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In the history of cinema, there have been numerous fruitful and iconic collaborations between directors and actors, producing bodies of work that make them both stand out among the rest. Without a doubt, one of the most famous of these duos is that comprised ofMartin ScorseseandRobert De Niro. Together, these two have made some of what are usually listed among the best films of all time, fromGoodfellastoRaging Bulland beyond.
For years, cinephiles on the Internet have recurred to IMDb to rave about these phenomenal movies, cementing the Scorsese-De Niro collaboration as one of the medium’s strongest. The director is usually able to get some of the actor’s strongest performances, full of emotion and with tremendous range. Likewise, De Niro always seems to push Scorsese to bring his A-game to each film they collaborate on, which never fails to produce some really outstanding work.
Updated on June 08, 2025, by Diego Pineda Pacheco:
After a very long wait,Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro’s latest collaboration, has finally hit theaters. As audiences and critics alike rave about the duo’s newest gem of a masterpiece, it’s fun to revisit the other movies that they’ve worked together on.
11’The Audition' (2015)
IMDb rating: 6.6/10
Scorsese is, of course, best known for his feature films. However,Scorsese’s work on short filmsoften feels very underrated. He has made a wide variety of them, most being nothing short of outstanding, and all of them having something very unique to bring to the table.The Audition, a promotional short for a hotel casino resort in Macau, may not be the director’s best work by any stretch, but it’s nevertheless a worthy addition to his filmography.
The film sees De Niro andLeonardo DiCapriocompeting for the lead role in Scorsese’s next movie, in a delightfully meta-comedy short that fans of the director and stars will surely have some fun with. However, many other reviewers on IMDb argued that the movie felt like little more than a lazy cash grab, making it perhaps the weakest Scorsese-De Niro collaboration despite its undeniable charm.
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10’New York, New York' (1977)
AlthoughFrank Sinatra’s cover of thisfilm’s title song is now probably more popularthan the film itself, the fact is thatNew York, New Yorkis an underrated gem hidden in its director’s vast filmography, which many fans think is among his most underappreciated outings. In it, a musician and a singer embark on a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long uphill climb.
It’s undeniable that the movie has some pretty major flaws which probably explain why audiences have forgotten it over time, from the mismatch between the story and the musical genre, to the excessive style that often drowns out the substance of the film. Even yet, Scorsese fans on IMDb findNew York, New Yorkto be a very unique picture with fantastic performances by De Niro andLiza Minnelli.
9’Mean Streets' (1973)
IMDb rating: 7.2/10
Mean Streets, a fascinating crime drama about a small-time crook dreaming of making it big in the local mafia, was one of Scorsese’s earliest features and his first time working with Robert De Niro. Though it wasn’t the auteur’s first film set in New York (that honor goes toWho’s That Knocking at My Door,Scorsese’s sadly forgotten debut), it was the first to show how he could turn the city into a character in itself, and use it to amplify his stories and character arcs greatly.
Mean Streetsoffers one of De Niro’s most distinct and sympathetic performances, as well as a riveting script about an engrossing protagonist (played byHarvey Keitel) experiencing loneliness and Catholic guilt. It’s one of the best crime movies of the ’70s, as well as a perfect introduction to Scorsese’s style and to the questions and themes that have bugged his mind for years.
8’Cape Fear' (1991)
IMDb rating: 7.3/10
The word “remake” comes with a generally negative connotation, but in reality, these kinds of movies aren’t always a disaster. In fact, they can sometimes turn out to bebetter than the original films. Scorsese proved that in 1991 when his remakeCape Fearbecame an instant hit. It’s about a recently released convicted criminal, who stalks the family of the defense lawyer who failed to keep him out of jail.
This is the closest the famous director has come to making a horror film, largely helped by De Niro’s terrifying performance as an evil and unpredictable force of nature. The intensity and suspense that can be found inCape Fearare unparalleled, and the whole thing proves that remakes can be done well when placed in the right hands. Whether it’s better than the 1962 original starringRobert Mitchumin De Niro’s role is debatable; but what’s certain is that this is one of Scorsese’s wildest works.
