Martin Scorsese. The name, like no other director of the modern era, is completely synonymous with quality. A trailer branded with "A film by Martin Scrosese" instantly becomes a must-see for cinephiles, no matter what clips preceded the title card.

Images of dramatic shootouts scored by classic rock and sharp-tounged dialogue of the underworld enter people's minds when they think of Scorsese. The man has changed much about the way films are made. His use of popular music inspired a generation long before MTV, and the way he made violence pop off the screen was a direct antecedent o...