Gangster Movies
by MrKillerRobot | created - 07 Jun 2016 | updated - 09 Dec 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Running Scared (2006)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A low-ranking thug is entrusted by his crime boss to dispose of a gun that killed corrupt cops, but things get out of control when the gun ends up in wrong hands.
Director: Wayne Kramer | Stars: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Chazz Palminteri, Vera Farmiga
Votes: 103,665 | Gross: $6.86M
A very stylish film. You should see this for the cinematogrpahy and camera work alone.
2. New Jack City (1991)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A crime lord ascends to power and becomes megalomaniacal while a maverick police detective vows to stop him.
Director: Mario Van Peebles | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock
Votes: 38,820 | Gross: $47.62M
Wesley Snipes' Nino Brown should've won him at least an Oscar nomination. The film features a young Chris Rock as a drug addict turned informant as well as Ice-T as the lead detective chasing Snipes.
3. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama
Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II
Votes: 154,599 | Gross: $57.50M
As relevant today as it was when it first came out. Launched the career of Cuba Gooding, Jr., made Ice Cube into an even bigger cultural icon and paved the way for many up and coming actors and directors.
4. Paid in Full (2002)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young man from Harlem, forced to cope with the 1980s drug scene, builds an illegal empire, only to have a crisis of conscience.
Director: Charles Stone III | Stars: Mekhi Phifer, Wood Harris, Chi McBride, Kevin Carroll
Votes: 14,232 | Gross: $3.04M
Set in Harlem during the 80's chronicling the rise and fall of one of New York's biggest drug kingpins.
5. The Godfather Part III (1990)
R | 162 min | Crime, Drama
Follows Michael Corleone, now in his 60s, as he seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Talia Shire
Votes: 424,028 | Gross: $66.67M
Perhaps not as great as the first two but still ambitious in continuing the Michael Corleone saga.
6. A Bronx Tale (1993)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama
An intense drama about a boy torn between his tough, hard-working father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss.
Director: Robert De Niro | Stars: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato, Francis Capra
Votes: 161,089 | Gross: $17.27M
De Niro's directorial debut, based on Chazz Palminteri's childhood and influenced heavily by Martin Scorsese's style of directing.
7. The Departed (2006)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
Votes: 1,422,071 | Gross: $132.38M
Remake of the Hong Kong classic 'Infernal Affairs', this film boasts a stellar cast and won Scorsese his long overdue Oscar.
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 154 min | Crime, Drama
The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
Votes: 2,219,756 | Gross: $107.93M
Quintin Tarantino's groundbreaking, non-linear, multi-strand narrative that both inspired and created imitators. This is undoubtedly the cornerstone of 90's cinema and still enjoyed by millions today.
9. Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (2010)
Not Rated | 115 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After a prison riot, former-Captain Nascimento, now a high ranking security officer in Rio de Janeiro, is swept into a bloody political dispute that involves government officials and paramilitary groups.
Director: José Padilha | Stars: Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, André Ramiro, Milhem Cortaz
Votes: 86,760 | Gross: $0.10M
Sequel to the critically acclaimed 'Elite Squad' and one of the few sequels to outdo the orginal.
10. The Untouchables (1987)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
During Prohibition, Treasury agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone, and assembles a small, incorruptible team to help him.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith
Votes: 330,771 | Gross: $76.27M
The greatest film ever made about Al Capone, the Prohibition era and the man that took him down, Elliott Ness. Directed by Brian De Palma - the man that gave us 'Scarface' and 'Carlito's Way'.
11. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Terence McDonagh is a drug- and gambling-addled detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Russell M. Haeuser, Val Kilmer
Votes: 80,896 | Gross: $1.70M
Nicolas Cage in his best performance since 'Adaptation'. Features black humor and set against the backdrop of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Co-starring Val Kilmer and Xzibit.
12. Training Day (2001)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger
Votes: 472,803 | Gross: $76.63M
Denzel Washington turns bad in this film about a detective taking a rookie under his wing for a day he'll never forget. The highlight of the film is Denzel himself, who delivers his best performance since 'Malcolm X'. The film is also one of the most quotable.
13. Goodfellas (1990)
R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Votes: 1,257,129 | Gross: $46.84M
Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' is hands down the greatest gangster movie ever made. Featuring an amazing soundtrack and a great cast including Joe Pesci in his unforgettable, Oscar-winning role as Tommy DeVito.
14. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller
When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn
Votes: 1,088,045 | Gross: $2.83M
Quintin Tarantino's official debut. Dialog heavy, violent and very funny. A bonafide classic.
15. Casino (1995)
R | 178 min | Crime, Drama
In Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods
Votes: 563,838 | Gross: $42.44M
Scorsese's an De Niro's fifth collaboration is nothing short of extraordinary. De Niro is also reunited with frequent co-star Joe Pesci and the great James Woods.
16. Snatch (2000)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Crime
Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Stephen Graham, Vinnie Jones
Votes: 910,735 | Gross: $30.33M
Guy Ritchie's hilarious black comedy/gangster movie about a boss attempting to fix a fight. Starring Brad Pitt and Benico Del Toro (who're both funny as hell) and Jason Statham.
