Martin Scorsese loves to depict a real-life story that, when translated to the screen, seems unbelievable. The Wolf of Wall Street was originally a gonzo financial thriller, but under Scorsese’s direction, it became a spectacle full of fourth wall breaks, physical comedy scenes, and some finance lessons. Howard Hughes’ already unbelievable, glitzy Hollywood life was dramatized in The Aviator, a haunting portrait of an enigmatic tycoon.
It’s not a coincidence that both of those movies starred Leonardo DiCaprio — together, Scorsese and DiCaprio turned realistic figures into complicated characters that feel larger than life. In 2023, Scorsese doubled down on his strengths with Killers of the Flower Moon, a retelling of an oft-ignored part of history that both shines a light on it while still recognizing what it means for him to tell the story.
