Martin Scorsese: Ranking His Movies From Worst To Best

19. Kundun

If there's one thing that cannot be denied about Scorsese's foray into the territory of sprawling historical epic Kundun, it's that it looks absolutely marvellous. From Dante Ferreti's sumptuous art direction to Roger Deakins's exceptional cinematography, each frame could have come from the lens of an award-winning photographer. That the film itself often feels rather dislocated and disjointed is no doubt on account of its chronology - spanning several decades it tells of the search for the Dalai Lama and his exile from Tibet and treads through spiritual territory which marks a break from Scorsese's preoccupation with Catholicism. Ironically, given the film's aspirations towards imparting a profound message, beneath the gloss there's little to hang on to in terms of connection with the characters and narrative coherence. Still, as a picture postcard overview of an historically significant time and place it deserved to perform better at the box office than it did.