant it was never going to be a financial success. While a strong film, The Irishman is hardly Scorsese’s most original, and is guilty of leaning into fan service. Nevertheless, the 2010s ended on a high note, and showed he was still looking for new stories to tell.

3

The 1980s

Martin Scorsese’s Cult Classic Decade

Martin Scorsese became himself in the ’70s, and the 1980s was the first test of his longevity as a filmmaker. He started with Raging Bull, which is every bit a classic of his filmography. However, 1982’s The King of Comedy and 1985’s After Hours were both stark departures, and didn’t get the reception that the studio may have hoped for.

Both films are bona fide cult classics, but not hits, though he would rebound the following year with the Paul Newman and Tom Cruise vehicle, The Color of Money. Never one to avoid controversy, Scorsese ended the 1980s with The Last Temptation of Christ, a challenging film that got decent reviews but was banned for its religious content in some places.

The ’80s is still one of Scorsese’s best decades because it proved he was capable of offering complex new approaches to cinema while also making more straightforward popcorn flicks too. After Hours and The King of Comedy have since become some of his most celebrated hidden gems, and the director did some of his best work in that 10-year stretch.

2

The 1970s

When The World Was Introduced To Martin Scorsese

Few directors impacted cinema as profoundly in the 1970s as Martin Scorsese, and he burst on the scene almost immediately. He made Boxcar Bertha for Roger Corman, but that was mostly a rent-a-director scenario. However, he got to truly express himself with 1973’s Mean Streets, a gangster film that began his long-running ᴀssociation with the genre.

The subtle character drama, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, honed his precision behind the camera, but it was 1976’s Taxi Driver that introduced the real Scorsese to the world. Gloomy and profound, the neo-noir thriller was the perfect encapsulation of the director’s nihilistic themes. Sadly, he ended the decade on a sour note with the forgettable New York, New York.

What makes the ’70s so important was that it not only saw Scorsese find his footing, but also where he would set the tone for the rest of his career. It began his partnership with Robert De Niro, and earned him instant acclaim as the next great director. It was also remarkably consistent, with even his misses having strong points.

1

The 1990s

Where Everything Came Together

Previous decades saw him hone his style, while others saw him explore. The 1990s was when Martin Scorsese brought it all together in his career-defining film, Goodfellas. The gangster epic was everything great about Scorsese’s films, but on an even grander scale. Cape Fear showed he could do horror effectively, and he wasn’t done exploring.

The Age of Innocence was an opulent period piece, and he returned to the gangster genre with 1995’s Casino. Most of his films from this period were at least modest financial successes, and they all got great reviews too. He wrapped up the decade with Kundun and Bringing Out the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, the latter being his most experimental film to date.

Though diverse, the 1990s were when Martin Scorsese was doing everything right, and even his misses have their merits. Bringing Out the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ was something of a noble failure, but it showed that he was still capable of growing. In the end, the 1990s reign supreme because of Goodfellas, and he has yet to top himself after that legendary film.