20 Awesome 90s Movies The World Forgot

In a filmography as stacked and high-quality as that of Martin Scorsese's, it's inevitable that some films will be lost in the shuffle, especially one as uncharacteristic as The Age of Innocence. In stark contrast to Scorsese's usual violent and high-energy fare, The Age of Innocence is a slow-paced and sedate period drama with no physical violence of any kind. 

That's not to say that it doesn't contain violence, of course. Rather, the violence is all psychological. It's a stinging critique of high society in 19th century America, and how its harsh unwritten codes and moral rules destroy a blossoming love affair. 

It's a long way from Scorsese's norm, so The Age of Innocence reaffirms his versatility. He delivers this subtle tragedy with all of the visual and storytelling panache you'll find within virtually all of his work while also getting fabulous performances from an all-star cast. Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer are characteristically sublime as the doomed lovers, though Winona Ryder damn-near steals the show as the conformist who's trying to split them up. 

It might be too quiet for some tastes and it doesn't necessarily belong in the highest tier of Scorsese's work, but Age of Innocence is still a remarkable work that'll quietly break you by the end, one that deserves to be celebrated as much as the rest of his oeuvre.