This is the first list of its kind to focus on crime films. Some of the world's greatest living filmmakers have created stunning gangster films, making them one of the genre's most popular subgenres. Actually, across all categories on IMDb, “The Godfather” is considered to be the best film of all time.
It was challenging to compile this list due to the abundance of excellent gangster movies. However, I have compiled a list of 20 films that I believe to be among the best gangster films of all time. You can always disagree with my choices or the order in which they appear by leaving a remark below. Without further ado, here is a list of the best 20 gangster films of all time, ranked from decent to spectacular.
10. White Heat, Raoul Walsh, 1949
Even though it's a classic, this film deserves a spot on any list of the best gangster flicks. Sadistic gang leader Cody Jarrett.
Cody is a turbulent, angry, and quirky leader because he suffers from severe migraines and is deeply loyal to his mother. Cody's top underlying plot is to have an ‘accident' happen to him while he is in jail so that he may take control of the gang.
However, an undercover officer comes to the rescue, befriending Cody so that he may enter the group. At last, during a major theft at a chemical plant, Cody's final treachery and destruction are set in motion.
9. Carlito’s Way, Brian De Palma, 1993
With the help of his slimy attorney, Carlito was just released from prison on technicalities. He has decided to give up a life of drug dealing after dealing heroin for many years.
He invests in a nightclub and starts saving money to relocate to the Bahamas, but as a recognized player, he can't help but get drawn back into his old life of violence.
8. Scarface, Brian De Palma, 1983
Scarface (1983), a modern remake of the classic gangster film from 1932, follows notorious criminal Tony Montana and his best friend Manny Ray as they flee Cuba via the Cuban Boat Lift and eventually settle in Miami.
After eliminating a high-ranking Cuban official, Montana and his companions are free to travel around the United States. After failing to establish themselves legally in the United States, Montana and Ray turn to export cocaine to other countries. Tony's ascension is meteoric, but as his empire expands, so do his opponents and his paranoia.
7. Once upon a time in America, Sergio Leone, 1984
This film follows a tight-knit clan of Jewish mobsters in New York City over the course of four decades.
The story follows small-time hood David “Noodles” Aaronson and his lifelong partners in crime, Max, Cockeye, and Patsy, from their early days as children in the rough Jewish neighborhood of New York's Lower East Side in the 1920s, through the end of Prohibition in the early 1930s, and finally to the late 1960s, when Noodles, having spent many years in hiding, returns to New York to investigate his past.
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6. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes, Jules Dassin, 1955
Tony Stephanois, fresh from prison and still bitter about his girlfriend Mado's betrayal, teams up with his two crooked friends, Jo and Mario, to pull off a daring heist.
They enlist the help of Cesar, an Italian expert in safes, to meticulously arrange a heist at a high-end jewelry store. As the crime is being committed, no one says a word. Then things start going south…
5. Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino, 1994
In this fantastically original take on the gangster film, Jules and Vincent are hired as assassins by crime boss Marcellus Wallace. Butch Collidge, the boxer Wallace paid, tried to throw a fight for Wallace's money but failed, and now he wants to leave town but won't be able to since he has to take his father's watch with him.
When Wallace asks Vincent to entertain his wife Mia while he is abroad, Vincent has his own set of issues to deal with. All of these characters suffer deaths befitting their actions, some of them are redeemed while others are not.
4. Mou gaan dou, Wai Keung Lau, 2002
Shawn Yue takes on the role of an undercover cop who has been tasked with infiltrating the local crime syndicate. In this, Edison Chen portrays a young mobster with plans to blend in with the cops.
Years later, their older selves — played by Tony Leung and Andy Lau, respectively — are in a race against time to find and eliminate the mole. The Departed can be traced back to this picture.
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3. Cidade de Deus, Fernando Meirelles, 2002
City of God, Brazil, 1960s. The Tender Three is a gang that robs motels and petrol stations. Younger children learn too much from what they see. In the 1970s, Li'l Zé has done quite well for himself and now controls the city. By mercilessly eliminating competing gang members, he sows terror and mayhem.
His main sanity-preserving influence is his best friend Bené. Rocket has seen these two rises to power for a long time and doesn't want any part of it. Still, he can't help but be drawn into the chaos. Photography is the only thing he cares about at the moment. The situation between the two remaining gangs in the 1980s is out of control; will it ever be resolved? Here in the Holy City, you have arrived.
2. Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese, 1990
The criminal life of wiseguy Henry Hill is depicted in this film, which delves into the working-class underbelly of New York's Italian mafia. The film delves deeply into the customs and norms of organized crime as its protagonist progresses from strapping young petty crook to big-time thief to middle-aged cocaine user and dealer.
This true narrative accurately examines the fundamental, blue-collar aspect of the mob by following the rise and collapse of Hill and his two opposites, the slick jack-of-all-trades criminal Jimmy Conway, and the gruff, intimidating Tommy DeVito.
1. Best Gangster Movie: The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, 1972
My decision was simple; the Godfather is the best gangster film of all time. The aging don of the Corleone Mafia Family is Vito Corleone.
Michael, his youngest son, has returned from World War II in time to attend his sister Connie's wedding to Carlo Rizzi. Michael aspires to lead a normal life despite the fact that his entire family is connected to the Mafia.
Virgil Sollozzo, a known heroin dealer, is on the lookout for Mafia families that would be willing to protect him in exchange for a cut of his profits. He goes to Don Corleone with the offer, but Don ultimately declines since he has strong moral convictions against drug use.
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Angered by this, Sollozzo orders his hit men to eliminate Don. Don Corleone's narrow escape from death prompts his son Michael to launch a bloody mob war against Sollozzo, dividing the once-close-knit Corleone family.