Honestly, if you looked at most 83-year-olds, they’re probably figuring out how to get the most out of their retirement or arguing with a TV remote. Not Marty. As we roll into early 2026, the man is still arguably the most vital filmmaker on the planet. I was just looking at the latest martin scorsese directed movies list updates, and it’s genuinely wild how much ground he's covered—from the grit of Little Italy to the vast, tragic oil fields of Oklahoma.
He doesn't just make "movies." He makes "cinema." There's a difference. One is a product; the other is a spiritual experience that leaves you feeling a bit bruised but definitely more human.
The Big Ones: A Look Back at the Classics
You can’t talk about his filmography without hitting the Mount Rushmore of his career. Most people jump straight to the mob stuff, which is fair. Goodfellas (1990) basically redefined how we use a camera. That long tracking shot through the Copacabana? It's been copied a thousand times, and nobody ever gets it quite right like he did.
But if you really want to understand the DNA of a Scorsese film, you have to look at the 70s.
- Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967): This was the start. It's raw. It's black and white. It features Harvey Keitel before he was Harvey Keitel.
- Boxcar Bertha (1972): A Roger Corman exploitation flick. Marty says he did it to prove he could actually finish a commercial film.
- Mean Streets (1973): This is where he found his voice. Guilt, redemption, and Robert De Niro acting like a total loose cannon.
- Taxi Driver (1976): "You talkin' to me?" Yeah, you've heard the line. But have you watched the movie lately? It's terrifyingly relevant in how it handles loneliness and radicalization.
Then there’s Raging Bull (1980). It’s not a boxing movie. It’s a tragedy about a man who can only communicate through violence. It’s brutal to watch, but visually, it's probably the most beautiful film he ever made.
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The DiCaprio Era and the Shift to Spectacle
Around the early 2000s, something shifted. De Niro was out (temporarily), and Leonardo DiCaprio was in. This era gave us a totally different flavor of the martin scorsese directed movies list. It was bigger, louder, and way more expensive.
Gangs of New York (2002) was a massive gamble. It didn't quite land for everyone, but Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher is a performance for the ages. Then came The Aviator (2004) and The Departed (2006). Honestly, it's still funny that he finally won his Oscar for The Departed, which is basically a B-movie pulp thriller (a great one, but still). It felt like a lifetime achievement award given for the wrong film.
We also got:
- Shutter Island (2010): A spooky, atmospheric mind-bender that proved he could do genre horror.
- Hugo (2011): A love letter to the history of film. It’s his only real "family" movie, but it’s still obsessed with the mechanics of the camera.
- The Wolf of Wall Street (2013): Pure, unadulterated chaos. People forget he was over 70 when he made this. It has more energy than most directors in their 20s can muster.
Late Career Mastery: Killers and Beyond
Lately, Marty has slowed the pace down, but the movies have gotten even heavier. Silence (2016) is a tough sit—it’s about Jesuit priests in 17th-century Japan—but it’s deeply personal. Then there was The Irishman (2019), which felt like a funeral for the gangster genre. It wasn't about the hits; it was about the regret of a man who outlived everyone he ever cared about.
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The most recent heavy hitter is Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). It’s an epic, agonizing look at the Osage Nation murders. It’s nearly four hours long, and honestly, every minute feels necessary. It showed a director who isn't interested in his own legacy anymore—he's interested in the truth.
What’s Happening Now? (2026 Update)
As of right now, we’re waiting on What Happens at Night. The buzz is that he’s back in the saddle with DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. Filming reportedly kicked off in February 2026, and the rumors suggest it’s a surrealist period piece. He’s also been talking about a shorter, 80-minute film about the life of Jesus, which would be a huge departure from his usual 3-hour marathons.
The Documentaries You Probably Skipped
If you only watch his features, you're missing half the story. The guy is a music nerd. The Last Waltz (1978) is arguably the best concert film ever made. He’s also done deep dives into Bob Dylan (No Direction Home and Rolling Thunder Revue) and George Harrison.
His documentaries about film history—A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies and My Voyage to Italy—are basically a free film school education. If you want to know why he shoots things a certain way, watch those.
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How to Actually Watch This Massive List
Don't try to go in order. You'll get burned out by the 80s. Start with the "Vibe Check" method:
- Feeling Energetic? Watch Goodfellas or The Wolf of Wall Street.
- Feeling Broody? Go for Taxi Driver or Bringing Out the Dead.
- Want a Masterclass in Acting? Raging Bull or The Age of Innocence.
- Want to Cry? Killers of the Flower Moon.
The beauty of Scorsese is that his "worst" movie is still better than 90% of what hits theaters. He’s a guy who lives, breathes, and eats film. Even in 2026, with the industry changing every five minutes, his work remains the gold standard.
If you’re looking to dive into his filmography this weekend, start with something you haven't seen. Maybe skip Goodfellas for the tenth time and try After Hours (1985). It’s a weird, stressful comedy about a guy having the worst night of his life in Soho, and it’s one of the most underrated gems in the entire martin scorsese directed movies list. It’s lean, mean, and shows a side of Marty that’s way more playful than his big-budget epics. Grab some popcorn, kill the lights, and put your phone in the other room. These movies demand your full attention.
To stay truly current with his filmography, keep an eye on the Criterion Collection's World Cinema Project releases, as Scorsese often oversees the restoration of classic international films that influenced his own style. Tracking these restorations provides a deeper context for his visual language. Additionally, checking the production status of his collaboration with Jennifer Lawrence will give you a glimpse into his next major thematic shift.