Every Martin Scorsese Film Ranked Worst To Best

Another big passion project for Scorsese, The Last Temptation of Christ remains a controversial but powerful masterpiece. Opening to the tagline "This film is not based upon the Gospels, but upon this fictional exploration of the eternal conflict," the religious drama imagines Jesus (Willem Dafoe) not merely as the Son of God, but a flesh and blood man conflicted by his calling.

Imagining Jesus as a tempted, even haunted man was always going to cause some issues, but thanks in equal measure to Scorsese's thoughtful examinations of lust, depression and anger, and Dafoe's flawlessly troubled lead performance, the film works as a deeply human quest for meaning amongst the complexities of faith.

It could have been a stuffy affair, but Scorsese tackles the material with the kind of charisma and energy you'd expect. It doesn't intend to be controversial, it simply intends to flesh out the humanity at the heart of this religious mythology.

Even Harvey Keitel's strangely off-putting supporting turn isn't enough to ruin this personal journey through devotion, and it also includes what might just be the director's greatest finale.