The Godfather is everyone’s go-to answer for the darkest, dirtiest gangster movie, whether they’ve seen it or not. With its shocking violent acts and brutal murders, Francis Ford Coppola delivered an almost poetic take on the mafia that is just as popular over 50 years later.
But using The Godfather as the blueprint, there are grittier, coarser mobster movies that will make sure you never want to fall into a life of crime. The Godfather may be the gold standard for the overall gangster genre, but other films aren’t afraid to dive into the darkness.
The Mafia Seems Almost Human in Goodfellas
One of the most quotable gangster movies is Martin Scorsese’s 1990 biographical mob masterpiece Goodfellas. It was almost called Wiseguy, after the book by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The crime thriller has Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, and Ray Liotta doling out legendary performances as members of the Lucchese crime family.
From 1955 to 1980, the movie follows Henry Hill, portrayed by Liotta, during his climb and tumble with the Italian mafia. Still carrying a 93% RT score, Goodfellas has the pacing, dialogue, and interesting soundtrack that accompany the characters. There’s nothing funny about this unnerving look into organized crime. But as far back as we can remember, it’s always been one of the best examples of the crime genre.
The Irishman Shows the Aftermath of Mob Life
We know Martin Scorsese knows gangster movies. But we think not keeping the original name of the book, I Hear You Paint Houses, as the title was a miss. But in true Scorsese fashion, 2019 crime thriller The Irishman has one of the wildest mobster-rich casts, with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino leading the pack. With a well-deserved 95% RT score, The Irishman pulls from the 2004 non-fiction book by Charles Brandt.
Whether you believe all of Frank Sheeran’s claims or not, his life makes for one epic gangster movie. The film reflects on the retired WWII vet union truck driver’s life as he turns into a merciless mafia hitman and then right-hand and confidant to Jimmy Hoffa. The Irishman spans decades of choices by Sheeran, played by De Niro, as he comes to terms with his end, alone in a nursing home.
All Bets Are Off in Casino
Gambling in Vegas just isn’t the same as it used to be. Martin Scorsese’s 1995 gangster thriller movie Casino, based on Nicholas Pileggi’s novel, is a masterclass in pacing, performance, and cinematography. Don’t let the flashy retro fashion and classic soundtrack distract you from the inner workings of the mafia’s takeover of Las Vegas in the ‘70s and ‘80s. A storyline grounded in the reality of how the Chicago mob took over Vegas, backed up with factual character counterparts, gives the film a raw, guttural feeling.
A decent 79% RT score and a monumental cast, including Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, James Woods, and Kevin Pollak, illustrate the mob’s downfall in Vegas. All good things must come to an end, but Sharon Stone’s performance and Casino’s tragic final act are so heartbreakingly good that the film deserves multiple rewatches.
Gomorrah Is Too Realistic a Look Into the Italian Mafia
Some gangster movies idolize the mafia and make their lifestyle look glamorous and luxurious. The 2008 Italian crime film Gomorrah knocks all of those notions out of the way. Based on author Roberto Saviano’s 2006 book of the same name, director Matteo Garrone (Dogman, Pinocchio) captured the rawness of how organized crime oozes beyond only those in the gangs.
Five storylines interweave, using non-professional actors and locals to contribute to the realism of the movie. Gomorrah holds a 90% RT and is an art imitating life film. Roberto Saviano has been under police protection since his book’s release for exposing Camorra clan secrets.
Once Upon a Time in America Is the Closing Chapter of a Trilogy
James Woods, Joe Pesci, and Robert De Niro are no strangers to gangster films. Starring in them seems to be their favorite activity. But their performances in the 1984 Sergio Leone (the Dollars Trilogy) crime thriller Once Upon a Time in America are haunting. The last film in Leone’s Once Upon a Time Trilogy, the movie is based on the 1952 book The Hoods by criminal-turned-author Harry Grey. The epic gangster story touches on themes of regret, the passing of time, and how much we can trust our memory. But we can certainly trust De Niro’s portrayal of Grey’s semi-autobiographical self as an attribute toward the 86% RT score.
