Gangster (or Mob) films are a subgenre of American crime films dealing with organized crime, often specifically with the Mafia. Especially in early mob films, there is considerable overlap with film noir. That being said I'm here to bring you my top 10 favorite gangster films of all-time. So without further ado...
10. Scarface (1983)
This is one hell of a film and in my personal opinion this is Al Pacino's greatest performance he has givenA Cuban immigrant named Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) from Castro's jails cuts a violent path of destruction on his way to the top of Miami's drug trade. Scarface has a rating of 89% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. The Usual Suspects
This film is absolutlely amazing and it will keep you guessing til the very end."The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist," says con man Kint (played by Kevin Spacey), drawing a comparison to the most enigmatic criminal of all time, Keyser Soze. Kint attempts to convince the feds that the mythic crime lord not only exists, but is also responsible for drawing Kint and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro Harbor - leaving few survivors. The Usual Suspects was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor and Original Screenplay while winning both and it has a rating of 88% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. The Untouchables
This is one of the more exciting and violent films I have seen. Prohibition in the United States has led to an organized crime wave in the 1920s and early 1930s. Various gangs bootleg vast amounts of alcohol and control their businesses with violence and extortion. The problem is most serious in Chicago, where gang leader Al Capone (played by Robert De Niro) has almost the whole city (even the city's mayor) under his control, and supplies poor-quality liquor at high prices. Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) is put in charge of leading the crusade against Capone and his empire. The Untouchables was nominated for 4 Academy Awards inlcuding Best Art Direction, Supporting Actor, Original Score and Costume Design, while winning 1 (Best Supporting Actor) and it has a rating of 81% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. The Godfather
The first time that I saw this film I was amazed and it instantly became one of my favorite films. When a mob war breaks out and Don Vito (played by Marlon Brando) is seriously wounded, it falls to son Michael (played by Al Pacino), previously uninvolved in the family "business," to pull the irons out of the fire. The Godfather was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Film Editing, Sound and Original Score while winning 3 (Best Picture, Director and Actor) and it has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. The Departed
In my opinion this is Martin Scorsese's best film to date. South Boston cop Billy Costigan (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) goes under cover to infiltrate the organization of gangland chief Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson). As Billy gains the mobster's trust, a career criminal named Colin Sullivan (played by Matt Damon) infiltrates the police department and reports on its activities to his syndicate bosses. When both organizations learn they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin must figure out each other's identities to save their own lives. The departed was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Film Editing, Supporting Actor and Adapted Screenplay while winning 4 (Best Picture, Director, Film Editing and Adapted Screenplay) and it has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. The Public Enemy
This is one impactful films and emotional films I have seen in a long time. Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers (played by James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (played by Eddie Woods), rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away. The Public Enemy was nominated for 1 Academy Award for Best Story and it has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. Goodfellas
This is one of the greatest films of all-time and it has some of the greatest performances of all-time. A young man named Henry Hill (grows up in the mob and works very hard to advance himself through the ranks. He enjoys his life of money and luxury, but is oblivious to the horror that he causes. A drug addiction and a few mistakes ultimately unravel his climb to the top. Goodfellas was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Film Editing Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress, while winning 1 (Best Supporting Actor) and it has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. Reservoir Dogs
As I have stated before, I am a huge Quentin Tarantino fan and this movie is the main reason why I am. A group of thieves (played by Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Micheal Madsen Steve Buscemi and Chris Penn) assemble to pull of the perfect diamond heist. It turns into a bloody ambush when one of the men turns out to be a police informer. As the group begins to question each others guilt, the heightening tensions threaten to explode the situation before the police step in. Reservoir Dogs has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. Pulp Fiction
This film comes from one of the greatest directors in the modern era Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction connects the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. Considerable screen time is devoted to conversations and monologues that reveal the characters senses of humor and perspectives on life. I love this film and Tarantino is one of my favorite directors of all-time and I love his non-linear storytelling by presenting the story in non-chronological order. Pulp Fiction was nominated for 6 other Academy Awards including Best Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, Original Screenplay and Film Editing while winning only 1 (Best Original Screenplay) and it has a rating of 95% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. The Godfather Part 2
In what is considered the greatest sequel of all-time and what is also a prequel as well, The Godfather Part 2 continues the story of Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) (the new Don of the Corleone crime family) trying to hold his business ventures together from 1958 to 1959. The prequel parts of the film are flashbacks to a younger Vito Corleone (played by Robert DeNiro), from his childhood in Sicily in 1901 to the founding of the Corleone crime family in New York City. I will admit that the film is a little over 3 hours long and for some people I can see why you might get bored or uninterested, but believe me when I say that the film needs to be that long because of the story they are telling. The Godfather Part 2 was nominated for 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, 3 for Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Costume Design, Art Direction and Music while winning 6 (Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Art Direction and Music) and it has a rating of 98% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite gangster films and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
