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. With hat being said I'm here to bring you my top 10 favorite gangster films of all-time. You can check out my other list here. These movies are ranked 11-20 so when you see number 5 it is actually number 15. So without further ado...
10. (20) The Godfather Part III
I know that this film doesn't live up to the other two films, but this film does have some really great moments. Loosely based on King Lear, The Godfather, Part 3 opens in 1979, when Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) is attempting to make the family business legitimate, as well as gain some spiritual peace by investing in the Catholic church. However, he is pulled back into the gangster life, both by corrupt influences within the church, and by the appearance of Vincent Mancini (played by Andy Garcia), the long-lost son of his brother Sonny. As Michael sinks deeper into complicated dealings within the church and some former business associates, Vincent falls in love with Michael's daughter, Mary (played by Sofia Coppola). The Godfather Part III was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing and it has a rating of 67% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. (19) Donnie Brasco
This film has one of the greatest acting pairs in cinema history. Joe Pistone (played by Johnny Depp) is an FBI agent who is given an assignment to infiltrate the Mafia; calling himself Donnie Brasco, he befriends Lefty Ruggiero (played by Al Pacino), a low-level mob hit man whose personal life is in tatters. Lefty's marriage is falling apart, his son is a junkie, and his health is failing, which only adds to his growing disillusionment about having spent 30 years with the Mafia (and killing 26 people) with little to show for it. But in Donnie, Lefty sees someone who can succeed where he failed; he takes the young man under his wing, and under Lefty's tutelage Donnie quickly rises through the ranks of organized crime; however, the longer he plays the role of the gangster, the more Joe Pistone finds himself becoming Donnie Brasco in his increasingly rare off hours; it drives a wedge between himself and his wife (played by Anne Heche) and children, and Joe realizes that a break in character among the hoodlums he's come to know could mean a death sentence for himself and his family. Just as importantly, Joe has come to regard Lefty as a close and trusted friend, and Joe realizes that when the day comes where he has to turn in his Mob associates, he'll be ending Lefty's life as surely as if he put a slug in his head himself. Donnie Brasco was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and it has a rating of 87% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. (18) American Gangster
This film has an amazing cast and it is Ridley Scott's last great film. Nobody used to notice Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington), the quiet driver to one of the inner city's leading black crime bosses. But when his boss suddenly dies, Frank exploits the opening in the power structure to build his own empire and create his own version of the American Dream. Through ingenuity and a strict business ethic, he comes to rule the inner-city drug trade, flooding the streets with a purer product at a better price. Lucas outplays all of the leading crime syndicates and becomes not only one of the city's mainline corrupters, but part of its circle of legit civic superstars. Richie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe) is an outcast cop close enough to the streets to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. Roberts believes someone is climbing the rungs above the known Mafia families and starts to suspect that a black power player has come from nowhere to dominate the scene. Both Lucas and Roberts share a rigorous ethical code that sets them apart from their own colleagues, making them lone figures on opposite sides of the law. The destinies of these two men will become intertwined as they approach a confrontation where only one of them can come out on top. American Gangster was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Art Direction and it has a rating of 80% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. (17) Mean Streets
This is an amazing film and it is Scorsese's most underrated film. Driven equally by his wish to become a respectable gangster like his uncle (played by Cesare Danova) and his desire to live his life like St. Francis, Charlie (played by Harvey Keitel) takes on his energetically unhinged friend Johnny Boy (played by Robert De Niro) as his own personal penance, intervening to get Johnny Boy to pay off a debt to the local loan shark Michael (played by Richard Romanus). Despite his promises to his epileptic girlfriend Teresa (played by Amy Robinson) that they will move out of Little Italy once he strengthens his position in his uncle's world, Charlie's involvement with Johnny Boy further ensnares him in the neighborhood. When Johnny Boy decides to mouth off to Michael rather than pay him, Charlie, Johnny Boy, and Teresa try to flee Michael's murderous anger (and an assassin played by Scorsese), forcing Charlie to realize that the rules of the streets do not mesh with absolution. Mean Streets has a rating of 98% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. (16) Carlito's Way
Speaking of underrated, this has two very underrated performances from Sean Peen and Al Pacino. Melodramatic tale of ex-hood Carlito who tries to get enough money to get out but is continually dragged back into the life he is so desperately trying to escape. Carlito's Way has a rating of 80% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. (15) Boyz n the Hood
