The gangster genre has produced several classics over the years, including some of the most popular and exciting movies ever made. Gangster movies have been big business since the pre-Code era of the 1920s and 1930s. They have evolved over the years to contain more moral complexity, showing that gangsters aren’t always evil and cops aren’t always pure of heart. It’s no coincidence that gangster movies were at the forefront of cultural and stylistic shifts like the French New Wave and the New Hollywood era.
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Movies like The Godfather, Goodfellas and Scarface are bona fide classics, showing that legendary directors often do their best work in the gangster genre. The genre gives filmmakers a grounded basis for them to explore epic stories of power, destiny and the struggle between good and evil. Although the gangster genre is known for hard-hitting action and suave characters, the main appeal comes from the idea of people living by their own rules and being pushed to their limits.
You are watching: 10 Gangster Movies That Are Considered Masterpieces
10
Rififi (1955)
Jules Dassin’s Influential Heist Movie Is Still A Treat
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Rififi
Release Date
June 5, 1956
Runtime
118 Minutes
Director
Jules Dassin
Writers
Auguste Le Breton, Jules Dassin, René Wheeler
Cast
-
Jean Servais
-
Carl Möhner
-
Robert Manuel
-
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Jules Dassin’s Rififi helped birth the modern heist genre, synthesizing elements of gangster movies with someone new and original. It remains one of the best heist movies ever, as well as being one of the most influential. It’s remarkable to see how many of the heist genre’s most beloved tropes spring from this seminal movie, such as the sequence in which the gang gets together, the presence of a femme fatale, and a meticulous, elaborate plan that borders on fantasy.
Rififi retains enough of its excitement to ensure that it’s far more than a historical document, and it’s still worth watching 70 years on. The long, silent heist sequence is a masterpiece in building tension, and the payoff at the end is equally satisfying. A lot of Rififi‘s story can seem complicated, with a dense world of gangsters and thieves colluding with and against one another, and this is what makes the simplicity of the heist sequence so refreshing.
9
The Godfather (1972)
Francis Ford Coppola’s Classic Has Shaped The Gangster Genre For Decades
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The Godfather
Release Date
March 24, 1972
Runtime
175 minutes
Director
Francis Ford Coppola
Writers
Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
Sequel(s)
The Godfather Part II, The Godfather Part III
Franchise(s)
The Godfather
Cast
-
Marlon Brando
Don Vito Corleone
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Al Pacino
Michael Corleone
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James Caan
Sonny Corleone
-
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The Godfather is one of the most influential gangster movies ever, helping shape the genre with its portrayal of crime family dynamics and machismo. Author Mario Puzo gained a following among real-life gangsters after he published his novel, with some people believing that he must be involved in a crime syndicate himself, considering how accurate the portrayal of the mafia is. The movie adaptation was also praised for its accuracy.
Coppola strings together a remarkable number of iconic moments that sum up the appeal of gangster movies.
Although The Godfather has been imitated many times, it has never been bested. This is partly because Francis Ford Coppola managed to assemble a legendary ensemble cast, with brilliant actors like Robert Duvall, John Cazale and James Caan in supporting roles. Together, they contribute to an immersive atmosphere that allows Coppola to work his magic, and he strings together a remarkable number of iconic moments that sum up the appeal of gangster movies.
8
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Coppola’s Oscar-Winner Is One Of The Best Sequels Ever
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The Godfather Part II
Release Date
December 20, 1974
Runtime
202minutes
Director
Francis Ford Coppola
Writers
Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino
Prequel(s)
The Godfather
Sequel(s)
The Godfather Part III
Cast
-
Al Pacino
-
Robert De Niro
-
James Caan
-
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Following The Godfather seems like an impossible task, but The Godfather Part II is every bit as powerful and exciting. It’s not just one of the best sequels ever made, but also one of the best movies ever made. The sequel loses the power of Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone, but Robert De Niro steps in to play a younger version of the character as he makes his first steps in the New World after fleeing Sicily.
Part II is an outstanding crime epic on its own merits, but it also deepens the impact of the first movie.
