4. Goodfellas
Goodfellas is the movie that Scorseses entire career up to that point was leading to. It has all of the things that you come to expect from a Scorsese film; the violence, the themes of male angst and religious guilt. Right off the bat the first thing that strikes the viewer the most about Goodfellas is the speed at which the film moves. Its roughly two and a half hours long but by the time the film ends it feels like barely an hour has gone past. All of Scorseses trademarks were on display in Goodfellas; the masterful use of music to highlight a scene, the phenomenal editing and the genius camera-work. One of the most memorable shots in the movie comes early on when Henry Hill decides to take his then girlfriend Karen to the Copacabana and what follows is now film history. The unbroken take as they enter the restaurant is the perfect way to put the audience in the characters perspective, a recurring theme in Scorseses direction, and a demonstration of why Scorsese is such a talented filmmaker is his ability to fully immerse his audience in the world he has chosen to film. There you have it, the four films that display why Scorsese is the worlds greatest living director. In a career of over forty years, he has proven time and time again that he can adapt to many different themes and genres. If you think a film should have been included or if you have something to add, please reply in the comments below.