This is a really dark film and it is a really powerful film with some great performances. When young Tre (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), a bright underachiever, begins to show signs of trouble, his struggling professional mother (played by Angela Basset) sends him to live with his father (played by Lawrence Fishburne), a hard-nosed, no-nonsense disciplinarian. There he befriends Ricky (played by Morris Chestnut), a burgeoning football star, and Doughboy (played by Ice Cube), a would-be gang banger. Over the years, each chooses his own path: Tre seems bound for college; Ricky is a blue-chip running back with his pick of schools; Doughboy is a dope dealer and bona fide gangster who drifts in and out of the county juvenile facility. All is well until, without warning, a rival gang chases down Tre and Ricky with tragic results Boyz n the Hood was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay and it has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. (14) True Romance
Quinton Tarantino may not have directed the film, but his style is all over this as he did write the script for the film. Clarence Worley (played by Christian Slater) is a well-meaning but socially unskilled comic-shop clerk whose idea of a big night out is catching a Sonny Chiba triple-feature at a downtown grindhouse. Clarence is celebrating his birthday in just such a manner when he meets a beautiful girl named Alabama (played by Patricia Arquette), and it's love at first sight for both of them. Clarence's enthusiasm isn't dampened much when he discovers Alabama is actually a prostitute who was paid by his boss to bump into him; she's only been in the business for a few days, and is more than eager to give up streetwalking to be with Clarence. However, Alabama is certain her pimp, Drexl (played by Gary Oldman), will not be happy; he's an ill-mannered sort with mob connections and a fondness for violence. Chivalrous Clarence offers to break the news to Drexl and collect her belongings, but he doesn't tell her he also plans to kill Drexl while he's there; a melee breaks out that leaves Drexl and his henchmen dead. Clarence grabs a suitcase that he thinks contains Alabama's clothes, but he discovers it instead holds five million dollars' worth of cocaine. The couple hits the road for California, planning to sell the dope and enjoy the good life in South America with the proceeds, but soon a group of very unhappy underworld characters are after them, as well as the police. True Romance has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. (13) Snatch
This is an insane film with a great cast and some amazing performances. Turkish (played by Jason Statham) and Tommy (played by Stephen Graham), join up with Mickey (played by Brad Pitt), an Irish gypsy and boxer. Turkish and Tommy make arrangements with Mickey to take a fall in a match engineered by lunatic gang leader Brick Top (played by Alan Ford). In another corner resides equally loony Russian gangster Boris the Blade (played by Rade Sherbedgia), who has asked Jewish gangster Franky Four Fingers (played by Benicio Del Toro) to place a bet on the match for him. Boris is also scheming to have Sol (played by Lennie James), the owner of a pawn shop, rob the place with a couple of dim associates. Meanwhile, Avi (played by Dennis Farina), freshly arrived in London from New York, hires Bullet Tooth Tony (played by Vinnie Jones) to find Franky when he goes missing; it seems that it was none other than Franky who was supposed to be transporting the purloined diamond to New York. Snatch has a rating of 73% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. (12) Casino
This is a terrific film with some amazing performances and it continued Scorsese's success witht the genre.The film chronicles the lives and times of three characters: "Ace" Rothstein (played by Robert De Niro), a bookmaking wizard; Nicky Santoro (played by Joe Pesci), a Mafia underboss and longtime best friend to Ace; and Ginger McKenna (played by Sharon Stone), a leggy ex-prostitute with a fondness for jewelry and a penchant for playing the field. Ace plays by the rules (albeit Vegas rules, which, as he reminds the audience in voiceover, would make him a criminal in any other state), while Nicky and Ginger lie, cheat, and steal their respective ways to the top. Casino was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and it has a rating of 80% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. (11) Gangs of New York
I absolutely love this film and the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis is just unbelievably spectacular. In 1846, as waves of Irish immigrants poured into the New York neighborhood of Five Points, a number of citizens of British and Dutch heritage who were born in the United States began making an open display of their resentment toward the new arrivals. William Cutting (played by Daniel Day-Lewis), better known as "Bill the Butcher" for his deadly skill with a knife, bands his fellow "Native Americans" into a gang to take on the Irish immigrants; the immigrants in turn form a gang of their own, "The Dead Rabbits," organized by Priest Vallon (played Liam Neeson). After an especially bloody clash between the Natives and the Rabbits leaves Vallon dead, his son goes missing; the boy ends up in a brutal reform school before returning to the Five Points in 1862 as Amsterdam (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). Now a strapping adult who has learned how to fight, Amsterdam has come to seek vengeance against Bill the Butcher, whose underworld control of the Five Points through violence and intimidation dovetails with the open corruption of New York politician "Boss" Tweed (played by Jim Broadbent). Amsterdam gradually penetrates Bill the Butcher's inner circle, and he soon becomes his trusted assistant. Amsterdam also finds himself falling for Jenny Everdeane (played by Cameron Diaz), a beautiful but street-smart thief who was once involved with Bill. Amsterdam is learning a great deal from Bill, but before he can turn the tables on the man who killed his father, Amsterdam's true identity is exposed, even though he has concealed it from nearly everyone, including Jenny. Gangs of New York was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Costume Design and it has a rating of 75% 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. (20) The Godfather Part III
