Are Martin Scorsese’s Longer Movies Better Than His Shorter Ones? An Expert Analysis

It makes sense that Martin Scorsese would demand and receive final cut. Thats the perk of directing some of the most iconic films in Hollywood history. But even the most exhaustively realized lowlife saga could use a snip here and there. And as Scorseses stature has grown, his movies have gotten longer and longer, making one wonder if he needs to be more merciless in the editing bay. Its gotten so bad that ahead of the Cannes premiere of Killers of the Flower Moon, the maestros team had to deny reports that his latest movie was nearly 4 hours. Turns out its a fleet 3 hours, 20 minutes and change. In honor of that films debut, we break down some selections from Scorseses canon with an emphasis on the clock to see if length correlates to quality.

After Hours

1985

Run time: 1h 37m

Brilliant or bloated? Hallelujah! A Scorsese joint that doesnt burst your bladder. This briskly paced tour of SoHo nightlife barely has an ounce of fat on it.

Mean Streets

1977

Run time: 1h 52m

Brilliant or bloated? Nothing to cut here. This look at two smalltime hoods whose friendship is tested announced Scorsese as a filmmaker to watch, his rock n roll swagger coming with a whole lot of Catholic guilt.

Raging Bull

1980

Run time: 2h 9m

Brilliant or bloated? Yes, this is the greatest movie ever made, but Robert De Niros waistline isnt the only thing that sags a little as the film nears the 2-hour mark. Still, this study in masculinity remains a masterpiece, and you dont want to mess around with one of those.

The Age of Innocence

1993

Run time: 2h 16m

Brilliant or bloated? Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer are unforgettable as doomed lovers separated by societal strictures. Still, theres an awful lot of pregnant stares and Joanne Woodward reading long, long passages of Edith Wharton. Show, dont tell, Marty.

Goodfellas

1990

Run time: 2h 26m

Brilliant or bloated? Its not a short movie, but everything about Goodfellas is so propulsive from its use of rock music to its shocking violence to the hyperkinetic editing of the final sequence with a drugged-out Ray Liotta that the film flies by. We defy you to check your watch.

The Departed

2006

Run time: 2h 31m

Brilliant or bloated? Moving back toward fighting trim, Scorseses criminally good tale of double-crossing cops and robbers finally won him his long-overdue Oscar. It also ranks as one of his biggest hits. Jack Nicholson may have been allowed to gnaw at the scenery too long, but you forgive a master his indulgences.

Gangs of New York

2002

Run time: 2h 47m

Brilliant or bloated? And heres where the wheels come off. Scorsese wants to look back at his native citys chaotic Civil War era, but the movies epic length cant make up for thinly drawn characters and Cameron Diaz, who seems to have appeared in lower Manhattan by way of the Valley.

The Wolf of Wall Street

2013

Run time: 3h

Brilliant or bloated? Why watch Leo zonked off his Gord on ludes once, when you can watch it 10 times? The Wolf of Wall Street is all about excess, and that includes its lumbering running time. On the plus side: Despite being a 3-hour movie, it feels like a 2-hour, 45-minute one.

Killers of the Flower Moon

2023

Run time: 3h 24m

Brilliant or bloated? To be determined in Cannes.

The Irishman

2019

Run time: 3h 29m

Brilliant or bloated? Thanks to the magic of CGI, De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino are de-aged and made to look like Ringwraith versions of their former selves. Thats the fun part. Watching De Niro live out his last days in a dreary retirement home leaves one longing for hospices arrival.