How Well Do You Know Scorsese’s Mob Movies?

ENTERTAINMENT

By: Jonnathan Chadwick

6 Min Quiz

Image: Plan B Entertainment / Initial Entertainment Group / Vertigo Entertainment / Media Asia Films

About This Quiz

It's almost impossible to think of anything other than mobster movies when thinking of Martin Scorsese. He's directed dozens and dozens of films, but he's most remembered for his mafia films. Henry Hill, Ace Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, Johnny Boy, Frank Costello and Bill the Butcher are some of the director's most famous characters. He's teamed up with Robert De Niro on classic films like "Taxi Driver" and "The King of Comedy." Their first collaboration was in 1973, and their 10th is scheduled for 2021, but when people think of De Niro and Scorsese, they think gangster flicks.

Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci and even Leonardo DiCaprio have teamed up with the legendary director on multiple occasions to create some of the most memorable mobsters in cinema history. We've watched them grow up to choose a life of crime. We've watched them become police officers and assassins. We've watched them fix sporting events and rig casinos. We've seen them cause chaos on the streets of New York City in the current day and the 1800s. We've seen them so many times, they've actually become synonymous with mobster movies.

Mobster movies have slowly started to die out, but these Scorsese classics will live on forever. How well do you know Martin Scorsese's mob movies?

As far back as he can remember, Henry Hill always wanted to be a gangster. He gets to do so in what film?

One day Henry's parents get a letter from school notifying them of his son's poor performance. Henry tells his boss, and his boss makes sure the mailman never delivers a bad letter to Henry's house again. The incident is the start of Henry's mob life.

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"It was the last time that street guys like us were ever given anything that valuable again." What film tells this story?

Sam "Ace" Rothstein and Nicky Santoro are given a casino in Las Vegas, but they manage to ruin everything. They all get greedy and let their egos get in the way, and the people who gave them the opportunity, the Midwest mob, don't take the situation lightly.

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We finally learn what happened to Jimmy Hoffa in what Scorsese mob flick?

According to the Irishman, who was a hitman and bodyguard, Jimmy Hoffa was killed in an empty house and then incinerated. Hoffa was killed because he refused to sign off on loans the mob needed. His body was never found.

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Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have worked together on several films. Can you name their first?

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese teamed up for a ninth time when the two worked together on "The Irishman." The two are expected to collaborate again for a film adaptation of David Grann's "Killers of the Flower Moon."

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Jake LaMotta learns how to fight for the mob in what black-and-white classic?

"Raging Bull" is much more than a mob or boxing movie and showcases several aspects of LaMotta's life. One of the most significant moments from his story was when he was forced to throw a fight for a local mob boss.

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Manhattan's Five Points neighborhood is a hotbed for violence in what 1800s mob movie?

This isn't your typical mob movie, but it is all about mobs in New York City. The film starred Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis and was the first time Scorsese worked with Leonardo DiCaprio. The two would go on to create another mob movie just a few years later.

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What film follows an undercover cop infiltrating the mob and an undercover mobster infiltrating the cops?

Boston natives Matt Damon and Mark Whalberg joined Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson in this story loosely based on Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill Gang. The movie is a remake of a Hong Kong crime thriller.

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"What do you mean I'm funny? Funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to amuse you? What do you mean funny? Funny how? How am I funny?" What's the movie?

Henry Hill is hanging around the type of people that just might kill you for laughing at a joke, and this scene is one of the most memorable in "Goodfellas." Luckily, it's all just a big joke, and everybody has a good laugh at it.

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"Casino" begins with De Niro's car getting blown up, but we later learn he survived the blast. How?

At the end of the film, we learn the mob wants to get rid of everyone involved in the Vegas scheme, including De Niro. They decide to TNT his car, "but what they didn't know, what nobody outside the factory knew, was that that model car was made with a metal plate under the driver's seat."

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The Irishman spends a lot of time with Jimmy Hoffa in the movie. Why?

Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran is portrayed by Robert De Niro in the film, and Jimmy Hoffa is portrayed by Al Pacino. Sheeran eventually gains Hoffa's trust and becomes his bodyguard on the road. Hoffa becomes a family friend.

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How do we get introduced to Johnny Boy in "Mean Streets"?

We're introduced to the main characters near the beginning of the film. We get introduced to Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) when we see him blowing up a government mailbox and running away for no reason. He's the most reckless character in the story.

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Do you know the first time Martin Scorsese teamed up with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci?

The trio famously collaborated on "Goodfellas" and "Casino," but "Raging Bull" was the first time. All three were nominated for Oscars for their work in the film, and De Niro went on to win the Best Actor award.

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Which of the following isn't one of the gangs of New York?

There are several gangs running around the Five Points area of lower Manhattan, including the Slaughterhouses, Broadway Twisters, Bowery Boys, The Little 40 Thieves and more. The Dead Rabbits are one of the most powerful at the beginning of the film.

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"We can become cops or criminals ... When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?" Do you know the movie?

Frank uses this line to recruit Colin early in the film, and the theme is mentioned throughout. Colin grows up to become a police officer, and when he comes face to face with a loaded gun in the film, the lesson is repeated.

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Why was Jimmy "Two Times" called Jimmy "Two Times"?

As Henry rifles off a list of good fellas with names like Fat Andy, Freddy No No's, Pete the Killer, Sally Balls, Nicky Eyes, and of course, Tommy and Jimmy, we hear about Jimmy Two Times. He says everything twice.

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What's the name of the casino Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro are sent to Vegas to manage?

The crew tasked with running illegal schemes in Las Vegas managed to ruin everything mainly because of their egos. Ace was supposed to work in food and beverage, but he decided to star in his own TV show instead. He was working at the Tangiers Hotel and Casino.

