15 best films about the mafia

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The dangerous Corleone family, the fearless thug Tony Montana and the sophisticated mobster Henry Hill are waiting for you.

1. The Godfather

• USA, Italy, 1972.
• Epic gangster drama.
• Duration: 175 minutes.
• IMDb: 9, 2.

Francis Ford Coppola's epic tells the story of the Corleone mafia family. The head of the clan don Vito, whom everyone calls the Godfather, marries his daughter. At the same time, his beloved son Michael is returning home after the war. The latter does not want to have anything to do with the dark affairs of his father. However, the assassination attempt on Vito Corleone changes everything.

The Godfather is considered not only a model gangster movie, but also one of the most poignant character transformations in the history of cinema. Al Pacino plays a humble young man, a war hero, who, under the influence of circumstances, turns into a cruel and cold-blooded mafia boss.

Coppola's trilogy presented the audience with memorable characters, legendary scenes (for example, the famous episode with a horse's head) and disassembled into catchy quotes: "I will make him an offer that he cannot refuse", "Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer" and many other.

2. Scarface

• USA, 1983.
• Crime drama.
• Duration: 170 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

Cuban criminal Tony Montana is going to tie up with a criminal past and start a new life. But circumstances force the hero to again get involved in dark affairs. Fearlessness and nerves of steel allow Tony to quickly rise to the very top of the Miami underworld.

Al Pacino's character in this film by Brian De Palma is very different from the noble Sicilian mobster Michael Corleone from Coppola's landmark trilogy. The name Tony Montana has become almost a household name. This character longs for wealth and unlimited power, which he achieves, without hesitation in dubious paths.

3. Once upon a time in America

• USA, Italy, 1984.
• Historical crime drama.
• Duration: 229 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

Semi-century history, shown through the eyes of David Aaronson, nicknamed Noodles, unfolds in the Jewish quarter of New York. Step by step, a gang of teenagers turns into the kings of the underworld of the era of prohibition.

The film, directed by Sergio Leone, did not immediately receive critical and audiences acclaim. The fact is that the censorship cut and re-edited the picture for the release in the United States. The tape, distorted in this way, lost all the author's intention and failed miserably.

The director's version is considered one of the best films in the crime genre, and the role of David Aaronson secured the role of a bad guy with a difficult fate for Robert De Niro.

4. Untouchable

• USA, 1987.
• Crime drama, thriller.
• Duration: 119 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

The famous gangster Al Capone illegally sells alcohol during Prohibition. But there are people who are determined to stop the head of the mafia: the fearless policeman Jim Malone, the shooter Giuseppe Petri and the accountant Oscar Wallace.

This film by Brian De Palma became legendary, not least thanks to the star cast: the main roles were played by Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner and the very bright Sean Connery. The latter earned a well-deserved Oscar for his acting work.

5. Nice Guys

• USA, 1990.
• Crime drama.
• Duration: 146 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

The aspiring mafioso Henry Hill dreams of becoming cool and respectable. Together with the bandits Jimi Conway and Tommy DeVito, the hero carries out a variety of dark deeds and scams, gradually becoming a real gangster.

No list of gangster movies is complete without paintings by Martin Scorsese. The stylish Goodfellas is considered the gold standard of crime drama. Of particular admiration is the three-minute scene shot in one shot without editing, in which Henry and his girlfriend enter the Copacabana club through the back door.

It is said that Scorsese came up with this episode after he was not allowed to film near the main entrance, where people were constantly crowding. So, thanks to a coincidence, one of the most iconic scenes in cinema appeared.

6. Bronx story

• USA, 1993.
• Crime drama.
• Duration: 121 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

Sonny, the head of an Italian mafia in the Bronx, kills a man in broad daylight. Nine-year-old Calogero becomes a casual witness to the crime. However, the boy does not betray the killer to the authorities, and therefore becomes the favorite of the mafia leader. But Calogero's father - a simple bus driver - doesn't approve of this.

Robert De Niro's directorial debut at one time went unnoticed and did not receive awards, but from this it is no less significant and interesting. This is a serious story about the severity and consequences of choice, about the difficulties of the relationship between parents and children, about atonement for mistakes, which is sometimes very difficult.

7. Carlito's way

• USA, 1993.
• Crime drama.
• Duration: 143 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

Released from prison, Carlito Brigante decides to break with his criminal past and start an honest life. But his nephew got involved in a criminal adventure, and therefore the former mafioso has to take up the old again.

Al Pacino, who made a name for himself in films such as The Godfather and Scarface, again played a criminal and drug dealer, but did it so skillfully and self-sufficient that he ended up with a completely new image.

The audience will be incredibly interesting to watch the inner metamorphosis of the main character. Looking at the hero of Al Pacino, you involuntarily begin to believe that even an inveterate criminal can change for the better.

8. Pulp Fiction

• USA, 1994.
• Crime black comedy.
• Duration: 154 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 9.

