Every Martin Scorsese Film Ranked Worst To Best

Scorsese has made three epics about faith, and though Kundun is easily the weakest of the trio, it's by no means an unremarkable film. In fact, it's one of Scorsese's most underappreciated gems: a sweeping biopic detailing the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

The film's set over twenty years of the Dalai Lama's life, focussing on his childhood and his exile from Tibet. Shot like an episodic documentary rather than a biopic with a streamlined plot, Kundun doesn't feel as complete or detailed as perhaps it should, but still stands as one of Scorsese's most visually sublime pieces of art.

At once haunting and occasionally surreal, the movie is an undeniable triumph for cinematographer Roger Deakins, creating hypnotic shots that are always framed around the Dalai Lama's emotional state.

It may not be as moving or thematically powerful as his other faith-based projects, but Kundun remains a beautiful ode to one of the world's most beloved and intriguing figures.