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What mob family did the Irishman work for?

Irishman Frank Sheeran worked for the Bufalino mob family out of Pennsylvania. The family was run by Russell Bufalino when Sheeran was working for them. Bufalino is portrayed by Joe Pesci in the film, and Sheeran is portrayed by Robert De Niro.

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Charlie has to navigate the mean streets of NYC while dealing with his crazy friend. Who plays Charlie in "Mean Streets"?

Scorsese and De Niro have worked together on nine films, but the director has worked with Keitel on several projects as well. Scorsese, Keitel and De Niro all teamed up for "Taxi Driver" and 2019's "The Irishman."

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"You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody." What movie pays homage to this classic quote?

This quote is originally from "On the Waterfront," but Jake LaMotta recites the scene while talking to himself in the mirror in the film's ending scene. The quote sums up LaMotta's life pretty accurately.

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The "Boss of Tammany Hall" was known for doing corrupt deals with the gangs of New York. What's his real name?

William Tweed was known as Boss Tweed and was one of the country's most corrupt politicians. He was accused of stealing as much as $200 million. He escaped from jail, was arrested again and eventually died in jail.

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"The Departed" is loosely based on Whitey Bulger, played by Jack Nicholson. What's his name in the film?

Both Colin and Frank were based on real-life people. Colin was based on a corrupt FBI agent, and Frank was based on Whitey Bulger. The name choice is confusing because Frank Costello was also a real-life mobster known as "The Prime Minister of the Underworld."

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How does Henry meet his wife Karen in "Goodfellas"?

Tommy has a date with a girl who refuses to go on dates with Italians alone, so he needs Henry to go on a double date with the girl's friend. Henry rushes through the first date and doesn't show for the second date, but the two eventually fall in love.

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Sam "Ace" Rothstein puts $2 million in a safety deposit box that can only be opened with one key. What does he do with the key?

Ace's reasoning for doing this is that he'd probably need the money in a time when he can't access it (like being kidnapped or in jail), so the best person to have the only key is his wife, Ginger. The moves later proves to be a bad decision.

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"If they can whack a president, they can whack a president of a union. You know it and I know it." Do you know the film?

According to the way the Irishman saw things, the mob was responsible for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The head of the Bufalino mob family is trying to tell Jimmy Hoffa his life is in danger, but Hoffa doesn't listen.

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Do you know what director plays the role of Jimmy Shorts in "Mean Streets"?

Martin Scorsese has appeared in more than 30 films including almost all of his films. He's been in "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "Gangs of New York" and more. He doesn't appear in "Casino" and "Goodfellas."

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Early on, we get to see Jake LaMotta hand what legendary world-champion boxer his first loss?

Jake LaMotta defeated Sugar Ray Robinson in 1943. The two fought five fights in total, and Robinson won four of them, although two of them were heavily disputed. Robinson himself said LaMotta was one of his toughest rivals.

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The Dead Rabbits are led by Priest Vallon in "Gangs of New York." Who's the leader of the Protestant gang?

Bill the Butcher is portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis, and he's the primary antagonist in the film. He's the local butcher and one of the most feared gangsters in New York City at the time. The real life Bill the Butcher was the leader of the Bowery Boys.

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The last animal we see in "The Departed" is a metaphor for the story's characters. What's the animal?

Although "The Departed" won Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director (Scorsese's only Oscar) and Best Picture at the Academy Awards, many people felt the rat metaphor at the end of the movie was too blatant. They even raised money to have it removed.

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Samuel L. Jackson plays Parnell "Stacks" Edwards in "Goodfellas." What was he supposed to do during the Lufthansa heist?

The crew flawlessly pulls off the Lufthansa heist, and Stacks is tasked with getting rid of the van. Instead, he gets high and goes to his girlfriend's house and parks the van in a "No Parking" zone. He's later punished for his failures.

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Ace doesn't have a license to run the Tangiers Casino, but all he has to do is keep changing his job title and they'll never check. What is Ace's job at the casino?

Ace is the manager of the Tangiers Casino and is in charge of running the scam for the Chicago mob, but his official job title is in food and beverage. He's supposed to change his title every few months, and he eventually decides to host a TV show on the casino floor.

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What does painting houses mean in "The Irishman"?

The original title of the Irishman's book is "I Heard You Paint Houses," and the phrase is a euphemism for killing in the film. The Irishman's real name is Frank Sheeran, and he claimed to be a hitman for the mob. He also claimed to have killed Jimmy Hoffa.

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"You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets." What movies begins with this message?

This quote is a voice-over at the very beginning of the film. Charlie is sleeping and he wakes up to this quote. The entire film he's trying to prove himself and work his way up in the local mob. His friend Johnny Boy makes things a lot more difficult for him.

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What does Jake LaMotta have to do before he gets a chance at the title fight?

Jake quickly learns the title fight is controlled by the mob and the only way he can fight it is by playing by their rules. He's told he has to throw a fight first. LaMotta loses his fight and is suspended on suspicion of throwing the fight. He's later reinstated and wins the title fight.

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"The blood stays on the blade. One day you'll understand." Can you name the film?

The leader of the Dead Rabbits, Priest Vallon, teaches this lesson to his son after purposely cutting himself while shaving. It's not known exactly what the quote means, but it can be interpreted to mean that one can't wipe away their sins.

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Frank takes Colin under his wing in "The Departed," but Colin later turns on him. Why?

Colin learns everything he knows from Frank, but then he learns some things he wasn't supposed to. Frank is an FBI informant. Colin confronts Frank about the allegations during a firefight with the police and eventually kills him.

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