As Michael Corleone continues his rise as Don, his story is contrasted with his father’s way of doing business. By the end, Michael is left alone, having betrayed or neglected everyone dear to him in his paranoid attempts to cling to power. Part II is an outstanding crime epic on its own merits, but it also deepens the impact of the first movie in retrospect, capping a dramatic duology that represents the best of the gangster genre.
7
White Heat (1949)
James Cagney Was An Early Star Of Gangster Movies
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White Heat
Release Date
September 3, 1949
Runtime
114 Minutes
Director
Raoul Walsh
Writers
Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, Virginia Kellogg
Cast
-
James Cagney
-
Virginia Mayo
-
Edmond O’Brien
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As the gangster genre took shape in the 1930s and 1940s, James Cagney was one of the genre’s biggest stars, alongside the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. White Heat is one of Cagney’s best, and it anticipated the style of later gangster movies in the 1950s and beyond. Cagney plays a psychotic mobster who enjoys the violent side of his criminal lifestyle until an undercover federal agent infiltrates his gang.
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While White Heat has the intensity of 1950s crime movies and a twisty criminal plot, what makes it stand out is the focus on its main character’s psyche. White Heat digs into a deranged criminal’s mind and displays its findings on a grand stage. Cagney is outstanding, often making unexpected choices that give his character a volatile, intimidating aura, from his gleeful train robbery to the climactic shootout with the cops.
6
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
The Coen Brothers’ Forgotten Classic Deserves More Attention
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Miller’s Crossing
Release Date
September 21, 1990
Runtime
115 Minutes
Director
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast
-
Gabriel Byrne
-
Albert Finney
-
John Turturro
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Miller’s Crossing is one of the best Coen brothers movies, but it doesn’t get the love that it deserves. Perhaps because it was released years before Fargo, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou, or perhaps because it was a box office flop, Miller’s Crossing has continued to fly under the radar. It has maintained a pristine critical reputation, however, proving that its quality is not the reason why it’s so undervalued.
The Coen brothers show their love for older gangster classics while reinventing film noir for a more modern audience.
Miller’s Crossing was the Coen brothers’ third movie, but their confident style is already clear to see. They bring their own stylistic flourishes to the gangster genre, showing their love for older gangster classics while reinventing film noir for a more modern audience. There are moments of comedy, but overall, Miller’s Crossing is much more serious and dramatic than other Coen brothers crime movies.
5
Goodfellas (1990)
Martin Scorsese’s Masterpiece Shows His Mastery Of The Crime Genre
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Goodfellas
Release Date
September 21, 1990
Runtime
145 Minutes
Director
Martin Scorsese
Writers
Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese
Cast
-
Robert De Niro
-
Ray Liotta
-
Joe Pesci
-
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Few directors have mastered the gangster genre as definitively as Martin Scorsese, who has classics like Casino, The Irishman and The Departed to his name. Goodfellas is arguably his crowning achievement in the gangster genre, and one of the most popular crime movies of all time. The story follows real-life gangster Henry Hill, starting with his teenage aspirations of getting involved in organized crime and ending with his settled life in witness protection. The intervening years are a roller-coaster of money, partying, prison and murder.
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Martin Scorsese’s Gangster Movies |
||
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Mean Streets (1973) |
92% |
84% |
|
Goodfellas (1990) |
94% |
97% |
|
Casino (1995) |
79% |
93% |
|
Gangs of New York (2002) |
72% |
81% |
|
The Departed (2006) |
91% |
94% |
|
The Irishman (2019) |
95% |
86% |
Goodfellas is filled with great quotes, lively music choices and moments of shocking physical humor. All in all, it’s one of the most relentlessly entertaining crime movies ever, as Scorsese rattles through events at lightning speed. There’s a lightness to most of the story, showing the dizzying highs of life in the mob. Of course, this merely sets up the crushing lows, and Scorsese knows how to deliver a hammer blow when he wants to.
