Gangster Movies
By Shane Rivers
Looking for good gangster movie reviews and gangster movie essays? Make sure you find some on the following masterpieces.
1. – 3. The Godfather Trilogy (1972, 1974, 1990, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, John Cavale, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia) – The godfather of all Mafia movies. Oscars for best picture (1972, 1974), best actor (1972, Brando), best adapted screenplay (1972, 1974), best director (1974, Francis Ford Coppola) and best score (1974). The only sequel to win the Oscar for best picture, this series (especially the first two), easily garnered the best gangster movie reviews in the history of filmmaking.
4. Goodfellas – (1990, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco) Henry Hill rises through the ranks of his Brooklyn neighborhood’s organized crime family in the 1950s. Oscar for best supporting actor (Pesci).
5. A Bronx Tale – (1993, Robert De Niro, Chazz Palmintieri, Lillo Brancato) A blue-collar father in the Bronx tries to keep his son from the temptation of organized crime.
6. Carlito’s Way – (1993, Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller) Notorious Puerto Rican heroin dealer Carlito Brigante is released from jail on a technicality, thanks to his sleazy lawyer. All Carlito wants to do is keep his nose clean, earn enough money to start a business in the Bahamas and rekindle romance with his old flame.
7. The Departed – (2006, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg and Vera Farmiga) Set in Boston, a cop infiltrates the mob while a gangster infiltrates the police department and rises to power in the special investigation unit. When the gangsters and police realize there’s a mole among them, the two undercover guys race to uncover the identity of the other. Not one of the best gangster movies in my opinion, but I’m happy that Scorsese finally got his Oscar for Best Director.
8. Casino – (1995, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, James Woods) Set in the 1970s and reveling in the minute details of how Las Vegas casinos operate, the film chronicles the rise and fall of casino manager and Mafia associate Ace Rothstein.
9. Scarface – (1983, Al Pacino, Michele Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia, Elizabeth Mastrantonio) A Cuban deportee’s rise to the top of Miami’s cocaine business. The final 10 minutes feature Pacino at his over-the-top best. Many rappers would consider it among the best gangster movies ever produced.
10. Pulp Fiction – (1994, John Travolta, Ving Rhames, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman) The film interweaves three tales that eventually come together. Vincent and Jules are on two hit men working for Marsellus Wallace, whose wife, Mia, has a crush on Vincent. A boxer who’s ordered to take a dive decides there’s more money in doing just the opposite. A pair of gun-toting lovers prepare to hold up a diner. Oscar for best original screenplay (Quentin Tarantino). A number of gangster movie essays have been written about this film’s stellar screenplay, acting, and Tarantino’s refreshing use of the out-of-sequence narrative.