GoodFellas currently edges Jaws 53–47
Two directors, two instincts, no daylight between them.
The Verdict Decade Duel
This matchup has 17 votes. The picture may shift as more people weigh in.
Spielberg withholds. Scorsese overwhelms. Both approaches are operating at peak form in these particular films, and 47 to 53 says neither approach is winning the argument. Jaws hides the shark and lets Williams’s score and the audience’s imagination do the work. GoodFellas puts everything on screen — the violence is sudden, the luxury is tactile, Pesci’s “funny how” scene generates tension from the possibility that anything could happen at any moment. The split isn’t indecision. It’s a genuine disagreement about whether cinema is more powerful when it makes you wait or when it won’t let you breathe.
The Numbers
| Jaws | GoodFellas | |
|---|---|---|
| Head-to-Head | 47% | 53% |
| Overall Win Rate | 49% | 55% |
| Championships | 10 | 16 |
| Budget | $7M | $25M |
| Box Office | $471M | $47M |
Where This Matchup Sits
Looking at shared opponents, Raging Bull draws a line between them: GoodFellas dominates that matchup, but Jaws comes out on the wrong side.
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