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The films ofMartin Scorsesehave featured some of the greatest movie performance of all meter , but there are so many roles that have been vastly underrated by general viewers . While most will be aware of the incredible legacy ofRobert De Niro as Travis Bickle inTaxi Driveror Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort inThe Wolf of Wall Street , this was truly just the tip of the iceberg . Although Scorsese is known for having many manly - centrical movies , he ’s also had some truly dumbfounding carrying into action from distaff actors in his nearly six decades of filmmaking .
Thebest Scorsese moviesall featured intense and memorable characters , so many that even his most successful picture feature performances that get left behind in encompassing conversation surrounding his workplace . While his collaborations withDe Niro and DiCapriohave been primal to his longstanding appeal , there are so many more famous public figure who have given transformative and compelling performances in his work . With dozens of films to his name , there are just so many great Scorsese roles to appreciate .
10Griffin Dunne as Paul Hackett
After Hours (1985)
The protagonists of Martin Scorsese flick are ordinarily associated with being ruthless gangsters or deeply turbulent outsider type , yet this was surely not the case for the computer data entranceway worker Paul Hackett inAfter Hours . As a wild and phantasmagoric ignominious clowning about a unknown and consequential night in New York City , Paul Hackett perfectly capture the yuppie nightmare cycle of 1980s neoliberalismwith a performance that blended the good of screwball comedy with film noir .
What begin with Paul striking up a conversation with a beautiful woman soon devolve into an endless serial publication of misadventures as he fastidiously attempted to make his means home from Manhattan ’s Soho territorial dominion . Along the way , Hackett captured the intimate frustration and castration that come with attempt to find sex , or even love , in the self-aggrandising city . As the most recent Scorsese film that ’s not an adaption or biopic , After Hoursshowcased the manager ’s underappreciated endowment for capturing wildly original character .
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Cast
9Sandra Bernhard as Masha
The King of Comedy (1982)
While many flick rooter will agree that Robert De Niro give one of his most unusual and interesting performance in a Martin Scorsese motion picture as the struggling standstill - up Rupert Pupkin inThe King of Comedy , this satiric moving picture was carry with incredible supporting carrying out . Alongside De Niro , Sandra Bernhard stick out out as Masha , another mentally unstable lover of the late - nighttime TV server Jerry Langford , who becomes enclose up in their baleful abduction design .
Masha was rightfully one of Scorsese ’s most captivating and unsettling female characters , as she beguile the unhinged psychology of an obsessive stalker to perfection . As a delusional romantic who was more than unforced to goad Rupert into progressively frantic and hit-or-miss hotheaded actions , her spontaneous nature was central to understanding how the duo ’s friendship enabled each other ’s fractured mental health . With an ability to steal scene from the all - time great doer De Niro and the iconic comedian Jerry Lewis , Bernhard held her own and stood out among this sonsy mould .
8Willem Dafoe as Jesus
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
When Martin Scorsese made the controversial decisiveness to conform Nikos Kazantzakis ’ divisive novelThe Last enticement of Christ , he had a unmanageable task on his paw when it fall to shake off the role of Jesus Christ . Luckily , Scorsese land on Willem Dafoe , an actor who have the emotional kitchen stove and the striking otherworldly presence needed to capture the literal Word of God . In a in the buff and human execution , Dafoe tap into the conflicted nature of Christ in Kazantzakis ’ novelas he struggle to come in to term with the burden of ritual killing his don had placed on his existence .
Through a tortured and doubtful enactment , Dafoe as Jesus stood outside traditional depictions of Christ to highlight a gentleman’s gentleman who questioned his own immortal and even resisted his office as the Messiah . There ’s a vulnerability and a longing for Romance language that supply a deep sense of loss to Christ ’s story that ’s not often explored , as his crucifixion vision showcased him conceive of an alternate life where he was allowed to acquire honest-to-god with Mary Magdalene . While Scorsese dealt with accusation of desecration , in truth , The Last Temptation of Christwas a profoundly ghostlike spirit at the human side of Jesus .
7Andrew Garfield as Sebastião Rodrigues
Silence (2016)
While Andrew Garfield first made a name for himself with roles in great picture show likeThe Social Networkor as the web - slinging teenager Peter Parker inThe Amazing Spider - Man , it was in Martin Scorsese’sSilencethat he pay off to show a entirely new side to his acting talents . As Sebastião Rodrigues , a 17th - one C Jesuit non-Christian priest traveling through Japan to site his missing wise man and spread Christianity , Garfield catch the tormented intensity of Shūsaku Endō ’s original novelas he suffer through a serious crisis of faith .
Silencecontinued Scorsese ’s foresighted custom of wrestling with faith in his films . The deliberate way Garfield play his restrained character while also littering the functioning with big excited outbursts added to its intensity and aroused superpower . With an equally impressive turn from Adam Driver as the fellow non-Christian priest Francisco Garupe , despite its claim , Silencewas a motion-picture show filled with loud and memorable performance that merit far more acclaim from the intermediate filmgoer .
6Michelle Pfeiffer as Ellen Olenska
The Age of Innocence (1993)
As a thoughtful exploration of the unemotional nature , excited longing , and unspoken etiquette of 19th - century New York mellow lodge , the elusive power ofThe Age of Innocenceis often block among the crime and gangster movies for which Martin Scorsese is better make love . This was a real shame , as it not only boast great performances from Daniel Day - Lewis and Winona Ryder but also featured Michelle Pfeiffer in one of her best and most underrated roles .
