Martin Scorseseis a director who probably doesn’t need too much by way of an introduction. He’s the filmmaker behind classics likeGoodfellas,The Departed,Casino,After Hours,The Irishman, andThe Age of Innocence, to name just a few of his works. He’s also someone who’s collaborated a handful of times withPaul Schrader, who’s best known for the films he’s written, but is also an accomplished filmmaker in his own right. To date, some of the best movies Schrader’s directed includeMishima: A Life in Four Chapters,First Reformed,Blue Collar, andHardcore.
Scorsese has collaborated more with certain actors, sure, most notablyRobert De NiroandLeonardo DiCaprio. Also, as far as behind-the-scenes individuals go, his most frequent collaborator remainsThelma Schoonmaker, who’s edited every feature film of his since 1980. But still,there are enough films that both Scorsese and Schrader worked on to make them qualify as something of a dynamic duo, especially considering those movies range in quality from very good to genuinely masterful. The four movies Schrader either wrote or co-wrote that Scorsese then directed are ranked below (and, again, they’re all pretty great, making such a ranking a little difficult).
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman
To date,Bringing Out the Deadisthe most recent film Scorsese directedthat Schrader wrote, and it’sprobably the most underrated, too. Sure, given its placement here, it’s also technically the least compelling, but that’s less becauseBringing Out the Deadis lackluster and more because the other three movies are all so high in quality.To focus on this one, though, it’s a very grim and harrowing psychological drama/thriller, all centered on a sleep-deprived paramedic who finds his chaotic life spiraling out of control because he’s overworked, haunted by past mistakes, and despondent about his future.
Some might well feel it’s a little too effective in capturing stress and exhaustion, since those emotions are at the forefront ofBringing Out the Dead, and end up making it a difficult watch. It’s easy to admire the filmmaking craft on display here, though,alongsideNicolas Cageat his bestin the lead role. Schrader’s screenplay effectively translates the autobiographical novel of the same name (written byJoe Connelly) to the screen well, and Scorsese’s visual and stylistic sensibilities are dialed up and as in-your-face as they need to be for this kind of story. IfBringing Out the Deaddoesn’t make you want to take a lie down after watching, then nothing will.
Bringing Out the Dead
3’The Last Temptation of Christ' (1988)
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey
The Last Temptation of Christhas some of thebest acting in any Martin Scorsese movie(yes, even though the casting is kind of wild), but the other areas of the film shouldn’t be overlooked. Actually, it’s hard to overlookthePeter Gabrielscore, which is an all-timer. But Schrader’s screenplay is impressive, too (and was co-written withJay Cocks), while Scorsese’s directing is as strong as always. Everyone’s on the same page here, which is impressive, becauseThe Last Temptation of Christis a difficult page to be on. It is about Jesus, sure, but it makes it clear right from the start that it’s not a page-to-screen adaptation of anything in the Bible.
Instead,The Last Temptation of Christaims to explore Jesus psychologically, with a particular emphasis on how he might have been tempted in his final days.The outcome is still what you’d expect, but the journey there is unpredictable, sometimes challenging, and inevitably moving.There’s a ton that’s been written about the film, both positive and negative, but it’s undoubtedly worth watchingand forming your own opinion on, especially since it’s so courageous and uncompromising, as a piece of filmmaking.
The Last Temptation of Christ
2’Raging Bull' (1980)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Within the pantheon of Scorsese movies,Raging Bullis one of the absolute best. That’s a supremely cold take, sure, but it’s an undeniably correct one. This isone of the bleakest sports moviesof all time, and indisputably one of the best, focusing onJake LaMotta’s life both in and out of the ring. He was a boxer who had a turbulent domestic life, with anger defining his professional life and pretty much everything he did alongside family and friends, too.
It was the second film Schrader wrote that Scorsese directed, and stands as their second-best overall, too.De Niro has scarcely been betterthan he is here, because as LaMotta, he convincingly portrays a terrifying individual who also feels unnervingly human. And that’s partly because LaMotta was a real guy, sure, but it takes a special kind of performance to be so terrifying and aggressive in a way that never feels over-the-top or forced. Like Bringing Out the Dead,Raging Bullends up being a difficult watch, but also an immensely rewarding one.
Raging Bull
1’Taxi Driver' (1976)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
Speaking of dark movies, here’sTaxi Driver, which isn’t a depressing sports movie likeRaging Bull, andisinstead a harrowing/depressing psychological drama/thriller. It’s a good companion film toBringing Out the Dead, given this one also centers on someone driving a vehicle in New York City for work, usually at night, and psychologically unraveling in the process. As the title suggests,Taxi Driveris about a dude who, well, drives taxis, and it’s a way for him to seea less flattering side of New York City, which itself was going througha rough patch in the 1970s.
That man, Travis Bickle, is already in a pretty bad place mentally, but his past, lack of sleep, and alienation from the world around him all make his life worse, and so eventually, he lashes out. It’s a grim, gritty, and timeless film,just as challenging and provocative when watched todayas it would’ve been upon release, almost 50 years ago now. Though Scorsese and Schrader were fairly young the year this came out (approximately 34 and 30, respectively),Taxi Driverremains the best movie the pair have collaborated on to date.
Taxi Driver
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