I know that this film doesn't live up to the other two films, but this film does have some really great moments. Loosely based on King Lear, The Godfather, Part 3 opens in 1979, when Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) is attempting to make the family business legitimate, as well as gain some spiritual peace by investing in the Catholic church. However, he is pulled back into the gangster life, both by corrupt influences within the church, and by the appearance of Vincent Mancini (played by Andy Garcia), the long-lost son of his brother Sonny. As Michael sinks deeper into complicated dealings within the church and some former business associates, Vincent falls in love with Michael's daughter, Mary (played by Sofia Coppola). The Godfather Part III was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing and it has a rating of 67% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. (19) Donnie Brasco
This film has one of the greatest acting pairs in cinema history. Joe Pistone (played by Johnny Depp) is an FBI agent who is given an assignment to infiltrate the Mafia; calling himself Donnie Brasco, he befriends Lefty Ruggiero (played by Al Pacino), a low-level mob hit man whose personal life is in tatters. Lefty's marriage is falling apart, his son is a junkie, and his health is failing, which only adds to his growing disillusionment about having spent 30 years with the Mafia (and killing 26 people) with little to show for it. But in Donnie, Lefty sees someone who can succeed where he failed; he takes the young man under his wing, and under Lefty's tutelage Donnie quickly rises through the ranks of organized crime; however, the longer he plays the role of the gangster, the more Joe Pistone finds himself becoming Donnie Brasco in his increasingly rare off hours; it drives a wedge between himself and his wife (played by Anne Heche) and children, and Joe realizes that a break in character among the hoodlums he's come to know could mean a death sentence for himself and his family. Just as importantly, Joe has come to regard Lefty as a close and trusted friend, and Joe realizes that when the day comes where he has to turn in his Mob associates, he'll be ending Lefty's life as surely as if he put a slug in his head himself. Donnie Brasco was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and it has a rating of 87% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. (18) American Gangster
This film has an amazing cast and it is Ridley Scott's last great film. Nobody used to notice Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington), the quiet driver to one of the inner city's leading black crime bosses. But when his boss suddenly dies, Frank exploits the opening in the power structure to build his own empire and create his own version of the American Dream. Through ingenuity and a strict business ethic, he comes to rule the inner-city drug trade, flooding the streets with a purer product at a better price. Lucas outplays all of the leading crime syndicates and becomes not only one of the city's mainline corrupters, but part of its circle of legit civic superstars. Richie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe) is an outcast cop close enough to the streets to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. Roberts believes someone is climbing the rungs above the known Mafia families and starts to suspect that a black power player has come from nowhere to dominate the scene. Both Lucas and Roberts share a rigorous ethical code that sets them apart from their own colleagues, making them lone figures on opposite sides of the law. The destinies of these two men will become intertwined as they approach a confrontation where only one of them can come out on top. American Gangster was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Art Direction and it has a rating of 80% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. (17) Mean Streets
This is an amazing film and it is Scorsese's most underrated film. Driven equally by his wish to become a respectable gangster like his uncle (played by Cesare Danova) and his desire to live his life like St. Francis, Charlie (played by Harvey Keitel) takes on his energetically unhinged friend Johnny Boy (played by Robert De Niro) as his own personal penance, intervening to get Johnny Boy to pay off a debt to the local loan shark Michael (played by Richard Romanus). Despite his promises to his epileptic girlfriend Teresa (played by Amy Robinson) that they will move out of Little Italy once he strengthens his position in his uncle's world, Charlie's involvement with Johnny Boy further ensnares him in the neighborhood. When Johnny Boy decides to mouth off to Michael rather than pay him, Charlie, Johnny Boy, and Teresa try to flee Michael's murderous anger (and an assassin played by Scorsese), forcing Charlie to realize that the rules of the streets do not mesh with absolution. Mean Streets has a rating of 98% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. (16) Carlito's Way
Speaking of underrated, this has two very underrated performances from Sean Peen and Al Pacino. Melodramatic tale of ex-hood Carlito who tries to get enough money to get out but is continually dragged back into the life he is so desperately trying to escape. Carlito's Way has a rating of 80% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. (15) Boyz n the Hood