7’The Irishman' (2019)
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
Scorsese’s glorious return to the mobster subgenre came at a time when it didn’t seem likely to ever happen.The Irishmanis exquisite, an engrossing character drama that proves that three-hour-long films have an inimitable magic. Based on a true story, it illustrates the life ofFrank Sheeranand the story of his allegedassassination of his close friendJimmy Hoffa.
The film overall feels like a moving coda to this entire subgenre of crime cinema, stacked with a cast full of iconic stars and with Scorsese’s signature style as both the story’s foundation and the cherry on top. Every performance is fantastic, the visuals and music are great, and the story packs a hell of an emotional punch, proving that Scorsese still has the same old spark.
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6’The King of Comedy' (1982)
WhileThe King of Comedyisn’t exactly a hidden gem, it’s not often praised as what it is: One of the best efforts of its director’s filmography, offering one of the best performances of its star’s career. Offbeat and thrilling, it’s the story of a down-on-his-luck comedian who decides to kidnap his favorite talk show host to take his place.
Though general audiences today may know it best for havingallegedly inspiredTodd Phillips’sJoker, cinephiles know thatKing of Comedyis much more special than that. De Niro is fascinating as protagonist Rupert Pupkin, an incredibly unreliable narrator who makes it impossible at every turn to know what’s real and what’s in his imagination. It makes for a really strong character study with an enveloping atmosphere of dark humor and suspenseful drama.
5’Raging Bull' (1980)
IMDb rating: 8.1/10
It’s beyond impressive that Martin Scorsese madeRaging Bullnear the beginning of his professional career. It’s a masterpiece clearly made by an artist in full control of his craft, and it speaks volumes about its director’s prowess that he could make it without much experience under his belt. It’s a biopic about boxerJake LaMotta, whose violent temper led him to the top of the ring but destroyed his life outside of it.
The film sees De Niro play LaMotta. It’s not justDe Niro’s best performances outside of the crime genre, but arguably his best performance in general. He transforms into the boxer in a riveting sports drama full of nail-biting action, intriguing characters, and iconic scenes.
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4’Casino' (1995)
IMDb rating: 8.2/10
InCasino, Scorsese offers one of his most opulent and highly-adorned works to date; an entertaining crime drama of high stakes, bright lights, and fancy clothes. In certain ways a spiritual successor toGoodfellas, it’s about two best friends – one a casino executive, the other a mafia enforcer – who compete for a gambling empire in Las Vegas. If stories set in the City of Lights are your thing, this one is a must-see.
The visual storytelling at play inCasinois pristine, and the screenplay is filled with some of the most interesting characters, thought-provoking themes, and engaging storylines of Scorsese’s entire filmography. It’s a movie that’s often buried under the considerably bigger popularity of the director’s other classic epic crime drama starring De Niro, but it more than deserves to stand on its own as an equally admirable masterpiece.
3’Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023)
One of Scorsese’s many passion projects,Killers of the Flower Moonis one that’s particularly satisfying to see come to fruition. A critique of the elites and how they’re able to seize history and do with it as they see fit, it’s a gut-wrenching drama of romance, betrayal, and crime, about the mysterious murders of the Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma.
Marking the first time that Scorsese, De Niro, and DiCaprio make a feature together, this dark and solemn Western (undoubtedly one ofthe best Westerns of the past 20 years) is a piece of history that you definitely shouldn’t miss. Its runtime may seem daunting, but those three-and-a-half hours fly right by when you sit down and witness one of the most engrossing stories that Scorsese has ever immortalized on the big screen.
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2’Taxi Driver' (1976)
Though it’s especially well-known for Robert De Niro’s staggering lead performance andPaul Schrader’s smart and methodical screenplay,Taxi Driveris one of those rare perfect films where every single element works in beautiful coordination with the others. Scorsese orchestrates a riveting character drama about Travis Bickle, an unstable veteran working as a nighttime driver in New York City, whose decadence fuels his urge for violent action.
The film is a gut-wrenching examination of what loneliness and isolation can do to a man in desperate need of guidance. It paints NYC as a gritty purgatory-like hellscape populated by fascinating characters, the best of which is one of cinema’s greatest-ever protagonists. De Niro is unbelievably great in the role, largely thanks to Schrader’s genius writing and Scorsese’s perceptive eye.