As Ellen Olenska , Pfeiffer embodied the restrained rebelliousness of a rebellious young woman among the graceful world to which she reject to entirely adapt . While the character has a strong - willed and determined nature , there ’s also a tranquil unhappiness , know that she will never be capable to truly bunk society ’s grip and the expectation it has placed on her . The Age of Innocencewas a cinema about characters trapped in a certain clock time and place , and through pocket-size gestures and unspoken language , Pfeiffer bewitch this attractively .
5Cathy Moriarty as Vickie LaMotta
Raging Bull (1980)
WhileRaging Bullhas been remembered today as perhaps the heavy sports movie ever made , and Robert De Niro ’s transformative operation has truly received far-flung congratulations , this bequest run out to recognize Cathy Moriarty as Vickie LaMotta . As an strange actress at the time , Moriarty was just 18 when she was cast inRaging Bull , yet still managed to tolerate out among De Niro and Joe Pesci . With self-confidence and intensity , it ’s comfortable to see why the up - and - coming boxer Jake LaMotta was so smitten by the young woman .
However , the other romance between Jake and Vickie soon sour colored as the pugilist was revealed to be an abusive , controlling , and overjealous husband . It was in her portrayal as a wife stuck in a violent marriage that Moriarty truly fend out , as her character hold her intensity and was never portrayed as a sapless victim . Watching as Vickie subdue her situation , pursued a divorce , and claimed hands over their children was a masterclass performance .
4Jonah Hill as Donnie Azoff
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Jonah Hill ’s astounding and hideous performance as Donnie Azoff inThe Wolf of Wall Streetwas central to get the best his report as a crude comedy histrion in Judd Apatow - related output . Not only did Hill stand out among a cast that included Leonardo DiCaprio , Margot Robbie , and Matthew McConaughey , but his full loyalty to his role earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor . With fake teeth , unique affectation , and a willingness to disappear into his role , the admixture of greed , insecurity , and depravation that Hill penetrate into this part aligned dead with his brutal worldly concern of faker and corruption .
While Donnie Azoff was a passably slimy character , the incredible chemistry that Hill had with DiCaprio meant that there was also a likeable bromance scene to their increasingly drug - fuel and excessive antics . The Wolf of Wall Streetbalanced comedy and dramatic play as , like DiCaprio ’s Belfort , audience croak on a journeying asDonnie ’s life spiraled out of control with heedless wantonness . The role of Azoff was a defining mo in Hill ’s quality and signaled the dawning of a new chapter for the actor .
3Ellen Burstyn as Alice Hyatt
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
While there have been plenty of groovy female character in Martin Scorsese movie , many will be traumatize to acquire thatAlice Does n’t Live Here Anymorewas the only example of a char champion in the director ’s filmography . This was a real shame becauseEllen Burstyn ’s role as Alice Hyatt stand for one of Scorsese ’s most psychologically rich and engaging character . As the story of a latterly widow woman ’s difficult journey toward find a better life for herself and her son , Alice Does n’t last Here Anymorecaptured the ungrateful challenge of being a young , single , struggling female parent .
What was so telling about Burstyn ’s performance as Alice was that she present her as far more than a one - dimensional woman - on - the - run style character . Alice had a complexity and depth that made her unmanageable and sometimes scurrilous relationships all the more tragical . As a vulnerable , strong , but also flawed quality , audiences could relate to Alice as a woman on a quest for personal growth , just seek to do her good in the moment .
2Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello
The Departed (2006)
While Jack Nicholson had some more photographic film roles before unofficially retiring from acting , his time as Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese’sThe Departedrepresented the role player ’s last truly great part . With a mold that also included Leonardo DiCaprio , Matt Damon , and Mark Wahlberg , Nicholson ’s role inThe Departedsometimes feel underappreciated , as he truly bolstered this film into its Best movie - gain condition with a performance that was brutal , chaotic , and sadistic .
keep an eye on as Nicholson jaw the scene in a Scorsese film , the only disappointing thing about seeing him inThe Departedwas wish he had worked with a manager far earlier . The over - the - top nature of Costello made the stakes ofThe Departedever more nail - biting , as audience thirstily counter the consequence of him realizing that Billy Costigan was actually an hole-and-corner agent infiltrating his crew . As one of the all - time great Nicholson performances , his function inThe Departeddeserves to stand alongsideOne Flew Over the jackass ’s NestandChinatownin his esteemed legacy .
1Nicolas Cage as Frank Pierce
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
Across Martin Scorsese ’s vast life history , Bringing Out the Deadjust might be his most underrated motion-picture show , with Nicolas Cage ’s preeminent role being the most underappreciated performance . This haunting and intense story followed48 hours in the life of Frank Pierce , a low-spirited New York City paramedic . As a glimpse into the emotional and psychological exhaustion of a burnt - out , sleep - deprived ambulance human , Frank is riddled with guilt feelings for those he has not save and suffer hallucinations of a roofless adolescent whose resuscitation he botched .
As a Isle of Man teetering on the brink of sanity and madness , Bringing Out the Deadwas the gross role for Cage ’s unique performing vogue . As a performance that ’s rooted in trauma , Frank Pierce can be added to the retentive inclination of conflicted protagonists make by screenwriter Paul Schrader for Scorsese moving-picture show , as he also wroteTaxi Driver , Raging Bull , andThe Last enticement of Christ . WhileBringing Out the Deadmay be too dark for some viewers , its pain - filled narrative made it one ofMartin Scorsese’smost interesting and absorbing pic .
Custom image by Milica Djordjevic.
