All 10 of Martin Scorsese's Directing Oscar Nominations, Ranked | Festivals & Awards

3. “The Irishman” (Lost to Bong Joon-ho for “Parasite”)

If Scorsese had never made another film, this would have been an incredible farewell. Telling the story of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a low-level mob guy who becomes one of Jimmy Hoffa’s (Al Pacino) most trusted lieutenants, “The Irishman” has a funereal tone, lacking the elated pizzazz of “Goodfellas” for something far more somber and hushed. Everyone Frank meets, we see an interstitial grimly indicating how they died and when, suggesting that all of these individuals will meet the same fate—that their petty criminal enterprises are useless in the face of what’s awaiting them. With “The Irishman,” Scorsese looked back at the gangsters he’s often chronicled, finding them to be nothing but sad, lonely men with little to show for their criminal enterprises. No wonder he brought back his regular troupe of actors—De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Joe Pesci—for one last go-round. If this was to be his swan song, he wanted to be sure it featured an all-star chorus.

2. “Raging Bull” (Lost to Robert Redford for “Ordinary People”)

Made during a period of personal turmoil—Scorsese’s health was failing, his drug use was getting worse—“Raging Bull” is a film of profound spiritual despair and, depending on your perspective, also a story of rebirth and redemption. The tales are legendary about how Robert De Niro gained weight to play tormented boxer Jake LaMotta, but those anecdotes tend to ignore just how forceful, ugly and vulnerable the performance was, the actor never quite burrowing in a role in the same way before or after. Scorsese disliked boxing, but he found a visceral way to portray the in-ring action, setting a standard for sports films that still has few peers. 

1. “Goodfellas” (Lost to Kevin Costner for “Dances with Wolves”)

Another gangster movie? It’s a (silly) complaint leveled against Scorsese’s wide-ranging oeuvre, but when reporter Nicholas Pileggi’s book Wiseguy, about former mobster Henry Hill, came his way, the director was hesitant about repeating himself. But then director Michael Powell (whom Scorsese greatly admired and who had married editor Thelma Schoonmaker) read the script. (Actually, Schoonmaker read the script to him since his eyesight was so poor.) “This is wonderful,” Powell told Scorsese. “You must do it. It’s funny, and no one’s ever seen this way of life before.”