Death is a common thing in the films of Martin Scorsese. He seems to enjoy stories set in dangerous worlds full of violent people, so it’s not surprising that his films tend to come with a pretty heavy body count. And sometimes the person who dies is not always who the audience is expecting.
Scorsese isn’t afraid to show the darkness of humanity which means that sometimes the innocent characters or the heroes of the story are the ones to suffer. But he also likes to show the consequences of a life of sin, meaning the bad guys often get punished.
Didn’t Deserve: Jimmy Hoffa – The Irishman (2019)
Most people have some idea of who Jimmy Hoffa was, even if it is just the fact that he disappeared. The Irishman digs deeper into who the man was and his affiliation with organized crime. It also makes him a more sympathetic character than how the public saw him before.
Hoffa is far from an innocent man. He was involved in criminal activities, though the movie shows he’s more innocent than those around him. His headstrong ways might have been frustrating but the fact that he was killed by his best friend because he wouldn’t step aside is tragic.
Did Deserve: Frank Costello – The Departed (2006)
Scorsese has explored the gangster genre many times throughout his career with a number of terrifying gangsters. Frank Costello might be the most ruthless of them all — and the most deranged.
Though he is certainly a wise businessman who has built an empire, he is also a madman who seems to kill at random and enjoys it. As he descends further, even his most loyal associates turn on him. When confronted by his protégé, Colin Sullivan, about being an FBI informant, Frank tries to kill him before being shot dead himself.
Didn’t Deserve: Monk – Gangs Of New York (2002)
New York City has played a big role in Scorsese’s films and he explores its violent past in Gangs of New York. The story focuses on Irish immigrants battling the racist American gangs who control the city.
The Irish find hope in a man named Monk, whom they choose to elect as sheriff. When challenged by local gangster Bill the Butcher, Monk refuses to fight as he wants to serve his people as a politician. Instead, Bill stabs Monk in the back before beating him to death.
Did Deserve: Bill The Butcher – Gangs Of New York (2002)
Bill the Butcher is a truly terrifying man who is nonetheless charismatic at times. He has a certain honor to him and looks out for those he holds close. But then his true racist and violent personality shows itself and one is reminded how evil he is.
He is willing to corrupt every aspect of the city in order to see his own goals achieved. He hides his hateful behavior behind the claim that he is a patriot without realizing he is a large part of the reason the city is such a terrible place. Bill is eventually killed during the city riots, which he helped bring about.
Didn’t Deserve: Queenan – The Departed (2006)
In The Departed, Scorsese tells a gangster story from both sides of the law. Though both sides have their share of bad people, Queenan is certainly the noblest and heroic of all the characters.
Queenan is the commanding officer of the police’s undercover unit and becomes a father figure to his officer, Billy. He does what he can to protect Billy from getting discovered, even facing Costello’s crew alone. But as Billy makes his escape, the mobsters throw Queenan from the roof and kill him.
Did Deserve: Colin Sullivan – The Departed (2006)
Just as the police have an undercover agent in Costello’s crew, Costello has placed him own informant inside the Boston police department. Colin Sullivan is an ambitious young man who rises through the ranks quickly while also feeding information to Costello.
When the walls begin to close in around Costello, Sullivan takes the opportunity to save himself. He is an expert liar who manages to weasel his way out of every problem. But just when he thinks he is in the clear, it all finally catches up to him and he is executed by a fellow cop.
Didn’t Deserve: Billy Costigan – The Departed (2006)
Billy is someone who seems to be quite the opposite of Colin. Despite being highly intelligent, he is lost in the world, which makes him ideal for undercover work. He puts his life on the line and lives with the constant fear of getting found out.
Once Costello is finally killed, Billy is free but when he finds out Sullivan has been the mole the entire time, he puts his life at risk again to bring Sullivan to justice. However, as he is arresting Sullivan, Billy is shot and killed by another of Costello’s men, just as he was about to win.
Did Deserve: Tommy DeVito – Goodfellas (1990)
Part of the brilliance of Scorsese’s masterpiece Goodfellas is how it draws audiences in with the seductive lifestyle of gangsters before revealing the true terror of this life of crime. A big part of the terror is Tommy DeVito, an unhinged and unpredictable gangster.
Tommy bursts into fits of violence at the drop of a hat, attacking people for the simplest of things and killing without remorse. Eventually, even his own people see him as a liability. They tell him he is going to be a made man but is instead executed. It really shouldn’t have been a surprise.
Didn’t Deserve: Spider – Goodfellas (1990)
The moment Tommy changes from an intimidating thug to a cold-blooded killer is with the murder of Spider. Poor Spider is a young kid who hangs around with the gangsters and waits on them during their poker games.
Tommy is particularly nasty to Spider and shoots him in the foot as a joke. Even after that incident, Tommy continues to ridicule Spider until the kid has enough and tells Tommy off. As the others laugh about it, Tommy’s temper gets the best of him and he shoots Spider dead for the small remark.
Did Deserve: Max Cady – Cape Fear (1991)
Robert De Niro has played some truly violent characters in his collaborations with Scorsese, but Max Cady in Cape Fear is the scariest of them all. He is a violent abuser who was sent to prison for several years. When he gets out, he begins terrorizing his former defense attorney and his family.
Cady kills the family dog, tortures the attorney’s colleague, and abuses his daughter, all just to play mind games with. He finally attempts to kill them but is ultimately drowned in the river, thankfully ending their nightmare.
-Featured.jpg)