10. Scarface (1983)
This is one hell of a film and in my personal opinion this is Al Pacino's greatest performance he has givenA Cuban immigrant named Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) from Castro's jails cuts a violent path of destruction on his way to the top of Miami's drug trade. Scarface has a rating of 89% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. The Usual Suspects
This film is absolutlely amazing and it will keep you guessing til the very end."The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist," says con man Kint (played by Kevin Spacey), drawing a comparison to the most enigmatic criminal of all time, Keyser Soze. Kint attempts to convince the feds that the mythic crime lord not only exists, but is also responsible for drawing Kint and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro Harbor - leaving few survivors. The Usual Suspects was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor and Original Screenplay while winning both and it has a rating of 88% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. The Untouchables
This is one of the more exciting and violent films I have seen. Prohibition in the United States has led to an organized crime wave in the 1920s and early 1930s. Various gangs bootleg vast amounts of alcohol and control their businesses with violence and extortion. The problem is most serious in Chicago, where gang leader Al Capone (played by Robert De Niro) has almost the whole city (even the city's mayor) under his control, and supplies poor-quality liquor at high prices. Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) is put in charge of leading the crusade against Capone and his empire. The Untouchables was nominated for 4 Academy Awards inlcuding Best Art Direction, Supporting Actor, Original Score and Costume Design, while winning 1 (Best Supporting Actor) and it has a rating of 81% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. The Godfather
The first time that I saw this film I was amazed and it instantly became one of my favorite films. When a mob war breaks out and Don Vito (played by Marlon Brando) is seriously wounded, it falls to son Michael (played by Al Pacino), previously uninvolved in the family "business," to pull the irons out of the fire. The Godfather was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Film Editing, Sound and Original Score while winning 3 (Best Picture, Director and Actor) and it has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. The Departed
In my opinion this is Martin Scorsese's best film to date. South Boston cop Billy Costigan (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) goes under cover to infiltrate the organization of gangland chief Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson). As Billy gains the mobster's trust, a career criminal named Colin Sullivan (played by Matt Damon) infiltrates the police department and reports on its activities to his syndicate bosses. When both organizations learn they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin must figure out each other's identities to save their own lives. The departed was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Film Editing, Supporting Actor and Adapted Screenplay while winning 4 (Best Picture, Director, Film Editing and Adapted Screenplay) and it has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. The Public Enemy
This is one impactful films and emotional films I have seen in a long time. Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers (played by James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (played by Eddie Woods), rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away. The Public Enemy was nominated for 1 Academy Award for Best Story and it has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. Goodfellas
This is one of the greatest films of all-time and it has some of the greatest performances of all-time. A young man named Henry Hill (grows up in the mob and works very hard to advance himself through the ranks. He enjoys his life of money and luxury, but is oblivious to the horror that he causes. A drug addiction and a few mistakes ultimately unravel his climb to the top. Goodfellas was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Film Editing Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress, while winning 1 (Best Supporting Actor) and it has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. Reservoir Dogs
As I have stated before, I am a huge Quentin Tarantino fan and this movie is the main reason why I am. A group of thieves (played by Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Micheal Madsen Steve Buscemi and Chris Penn) assemble to pull of the perfect diamond heist. It turns into a bloody ambush when one of the men turns out to be a police informer. As the group begins to question each others guilt, the heightening tensions threaten to explode the situation before the police step in. Reservoir Dogs has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. Pulp Fiction
This film comes from one of the greatest directors in the modern era Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction connects the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. Considerable screen time is devoted to conversations and monologues that reveal the characters senses of humor and perspectives on life. I love this film and Tarantino is one of my favorite directors of all-time and I love his non-linear storytelling by presenting the story in non-chronological order. Pulp Fiction was nominated for 6 other Academy Awards including Best Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, Original Screenplay and Film Editing while winning only 1 (Best Original Screenplay) and it has a rating of 95% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. The Godfather Part 2
In what is considered the greatest sequel of all-time and what is also a prequel as well, The Godfather Part 2 continues the story of Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) (the new Don of the Corleone crime family) trying to hold his business ventures together from 1958 to 1959. The prequel parts of the film are flashbacks to a younger Vito Corleone (played by Robert DeNiro), from his childhood in Sicily in 1901 to the founding of the Corleone crime family in New York City. I will admit that the film is a little over 3 hours long and for some people I can see why you might get bored or uninterested, but believe me when I say that the film needs to be that long because of the story they are telling. The Godfather Part 2 was nominated for 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, 3 for Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Costume Design, Art Direction and Music while winning 6 (Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Art Direction and Music) and it has a rating of 98% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite gangster films and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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