4
Snatch (2000)
Guy Ritchie’s Complex Crime Story Blends Comedy And Drama
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Snatch
Release Date
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January 19, 2001
Runtime
102 minutes
Director
Guy Ritchie
Writers
Guy Ritchie
Cast
-
Benicio Del Toro
-
Jason Statham
-
Lennie James
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Guy Ritchie’s second movie builds on the complex criminal fun of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, weaving a tangled web of different characters fighting over the spoils of a diamond heist. Snatch is the best example of Ritchie’s rapid-fire dialogue, and he manages to cram in plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, punctuated by his stylistic splashes of brutal violence.
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Snatch is one of Guy Ritchie’s best movies, and one of the best British gangster movies ever. The British gangster genre has its own conventions and archetypes. Snatch cherry-picks the best ones and spins them into a hilarious crime caper that harks back to the days of Ealing comedies like The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Mob. It’s a beautifully constructed mess that bounces around between its various criminal characters, building toward an irresistible crescendo.
3
Scarface (1983)
Brian De Palma Remakes A Classic Gangster Movie
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Scarface
Release Date
December 9, 1983
Runtime
170 minutes
Director
Brian De Palma
Writers
Oliver Stone, Howard Hawks, Ben Hecht
Cast
-
Al Pacino
-
Michelle Pfeiffer
-
Robert Loggia
-
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Years after playing Michael Corleone, Al Pacino added another iconic gangster to his repertoire. Scarface‘s Tony Montana is a Cuban immigrant who becomes disenfranchised by the false promise of the American Dream and turns to a life of crime to get the life he believes he deserves. Scarface‘s shocking violence never loses its potency, especially in the iconic final showdown, as Tony sits alone in his mansion with a mountain of cocaine.
Scarface is an emotionally raw character study that plays out like a classic tragedy.
Scarface is a remake of a classic gangster movie of the same name from 1932, and there have been a couple of failed attempts to produce another remake in recent years. It’s hard to envision a new movie topping the 1983 version in terms of sheer excitement and karmic resonance. For all its bloodshed and surprising comedy, Scarface is an emotionally raw character study that plays out like a classic tragedy.
2
The Untouchables (1987)
The Untouchables Tells A Real-Life Mob Story
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The Untouchables
Release Date
June 3, 1987
Runtime
1h 59m
Director
Brian De Palma
Writers
David Mamet
Cast
-
Kevin Costner
-
Sean Connery
-
Charles Martin Smith
-
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Brian De Palma made another gangster classic four years after Scarface, although The Untouchables is a much different movie. For starters, the movie primarily focuses on law enforcement, rather than the gangsters themselves. Another key difference is that The Untouchables is based on a true story, with Kevin Costner’s Elliot Ness hunting down Robert De Niro’s notorious bootlegger and gangster Al Capone, who happened to be nicknamed “Scarface” by the press.
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The Untouchables has just enough of a focus on Capone and his criminal associates to count as a gangster movie, and it plays out like a game of wits and wills between two men on opposite sides of the law. This contest frequently turns violent, and this is where De Palma showcases his flair for jaw-dropping action. De Niro’s flamboyant performance also helps bring Capone and the prohibition era to life. He plays up Capone’s public persona as a silver-tongued man of the people.
1
Get Carter (1971)
Get Carter Sees Michael Caine At His Best
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Get Carter
Release Date
February 3, 1971
Runtime
112 Minutes
Director
Mike Hodges
Writers
Mike Hodges, Ted Lewis
Cast
-
Michael Caine
Jack Carter
-
Ian Hendry
Eric
-
Britt Ekland
Anna
-
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Get Carter is a masterpiece of pared-back action, with Michael Caine starring as a London-based gangster who returns to his hometown of Newcastle to find that his brother has been murdered. His vengeful rampage leads him deep into Newcastle’s criminal underworld, as he crosses paths with seedy gangsters on their home turf, but he never considers retreating to the safety of London.
The role of Carter suits Michael Caine well. He’s a man who prefers action over words, and Caine gives him a stone-faced swagger that builds up the mystery behind the character. Although an American remake with Sylvester Stallone failed to recapture the impact and intensity of the original, Get Carter has aged well. Its practical effects and smart pacing make it quite unlike any gangster movies being made today.
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