Movies Steven Spielberg vs. Martin Scorsese vs. Stanley Kubrick - Out of these film directors, who's the best?

[Takes Two To Tango]

These 3 are arguably the greatest film directors ever.

Their top 10 best films based on IMDB ratings.

Steven Spielberg:

1. Schindler's List - 9.0
2. Saving Private Ryan - 8.6
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark - 8.4
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 8.2
5. Jurassic Park - 8.2
6. Jaws - 8.1
7. Catch Me If You Can - 8.1
8. E.T - The Extra-Terrestrial - 7.9
9. The Color Purple - 7.7
10. The Empire of the Sun - 7.7

Martin Scorsese:

1. Goodfellas - 8.7
2. The Departed - 8.5
3. Taxi Driver - 8.2
4. Casino - 8.2
5. Shutter Island - 8.2
6. The Wolf of Wall Street - 8.2
7. Raging Bull - 8.1
8. The King of Comedy - 7.8
9. The Irishman - 7.8
10. After Hours - 7.6

Stanley Kubrick:

1. Paths of Glory - 8.4
2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 8.4
3. The Shining - 8.4
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey - 8.3
5. A Clockwork Orange - 8.3
6. Full Metal Jacket - 8.3
7. Barry Lyndon - 8.1
8. The Killing - 7.9
9. Spartacus - 7.9
10. Lolita - 7.5

 

[elreece]

Going with old stevie boy

 

[William Huggins]

Going with old stevie boy

If we strap you to a seat and force you to watch Stanley films I'm sure you'll change your mind.......

 

[moreorless87]

Everything Kubrick did from Strangelove onwards was great and Paths of Glory before that as well.

Spielberg was a great maker of pulp cinema, never thought much of his attempts at "serious adult drama".

Scorsese mostly excellent from Mean Streets up to Casino, rather patchy since then.

 

[HHJ]

As New Yorker im partial to Scorcese.

He nailed things down in a way that non new yorkers cant fully understand.

Spielberg is phenomenal and admittedly I have alot of Kubrick to catch up on.

 

[William Huggins]

Everything Kubrick did from Strangelove onwards was great and Paths of Glory before that as well.

Spielberg was a great maker of pulp cinema, never thought much of his attempts at "serious adult drama".

Scorsese mostly excellent from Mean Streets up to Casino, rather patchy since then.

Kubrick was definitely more versatile as well.

 

[moreorless87]

Kubrick was definitely more versatile as well.

You could argue I spose he always made very "Kubrick" films but in different genres.

Scorsese I think stuff like King of Comedy and After Hours worked very well but the latter day genre stuff(Gangs of NY, the Departed, etc) always felt like a compromise to me.

With Spielberg personally I think something like Jaws has way more substance to it than Saving Private Ryan does.

 

[William Huggins]

You could argue I spose he always made very "Kubrick" films but in different genres.

Scorsese I think stuff like King of Comedy and After Hours worked very well but the latter day genre stuff always felt like a compromise to me.

With Spielberg personally I think something like Jaws has way more substance to it than Saving Private Ryan does.

Yeah I agree you could always tell Kubrick was behind them.

Jaws is a great film (excuse the puns) on the surface it is a great film that actually has some depth to what appears to be a basic storyline.

 

[moreorless87]

Jaws is a great film (excuse the puns) on the surface it is a great film that actually has some depth to what appears to be a basic storyline.

You could argue I spose it was just that Spielberg was a younger hungrier film maker in his prime but I think that was really a better use of his talents than "Big Prestige Hollywood Dramas", for me its actually a much more "adult" film, I would say the same with Close Counters and how it deals with personal obsession were as Private Ryan for me rather self important nationalistic shmaltz.

 

[William Huggins]

You could argue I spose it was just that Spielberg was a younger hungrier film maker in his prime but I think that was really a better use of his talents than "Big Prestige Hollywood Dramas", for me its actually a much more "adult" film, I would say the same with Close Counters and how it deals with personal obsession were as Private Ryan for me rather self important nationalistic shmaltz.

Maybe the films actually chart Spielberg's mindset, going from liberal to more conservativen as he got older?

Close encounters is one of them films that brings back memories from my youth, it's another like Jaws for me in that regard but it's not mentioned as much as Jaws, something you can watch on several levels.

 

[William Huggins]

You could argue I spose it was just that Spielberg was a younger hungrier film maker in his prime but I think that was really a better use of his talents than "Big Prestige Hollywood Dramas", for me its actually a much more "adult" film, I would say the same with Close Counters and how it deals with personal obsession were as Private Ryan for me rather self important nationalistic shmaltz.

I didn't actually enjoy Saving Private Ryan that much, it was alright for a first watch but didn't seem to have as much depth.

 

[AFanNotAFighter]

I don't really know who is "best" but I find Scorsese's films the most entertaining.

 

[moreorless87]

Maybe the films actually chart Spielberg's mindset, going from liberal to more conservativen as he got older?

Close encounters is one of them films that brings back memories from my youth, it's another like Jaws for me in that regard but it's not mentioned as much as Jaws, something you can watch on several levels.

You could argue as well I think they were also the product of the era, the 90's was I think an era were Hollywood as a whole became much more conservative and pro establishment, arguebly moreso than it had been since the early 60's or maybe even before.

 

[PG29 red0 Jr]

The simpsons already voted.

 

[elreece]

If we strap you to a seat and force you to watch Stanley films I'm sure you'll change your mind.......

im sure I wont

 

[moreorless87]

The simpsons already voted.

Could have gone non union with the real Kubrick.

 

[zapataxiv]

don't know about who is the best
but if you put me on a island with their filmography I would be happiest with scorsese

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

Fairly close race.

 

[Nathan LaMontagne]

Kubrick and not even close.

More variety, every single movie was great and very layered.

Best cinematography

Quality over quantity.

 

[MLarson]

These 3 are arguably the greatest film directors ever.

Their top 10 best films based on IMDB ratings.

Steven Spielberg:

1. Schindler's List - 9.0
2. Saving Private Ryan - 8.6
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark - 8.4
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 8.2
5. Jurassic Park - 8.2
6. Jaws - 8.1
7. Catch Me If You Can - 8.1
8. E.T - The Extra-Terrestrial - 7.9
9. The Color Purple - 7.7
10. The Empire of the Sun - 7.7

Martin Scorsese:

1. Goodfellas - 8.7
2. The Departed - 8.5
3. Taxi Driver - 8.2
4. Casino - 8.2
5. Shutter Island - 8.2
6. The Wolf of Wall Street - 8.2
7. Raging Bull - 8.1
8. The King of Comedy - 7.8
9. The Irishman - 7.8
10. After Hours - 7.6

Stanley Kubrick:

1. Paths of Glory - 8.4
2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 8.4
3. The Shining - 8.4
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey - 8.3
5. A Clockwork Orange - 8.3
6. Full Metal Jacket - 8.3
7. Barry Lyndon - 8.1
8. The Killing - 7.9
9. Spartacus - 7.9
10. Lolita - 7.5

Spielberg.