When you think of Martin Scorsese you can't help but think of violence; his films deliver dramatic tension like a knockout blow, straight and in your face. To the gangster genre, he adds stark realism. To the boxing story, Scorsese gives an upfront and personal perspective. Even his comedy revolves around a struggle for survival, his gangster films the first of their kind to successfully combine comedy and tragedy in the same scene. Revered as one of the world's greatest directors, Martin Scorsese has been nominated four times for an Academy Award for best director and has never won. Maybe it's because he's too unconventional. Maybe it's because he shows us a side of violence, a side of humanity, too scary to accept. Whatever the reason, if there is a central fabric running through his best films, it's his mastery of violence.

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