Scorsese is one of my favorite directors ever. His best genre of films are of course his crime films. They are excellent.

As I've said elsewhere, great artists push the limits. In so doing Scorsese has failed less than most. Undeniably one of the best directors of all time. I suspect he didn't make the top ten here is that too many reviewers just don't get it.

UPDATE:  Well it's about time.  Congratulations to the Academy for finally recognizing one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th Century.

One of the top 5 all-time. There is not a weak film on his resume. The fact that he still has not won the Best Director Oscar says more about the Academy than it does about him. And to those who say he's made nothing but gangster films, how about the Aviator, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Raging Bull, Kundn, Age of Innocence, Bringing Out the Dead, After Hours, The Last Waltz, King of Comedy, or his documentaries on the Blues and Bob Dylan? 

He puts out crud once in a while, but overall he's a great director, and when he's on he's one of the very best.  I like his willingness to take risks--rather a rarity in high-expense, high-profit endeavors, such as Hollywood films.

4 and a half actually. He walks on the seedy side and puts out a good product.

I am glad he finally was rewarded by the feckless Academy.

Fully realizing that Martin Scorsese doesn't just make gangster themed films (which aren't my general preference), nonetheless these are the movies that are always cited when praising Scorsese as a great director. There is no denying that he has few peers at capturing the dark, gritty side of the human condition in films like "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull", but his continuous reliance on the talents of Robert De Niro and on repetitive characters and recycled themes raises questions as to his ability to consistently make critically successful films about varied matters. Admittedly subjective, but Scorsese only gets three stars in my book.

One of the very finest directors.This man captures each gritty reality in his films.He makes violence ugly and visceral.He doesn't pretty things up for the simpletons.He gets first rate performances out of the actors he works with.Pure Genius.

He's made some mistakes e.g. 'Last temptation of christ 'but these are offset by his classics. Personally I prefer his less well know efforts with their offbeat sense of humour ' The King of comedy' and 'After hours'.

Hey, Goombah! I need to sees more mobstas likes I need another hole in my ass.

Scorcese is the greatest director of his generation. That said, it's worth keeping in mind that his movies would not be what they are without the contribution of great actors like Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel (both of who debued in Scorcese's Mean Streets!) Scorcese's two best movies-Taxi Driver and Raging Bull-owe their unique emotional force to the writing of Paul Schrader-a truly brilliant scriptwriter (I would rank him #1 if there were a list for scriptwriters) who himself went on to direct The Affliction. PS-I suspected that Martin Scorcese was burned out in the late 90s, but then he makes yet another masterpiece, Gangs of New York! The man is a national treasure.

Ruby mentions that Scorsese is over rated which makes me think that she has never watched one of his films. This man deserves alot of praise because his movies are phonominal to watch. He has givin us movies that are definate classics like "Goodfellas" and "raging bull." Saying this man is overrated is just wrong.

My characters like to repeat themselves. My characters? Like to repeat themselves? My characters LIKE to repeat themselves. MY characters? Like TO repeat themselves. I'm going to get the paper, get the paper.

A visceral, down to earth director, has made three masterpieces without overusing the word 'masterpiece'

I f you are judging the sheer skill of a director, Scorsese is the king. If you want a predictable "feel-good" film, talk to Speilberg. Martin Scorsese is the reason I have a true passion for film. He is a cinematic genius.

Martin Scorsese is at the heart of motion pictures. I've never known of anybody who loves films as much as he does. And it shows in his work. RAGING BULL, TAXI DRIVER, GOODFELLAS & CASINO are all very personal films and show this man's true talent. Not many people can say they understand the asthetics of motion pictures as well as Scorsese. Without question, one of the five best directors of all time.

I have to disagree with Ruby on this one. Sure, "The Last Temptation of Christ" aimed pretty high and didn't quite get there, but are you honestly telling me that the director of "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," and "Goodfellas" is just OK? Those first two movies alone are enough to warrant five stars. Whatever it is that lets Scorsese get the best out of Robert De Niro, it works. And what about "The Color of Money" - a strong, under-rated film? Scorsese's movies have earned a lot of critical praise, which makes it tempting to pick holes in his work, but give credit where credit is due.

Scorsese seems quite over-rated to me as a director. His "classic" DeNiro films -- Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas -- were very good, but I don't understand how he's considered the be-all, end-all of film directors. "Last Temptation of Christ" was fairly tortured and meandering as his biggest attempt at an "important" work, and much of the rest of his filmography seems unexceptional.