Thugs Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield have philosophical conversations between showdowns. Meanwhile, their mysterious boss, Marcellus Wallace, talks with boxer Butch about a fight to be lost. Vincent has to fulfill an important assignment - to entertain the precious wife of Marcellus. And for this, dancing to Chuck Berry is best suited.

Quentin Tarantino is a recognized representative of postmodernism in cinema. The director loves to be inspired by genre films. Therefore, his own paintings are, as it were, woven from pieces of cult works.

At the same time, Tarantino tapes themselves acquire a cult status. So, scenes from "Pulp Fiction" are familiar to almost every movie lover, whether it is dancing at a local dance competition in a restaurant or talking about cultural differences between Europe and America.

9. Casino

• USA, 1995.
• Crime drama.
• Duration: 178 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

The film tells the difficult story of the formation of the gambling business in the United States through the prism of the relationship between friends Sam Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro. The first falls in love with the mercantile drug addict Ginger, and the second gets into serious trouble associated with organized crime.

The documentary-drama film "Casino" is Scorsese's third "gangster" project. Prior to that, the director shot the films "Wicked Streets" and "Nice Guys". The master managed to once again perfectly show the seamy side of the underworld.

And the picture was adorned with his talent by the incomparable Robert De Niro, who played the charismatic mafia tycoon.

10. Donnie Brasco

• USA, 1997.
• Crime biographical drama.
• Duration: 127 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

A young FBI agent named Donnie Brasco infiltrates the ranks of the mafia. Gradually, he grows closer to an aging mafia named Lefty. However, Donnie will soon have to choose between a friend and loyalty to duty.

Mike Newell's colorful crime drama "Donnie Brasco" tells the real story of FBI employee Joseph Pistone, who worked undercover for many years. A splendid cast - Al Pacino and a young Johnny Depp - secured the film's critical acclaim and cult status.

11. Cursed path

• USA, 2002.
• Crime drama.
• Duration: 117 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

The film tells about gangsters' showdowns during the Great Depression. The boy accidentally finds out what his father is really doing. It turns out that the exemplary family man Michael Sullivan is a dangerous gangster. Now the hero will have to go against the mafia in order to save his own son.

A harsh gangster retronoir based on the graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins and Richard Pierce Reiner. Road to Perdition is the second full-length work by the talented English director Sam Mendes. The film did not have the same resounding success as the director's previous film, American Beauty. But critics praised the tape very highly.

12. Gangs of New York

• USA, 2002.
• Historical crime drama.
• Duration: 167 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

The action takes place in New York in the mid-19th century. Lower Manhattan is becoming a battleground for gangs of "Native" Americans and Irish immigrants.

The leader of the "indigenous", nicknamed the Butcher, kills the leader of the Irish. After that, the young son of the deceased is sent to a correctional institution for a long time. Many years later, the guy returns to his native area to avenge his father.

Each of Scorsese's crime films is remarkable in its own way, but it was in the historical drama Gangs of New York that the master began a fruitful collaboration with DiCaprio. It continued with The Aviator, The Departed, Isle of the Damned and The Wolf of Wall Street.

13. The apostates

• USA, 2006.
• Crime drama, thriller.
• Duration: 151 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

Two graduates of the police academy were on opposite sides of the barricades. Colin Sullivan is a mafioso embedded in the ranks of law enforcement agencies, Billy Costigan is a police officer sent to the mafia. They both are looking for ways to destroy each other, but gradually the existence in a distorted reality changes the inner world of the heroes.

The Hollywood adaptation of the Hong Kong film Castling Double has won numerous awards. It was for "The Departed" that Scorsese received his first and so far the only directorial "Oscar".

14. Gangster

• USA, 2007.
• Crime biographical drama.
• Duration: 157 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

After the death of his boss - the head of the Harlem mafia - Frank Lucas decides to create his own drug cartel. He succeeds: the hero imports heroin directly from Southeast Asia, using a unique method of smuggling. Lucas' affairs are quickly going uphill, but principled and honest police officer Richie Roberts intends to stop this chaos.

Some of the brightest movie stars took part in the work on the film: Ridley Scott was in the director's chair, and the main roles were played by Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington. Oddly enough, the incredible story of friendship between a drug lord and a policeman is based on real events. The director was even advised by the real Richie Roberts and Frank Lucas.

15. Vice for export

• UK, Canada, USA, 2007.
• Crime drama, thriller.
• Duration: 101 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

The daughter of Russian immigrants Anna works as a midwife in a London hospital. One day, the heroine finds the diary of a girl who died during childbirth and learns that she was tricked out of Russia, forced to use drugs and engage in prostitution. Her own investigation leads Anna to the Russian mafia.

Critics praised the work of Viggo Mortensen, who played the Russian mobster. To reliably look in this role, the actor spent several months studying Russian culture and language.