Every Martin Scorsese Gangster Movie: Ranked From Worst To Best

4. The Departed (2006)

Goodfellas Martin Scorsese
Warner Bros. Pictures

The Departed will be forever remembered as the film that finally earned Scorsese his long overdue Best Director Oscar. Even the Academy would probably agree that the win was more of a nod to his body of work opposed to specifically for The Departed. However, that’s not to say that The Departed isn’t a brilliant film, because it is.

Thoroughly entertaining, and moving at a swift pace, The Departed is less dark than many of his other features on this list, and at times genuinely quite funny.

This remake of Infernal Affairs is also one of the most star studded films of Scorsese’s career. All actors involved bring their A-game, especially Jack Nicholson as volatile mob boss Frank Costello, in a performance reminiscent of his portrayal of The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman.

Not his most impactful film, but certainly one of his most entertaining.

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Contributor

I'm pretty good at writing screenplays, news articles, film & TV lists, short stories and reviews. Terrible at writing bios.