You aren’t in a fast-paced race against the mob in this film, as the European cut runs 229 minutes. The non-linear story bounces from the 1920s and 1930s and ends in 1968 in a fever-dream-like state. Once Upon a Time in America follows a group of New York City Jewish gangsters through the decades, with De Niro’s character as the protagonist telling the story through his memories. But one straightforward thing is how transcendent the score is, acting as a supporting character to elevate the emotional range of the film.
The Long Good Friday Is Still the Blueprint for Gangster Movies
You may know Bob Hoskins from kid-friendly films like Hook and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But before those, Hoskins was London gangster Harold Shand in the 1980 crime thriller The Long Good Friday. Audiences follow Shand’s attempt to go from a brutal mob boss to a legit businessman. Helen Mirren co-stars, and we are introduced to a future James Bond, as it is Pierce Brosnan’s movie debut, which captivates with an almost flawless 97% RT score.
Director John Mackenzie (The Honorary Consul, Ruby) skillfully turned London into a supporting character, immersing audiences in the city. The Long Good Friday explores the line between capitalism and greed, hubris and betrayal. It’s the final sequence, where, after everything Shand has tried to do to be honest, his past won’t let him go.
City of God Is a Gangster Movie That Will Break Your Heart
You can get through most mob and gangster movies because it’s usually the adults as the ones doing the violence. In a darker world, the 2002 Portuguese crime drama City of God painfully puts children at the center of the crime world. The film emotionally drains you with an unfiltered look at drug wars and violence in Rio de Janeiro from the 1960s to the 1980s. With a 91% RT score, the film takes you on the different journeys of two young boys trying to survive in a corrupt city ruled by drug lords.
Writer Bráulio Mantovani tapped into Paulo Lins’ 1997 novel to bring an impoverished pocket of Brazil to life. Director Fernando Meirelles’s (The Two Popes, Sugar) visceral portrayal of poverty, neglect, survival, and violence is tough to stomach. Not only is it a necessary story to tell, but City of God told it with people who really lived in the slums there acting in the film.
A Prophet Follows a Teenager’s Rise in the Mafia
With a near-perfect 96% RT score, the 2009 French crime film A Prophet follows the journey of an illiterate imprisoned Muslim teenager, Malik El Djebena, played by Tahar Rahim. To survive in a French prison where he doesn’t know the language, Malik lets the Corsican mafia recruit him in exchange for protection. From errand boy to kingpin, Malik spends his time inside learning the ropes of the mob a little too well.
Directed by Jacques Audiard (Rust and Bone, Emilia Pérez), the film’s two-and-a-half-hour runtime speeds by. The film explores how the prison system potentially creates more intelligent criminals. While you shouldn’t root for the bad guy, Malik’s rise-to-power character arc is captivating.
Eastern Promises Makes You a Part of the Russian Mob
For those looking for Viggo Mortensen in an Aragorn-like role, this is not that. The 2007 gangster thriller Eastern Promises is about as much of a departure from his Lord of the Rings days as Mortensen could get. But writer Steven Knight (creator of Peaky Blinders, House of Guinness) had a vision, and director David Cronenberg (Map to the Stars, Crimes of the Future) more than delivered. From the tattoos to Russian exiles being interviewed, the film may not be based on a real story, but it is grounded in details that are as authentic as possible.
The crime thriller dives into the workings of the Russian mafia operating in London. Eastern Promises earned Mortensen an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of mob enforcer Nikolai Luzhin. An 89% RT score doesn’t deserve retaliation, but the bathhouse fight is one of the most cinematically perfect scenes.
Kill List Combines Genres and Ends With a Twist
Combining your classic British hitman storyline with psychological horror elements, the 2011 crime drama Kill List brings all your worst nightmares to the screen. Ben Wheatley (Free Fire, Bulk) and Amy Jump’s (A Field in England, High-Rise) screenplay turns two former British soldiers into hitmen entering into an unholy contract. Wheatley also directed the genre-shifting film that explores fate, trauma, PTSD, and the lengths we would go to for our family.
Kill List is disturbing and never lets you know what twist it’s going to take next. But as dark and violent as the material gets, the dialogue between Gal and Jay is interestingly funny. With a solid 79% RT score, Wheatley asks what you would do to support your family in a way that leaves you squirming in your seat from start to finish.