17. Menace II Society (1993)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu, Toshi Toda
Votes: 64,455 | Gross: $27.90M
Following the trail Singleton started with the classic 'Boyz N the Hood', the Hughes Brothers directs this film with a similar tone about growing up in the streets of Watts, Los Angeles.
18. The Getaway (1972)
PG | 123 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A recently-released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry.
Director: Sam Peckinpah | Stars: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Sally Struthers
Votes: 35,684 | Gross: $36.73M
One of Steve McQueen's many memorable performances.
19. American Gangster (2007)
R | 157 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An outcast New York City cop is charged with bringing down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, whose real life inspired this partly biographical film.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin
Votes: 452,479 | Gross: $130.16M
Denzel Washington and Rusell Crowe are exceptional as a drug lord and honest detective respectively in this film based on a true story.
20. Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008)
R | 133 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life and death as France's Public Enemy No. 1 in the 1970s.
Director: Jean-François Richet | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric, Samuel Le Bihan
Votes: 31,237 | Gross: $0.28M
Vince Cassel perfectly portrays the iconic French bandit Mesrine for a second outing. Again, one of the few cases where the sequel is better than the original.
21. Gangs of New York (2002)
R | 167 min | Crime, Drama
In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 472,866 | Gross: $77.81M
Daniel-Day Lewis as Bill the Butcher is unforgettable.
22. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
R | 229 min | Crime, Drama
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams
Votes: 377,658 | Gross: $5.32M
An epic crime saga from Sergio Leone, the legendary director who gave us The Dollars trilogy and 'Once Upon a Time in the West'.
23. Heat (1995)
R | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight
Votes: 719,259 | Gross: $67.44M
Pacino and De Niro in their first film together. Though they starred in 'The Godfather II', this is their first trading dialog together. Val Kilmer is great as always and Michael Mann proves why he's the best when it comes to guns, set-pieces and all-out action.
24. True Romance (1993)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In Detroit, a pop-culture nerd steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer
Votes: 242,460 | Gross: $12.28M
Written by Quintin Tarentino and directed by Tony Scott. The highlight of the film is Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken's great chemistry and scene together.
25. Collateral (2004)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo
Votes: 433,051 | Gross: $101.01M
Tom Cruise completely transforms from a poster boy for good to a complete badass assassin in this film. Michael Mann directs and Jamie Foxx co-stars.
26. American History X (1998)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama
Living a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.
Director: Tony Kaye | Stars: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Jennifer Lien
Votes: 1,186,103 | Gross: $6.72M
Blistering depiction of life in Venice Beach and racism. Edward Norton's gives his greatest performance ever.
27. The Godfather (1972)
R | 175 min | Crime, Drama
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
Votes: 2,012,044 | Gross: $134.97M
A beloved masterpiece from Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Marlon Brando is and always will be Don Vito Corleone.
28. The Godfather Part II (1974)
R | 202 min | Crime, Drama
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Votes: 1,363,969 | Gross: $57.30M
The greatest sequel ever made.
29. The Usual Suspects (1995)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin
Votes: 1,145,247 | Gross: $23.34M
Thrilling from start to finish.
30. Scarface (1983)
R | 170 min | Crime, Drama
In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Votes: 916,338 | Gross: $45.60M
Al Pacino disappears into the role of Cuban kingpin Tony Montana and gives us 3 hours of pure, cathartic entertainment.
31. Donnie Brasco (1997)
R | 127 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby
Votes: 332,200 | Gross: $41.91M
Al Pacino's last gangster film and it is certainly one of his best.
32. The Town (2010)
R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold an assistant manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 415,686 | Gross: $92.19M
Ben Affleck stars and directs this film about bank robbers in Boston. Great performances all around, especially Jeremy Renner.
33. Blow (2001)
R | 124 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.
Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths
Votes: 275,028 | Gross: $52.99M
Before Frank Lucas, there was George Jung. Johnny Depp proves why he's one of Hollywood's highest paid actors.
34. Bugsy (1991)
R | 136 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of how Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel started Las Vegas.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 30,995 | Gross: $49.11M
An epic biopic about the man who created Las Vegas.
35. Animal Kingdom (2010)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A seventeen-year-old navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and the detective who thinks he can save him.
Director: David Michôd | Stars: James Frecheville, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton, Bryce Lindemann
Votes: 60,493 | Gross: $1.04M
Austrailian and as gritty as they come.
36. Juice (1992)
R | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Four inner-city teenagers get caught up in the pursuit of power and happiness, which they refer to as "the juice".
Director: Ernest R. Dickerson | Stars: Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Jermaine Hopkins, Khalil Kain
Votes: 30,357 | Gross: $20.15M
Tupac Shakur and the always exceptional Omar Epps star in this film about four friends growing up in the early 90's hip-hop, b-boy scene of Queens, NY and the disintegration of their relationships after a botched robbery.
37. Exit Wounds (2001)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Orin Boyd, a tough cop in an inner-city precinct discovers a web of dirty cops and corruption.
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak | Stars: Steven Seagal, DMX, Isaiah Washington, Anthony Anderson
Votes: 36,924 | Gross: $51.76M
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