Martin Scorsese has been a permanent fixture in cinema for many years and he returns to the director’s chair this week with Hugo.
This is the first 3D movie for the Oscar winning filmmaker as he tackles the family adventure movie for the very first time - a genre that we wouldn’t necessarily associate with him.
And while Scorsese’s career goes back many decades with classic films such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull under his belt the last ten years have been some of his most successful.
To celebrate the release of Hugo we take a look at some of the big Scorsese hits over the last decade.
- Gangs of New York
2002 saw the release of Gangs of New York, his first feature film since 1999, and with that came a new partnership for Scorsese in the form of Leonardo DiCaprio.
1863. America was born in the streets. In this movie, we see Amsterdam Vallon returning to the Five Points of America to seek vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin Bill the Butcher who murdered his father years ago.
With an eager pickpocket by his side and a whole new army, Vallon fights his way to seek vengeance on the Butcher and restore peace in the area.
The film was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Scorsese - but he missed out on that gong once again.
- The Aviator
In 2004 he reunited with DiCaprio has he brought the remarkable story of Howard Hughes to the big screen.
As with any Scorsese movie that cast list was impressive as DiCaprio, who took on the role of Hughes, was joined by Cate Blanchett, who won an Oscar for her performance and Kate Beckinsale.
The movie charts the early years of famous tycoon, Howard Hughes (1905-1976), whose eclectic career spanned across everything from oil, for which he cared little, to film, casinos, and aviation--as he turned millions of dollars into billions.
As well as some great acting performances from the cast The Aviator was a visually stunning movie as Scorsese really captured the look, style and essence of the era.
Eleven Oscar nods came the way of The Aviator, including best Picture & Best Director - once again missing out on the biggest prize in movies.
- The Departed
But 2006 brought Scorsese’s most successful collaboration with DiCaprio as Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs was remade as The Departed.
The movie brought together an all star cast of DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Ray Winstone and Martin Sheen.
Two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia, but violence and bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy's identities.
From opening scene to final credit’s The Departed is a classic in the crime genre and it was by far the best movie to hit the big screen in 2006.
The Departed was nominated for five Oscars - going on to in Best Picture and, finally, Best Director for Scorsese.
- Shine A Light
Throughout his career Scorsese has also shown a keen interest in documentary making and in 2008 he made a gem of a movie Shine A Light.
The Rolling Stones are the stars of this movie as Scorsese filmed their performances at the Beacon Theatre in New York in 2006.
With the number of cameras that Scorsese has on the stage and in the backstage it creates a real intimate portrayal of the Stones and shows them off in the best possible light.
- Shutter Island
Shutter Island was the last feature film that Scorsese directed as he teamed up with DiCaprio for the fourth time last year.
The move was based on the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name and saw DiCaprio joined on the cast list by Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams.
Drama set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding nearby.
Shutter Island is dripping with tension right from the very start and it contained one of the best movie twists of the year.
- Hugo
He is back this week with his new movie Hugo, which is based on Brian Selznick's award winning and imaginative New York Times bestseller, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Hugo tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station.
With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key.
Hugo is released 2nd December
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Martin Scorsese