This is a really dark film and it is a really powerful film with some great performances. When young Tre (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), a bright underachiever, begins to show signs of trouble, his struggling professional mother (played by Angela Basset) sends him to live with his father (played by Lawrence Fishburne), a hard-nosed, no-nonsense disciplinarian. There he befriends Ricky (played by Morris Chestnut), a burgeoning football star, and Doughboy (played by Ice Cube), a would-be gang banger. Over the years, each chooses his own path: Tre seems bound for college; Ricky is a blue-chip running back with his pick of schools; Doughboy is a dope dealer and bona fide gangster who drifts in and out of the county juvenile facility. All is well until, without warning, a rival gang chases down Tre and Ricky with tragic results Boyz n the Hood was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay and it has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. (14) True Romance
Quinton Tarantino may not have directed the film, but his style is all over this as he did write the script for the film. Clarence Worley (played by Christian Slater) is a well-meaning but socially unskilled comic-shop clerk whose idea of a big night out is catching a Sonny Chiba triple-feature at a downtown grindhouse. Clarence is celebrating his birthday in just such a manner when he meets a beautiful girl named Alabama (played by Patricia Arquette), and it's love at first sight for both of them. Clarence's enthusiasm isn't dampened much when he discovers Alabama is actually a prostitute who was paid by his boss to bump into him; she's only been in the business for a few days, and is more than eager to give up streetwalking to be with Clarence. However, Alabama is certain her pimp, Drexl (played by Gary Oldman), will not be happy; he's an ill-mannered sort with mob connections and a fondness for violence. Chivalrous Clarence offers to break the news to Drexl and collect her belongings, but he doesn't tell her he also plans to kill Drexl while he's there; a melee breaks out that leaves Drexl and his henchmen dead. Clarence grabs a suitcase that he thinks contains Alabama's clothes, but he discovers it instead holds five million dollars' worth of cocaine. The couple hits the road for California, planning to sell the dope and enjoy the good life in South America with the proceeds, but soon a group of very unhappy underworld characters are after them, as well as the police. True Romance has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. (13) Snatch
This is an insane film with a great cast and some amazing performances. Turkish (played by Jason Statham) and Tommy (played by Stephen Graham), join up with Mickey (played by Brad Pitt), an Irish gypsy and boxer. Turkish and Tommy make arrangements with Mickey to take a fall in a match engineered by lunatic gang leader Brick Top (played by Alan Ford). In another corner resides equally loony Russian gangster Boris the Blade (played by Rade Sherbedgia), who has asked Jewish gangster Franky Four Fingers (played by Benicio Del Toro) to place a bet on the match for him. Boris is also scheming to have Sol (played by Lennie James), the owner of a pawn shop, rob the place with a couple of dim associates. Meanwhile, Avi (played by Dennis Farina), freshly arrived in London from New York, hires Bullet Tooth Tony (played by Vinnie Jones) to find Franky when he goes missing; it seems that it was none other than Franky who was supposed to be transporting the purloined diamond to New York. Snatch has a rating of 73% on rottentomatoes.com.
This is a terrific film with some amazing performances and it continued Scorsese's success witht the genre.The film chronicles the lives and times of three characters: "Ace" Rothstein (played by Robert De Niro), a bookmaking wizard; Nicky Santoro (played by Joe Pesci), a Mafia underboss and longtime best friend to Ace; and Ginger McKenna (played by Sharon Stone), a leggy ex-prostitute with a fondness for jewelry and a penchant for playing the field. Ace plays by the rules (albeit Vegas rules, which, as he reminds the audience in voiceover, would make him a criminal in any other state), while Nicky and Ginger lie, cheat, and steal their respective ways to the top. Casino was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and it has a rating of 80% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. (11) Gangs of New York
I absolutely love this film and the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis is just unbelievably spectacular. In 1846, as waves of Irish immigrants poured into the New York neighborhood of Five Points, a number of citizens of British and Dutch heritage who were born in the United States began making an open display of their resentment toward the new arrivals. William Cutting (played by Daniel Day-Lewis), better known as "Bill the Butcher" for his deadly skill with a knife, bands his fellow "Native Americans" into a gang to take on the Irish immigrants; the immigrants in turn form a gang of their own, "The Dead Rabbits," organized by Priest Vallon (played Liam Neeson). After an especially bloody clash between the Natives and the Rabbits leaves Vallon dead, his son goes missing; the boy ends up in a brutal reform school before returning to the Five Points in 1862 as Amsterdam (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). Now a strapping adult who has learned how to fight, Amsterdam has come to seek vengeance against Bill the Butcher, whose underworld control of the Five Points through violence and intimidation dovetails with the open corruption of New York politician "Boss" Tweed (played by Jim Broadbent). Amsterdam gradually penetrates Bill the Butcher's inner circle, and he soon becomes his trusted assistant. Amsterdam also finds himself falling for Jenny Everdeane (played by Cameron Diaz), a beautiful but street-smart thief who was once involved with Bill. Amsterdam is learning a great deal from Bill, but before he can turn the tables on the man who killed his father, Amsterdam's true identity is exposed, even though he has concealed it from nearly everyone, including Jenny. Gangs of New York was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Costume Design and it has a rating of 75% 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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