As soon as we hear about gangsters, everyone thinks of a guy in a suit who takes the machine gun out of his coat and starts… Or just a violent guy who is involved in illegal actions including gambling, drugs or extortions. Either way, gangster movies are about raw violence and power games.
There are hundreds of movies about gangs, real or fictional. Which of the movies in the list below is your favorite?
Choose your favorite gangster movie!
The gangster movies of the poll
Godfather
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse…” Francis Ford Coppola’s trilogy remains even today one of the best films of all time and one of the top ganster movies. The Italian-American Corleone family made its debut in 1972 with Marlon Brandon in the lead role of the Godfather, Don Vito Corleone. Murder, extortion, family tensions, deals involving severed horse heads and a war for supremacy over rivals make up the Mafia climate in post-war America. In the film, words like “mafia” or “cosa nostra” were forbidden.
Goodfellas
Martin Scorsese directed and wrote a film selected by the Library of Congress and entered into the National Film Registry as “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.” The film shows the career of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) in the mafia from 1955 to 1980. His partners were James “Jimmy the Gent” Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci).
The departed
Martin Scorsese directs Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon. The film shows the parallel but opposite lives of Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). Their common denominator is their police career and the powerful Irish mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). The film keeps the viewer’s interest undiminished until the last minute!
Pulp fiction
With Quentin Tarantino you know from the begining that you won’t be seeing a conventional film. Pulp fiction consists of 4 stories of gangs and petty criminals. It all begins when Jules Winfield and Vincent Vega cross paths working as hitmen for the gangster Marcellus Wallace. Jules decides to give up and Wallace tries to set up a boxing fight of Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis).
Scarface
“Say hello to my little friend…” Al Pacino takes on the role of Tony Montana in the 1983 remake of Scarface (yes, it was originally released earlier!). Violence, drugs and language inappropriate for minors (at least at that time) frame the path of a Cuban refugee on the road to crime and cocaine.
Lock, stock and two smoking barrels
The film that introduced Guy Ritchie as a director and Jason Statham as an actor to the public. In every group of friends there is the one who will get into trouble and need the help of the others. That’s exactly what the movie is. Except that the needy friend is a gambler, the entanglement is a £500,000 debt and the rescue involves organizing a heist!
Once upon a time in America
The latest film of Sergio Leone deals with the story of 2 childhood friends (Robert De Niro and James Woods). From the Jewish ghetto to the mafia and crime world of New York, the film has many elements of drama. Even mobsters can feel loss, jealousy, envy, and betrayal.
Reservoir dogs
Quentin Tarantino’s debut as a director in 1992 was a heist film. 6 robbers with names that refer to power rangers (White, Blonde, Orange, Pink, Brown and Blue) undertake a diamond heist. But if the heist is a set up, everything goes wrong… We don’t spoil, check it out! The film has been called the best independent film of all time.
Road to perdition
A classic mob movie. During the Great Depression (1931) in America, Michael Sullivan, Sr. (Tom Hanks) briefly leaves his role in a criminal organization and, together with his son, tries to take revenge for the murder of his wife.
Casino
As we have learned from all the movies, in the old days, the mafia ran the gambling and casinos. And if someone didn’t know it from other gangster movies, they can just watch “Casino”! The film follows Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a Jewish-American bookie who is managing a casino for the Mafia from 1973 to 1980. The character is fictional but based on a real person. Violence, alcohol, drugs, attempted murders and various criminal actions fit perfectly in Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece!
25th hour
25th hour is a bit different from the other gangster movies of the poll. Most of the movies include action, money and criminals running around illegally. This film shows the final hours of Montgomery “Monty” Brogan (Edward Norton) before serving a 7-year sentence for drug trafficking. Does his environment support him? Does he trust them? Is he afraid of something?
The untouchables
Untouchables is the film that tells the story of what happened in Chicago during Prohibition. Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is a government agent and very determined to arrest Al Capone (Robert De Niro). Bombs, blackmail, chases, guns and a lot of corruption gave the film 4 nominations for Oscar, one of which led to the Oscar for Best Actor for Sean Connery.
Donnie Brasco
Johnny Depp impersonates Joseph Pistone. As an undercover FBI agent, he acts under the identity of Donnie Brasco. His objective is to infiltrate in the mafia and approach a mobster named Lefty (Al Pacino). But when this is done, the conflicting interests that should exist between a cop and a mobster are overrun by friendship and trust.
Carlito’s way
Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) wants to leave his sins behind him. He served his sentence, he stopped drug dealing and he dreamed of having a legal business in the Bahamas. But his past and the lack of money for making his dream come true are barriers that didn’t make his life any easier.
American gangster
The Vietnam War begins. Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) takes over the Harlem crime scene when his former boss, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson dies suddenly (of natural causes). Money, drugs, extortion, prison, violence… Everything that all great gangster movies should include, is there!
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is an epic film by Martin Scorsese. In the midst of the American Civil War, New York is divided between the Irish, the Italians, and the locals who have their own war. And as if that was not enough, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) seeks out William “Bill the Butcher” (Daniel Day-Lewis) in order to avenge his father’s murder.
Mean streets
John “Johnny Boy” Civello (Robert De Niro), under the guidance of Martin Scorsese, tries to find balance between two worlds. He fights between his Catholic faith and his passion for action and his dream to rise in the criminal world of America.
Bound by honor
2 brothers and a cousin (sounds like a joke, but it’s not!) in Los Angeles. They all act for the same gang, Vatos Locos. Violence, drugs, weapons and a future that, while it could very be similar for all three, finally each one of them has his own route.
Blow
Blow deals with the life of George Jung, the man who in the 70’s and 80’s collaborated with Pablo Escobar and trafficked his cocaine in the USA. As we can conclude from his partnership with Escobar, Boston George, as he was known, was very serious about what he was doing. From a small country town and a family with financial problems, he found himself in Los Angeles to deal drugs. First marijuana, then cocaine and finally prison.
Bronx Tales
Do you believe it is easy to resist the temptation of luxury? The film shows the life of a child in an Italian-American neighborhood. Poverty, innocence, loving family, mafia, gambling, violence and easy earned money are all mixed perfectly in this neighborhood. The kid has the family, but he also has the sympathy of the mafia. The choice is not easy!
Gangster squad
Classic gangster movie. Los Angeles 1949, the mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), now rules the entire criminal world of California. Though, before he can expand his activities to other states, a special police team starts the hunt!
