8. The Departed
It's no secret that Scorsese knows his way around a crime film but, until The Departed, he had never made one that feels this modern. This is important because a director must always be improving and modernizing their work to some extent or else they will fall out of favor with their audiences. Scorsese avoids this perfectly by presenting a film that bears all of his classic trademarks but will satisfy modern audiences as well as the audience that fell in love with his movies in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Another very strong point in regards to The Departed is the pace. Scorsese has always made films that either move very quickly or take their time establishing their characters and narrative. The Departed seems to blend these two together to form a movie that can really draw an audience into the world but also has the ability for the viewer to become deeply invested in the characters.