Favorite Gangster Movies and TV Shows
by Tynetta22 | created - 19 Jan 2020 | updated - 19 Jan 2020 | PublicA list of some of my favorite gangster movies from the 30s up to today's movies.
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1. 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: 915,054 | Gross: $45.60M
2. 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: 1,255,366 | Gross: $46.84M
3. 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: 2,008,503 | Gross: $134.97M
4. 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: 1,362,145 | Gross: $57.30M
5. The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Passed | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Three men attempt to make a living in Prohibitionist America after returning home from fighting together in World War I.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Priscilla Lane, Gladys George
Votes: 15,459
6. 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: 452,045 | Gross: $130.16M
7. J.D.'s Revenge (1976)
R | 96 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
Murdered on Bourbon Street in 1942 New Orleans, a gangster returns from the dead 34 years later possessing the body of a young, black law student in his quest for revenge.
Director: Arthur Marks | Stars: Glynn Turman, Louis Gossett Jr., Joan Pringle, Carl W. Crudup
Votes: 1,446
8. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Votes: 469,232
9. Wiseguy (1987–1990)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Vincent Terranova is an agent with the Organized Crime Bureau infiltrating dangerous criminal organizations, struggling to remain true to himself while becoming close to the criminal leaders he is sworn to bring down.
Stars: Jonathan Banks, Jim Byrnes, Ken Wahl, Dwight Koss
Votes: 2,916
10. 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: 563,082 | Gross: $42.44M
11. 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: 330,389 | Gross: $76.27M
12. 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: 2,215,645 | Gross: $107.93M
13. Scarface (1932)
PG | 93 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An ambitious and nearly insane violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall.
Directors: Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson | Stars: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins
Votes: 30,266
14. The Public Enemy (1931)
Passed | 83 min | Crime, Drama
An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Joan Blondell
Votes: 23,004 | Gross: $1.01M
15. High Sierra (1940)
Passed | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After being released from prison, notorious thief Roy Earle is hired by his old boss to help a group of inexperienced criminals plan and carry out the robbery of a California resort.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis, Arthur Kennedy
Votes: 19,199
16. The Petrified Forest (1936)
Passed | 82 min | Drama, Thriller
A waitress, a hobo and a bank robber get mixed up at a lonely diner in the desert.
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Leslie Howard, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Genevieve Tobin
Votes: 14,906
17. Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Passed | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A priest tries to stop a gangster from corrupting a group of street kids.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan
Votes: 23,182
18. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham
Votes: 202,913
19. The Untouchables (1959–1963)
50 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Special Agent Eliot Ness and his elite team of incorruptable agents battle organized crime in 1930s Chicago.
Stars: Robert Stack, Walter Winchell, Nicholas Georgiade, Paul Picerni
Votes: 3,073
20. Hoodlum (1997)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama
Black gangsters in 1930 Harlem fights Dutch Schultz who is trying to horn in on their numbers racket.
Director: Bill Duke | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, Vanessa Williams, Andy Garcia
Votes: 12,544 | Gross: $23.46M
21. The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938)
Approved | 87 min | Crime, Drama
A brilliant Park Avenue doctor becomes a criminal in order to do research into the criminal mind.
Director: Anatole Litvak | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Claire Trevor, Allen Jenkins
Votes: 2,979
22. Magic City (2012–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
Centers on Miami mobsters and other characters from Miami Beach in the late 1950s.
Stars: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olga Kurylenko, Steven Strait, Jessica Marais
Votes: 13,273
23. The Making of the Mob (2015–2016)
TV-14 | 343 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Making of the Mob, is an eight-part docudrama that begins in 1905 and spans more than 50 years, tracing the original five families that led to the modern American Mafia, including the rise ... See full summary »
Stars: Ian Bell, Craig Thomas Rivela, Rich Graff, John Binder
Votes: 2,629
24. Mobsters (1991)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama
From start to finish, this is a story of friendship between four street-wise mates who don't mind using violence to achieve the lives that they want. They trust no one but each other, which is vital to their success as mobsters.
Director: Michael Karbelnikoff | Stars: Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, Rodney Eastman, Costas Mandylor
Votes: 9,689 | Gross: $20.25M
25. L.A. Confidential (1997)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
Votes: 617,025 | Gross: $64.62M
26. Godfather of Harlem (2019– )
TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama
A gangster named Bumpy Johnson makes his way in Harlem during the 1960s. A TV prequel to the 2007 film, 'American Gangster', which centered on the criminal enterprise of Frank Lucas.
Stars: Forest Whitaker, Ilfenesh Hadera, Lucy Fry, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy
Votes: 20,782
27. 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: 423,564 | Gross: $66.67M
28. The Last Don II (1998)
R | 240 min | Drama, Crime
Upon the death of the old don, his young heir steps into the position. He quickly proves to be just as ruthless in trying to discover who has launched a plot to overthrow his government and may be infiltrating other families.
Stars: Jason Isaacs, Michelle Burke, Conrad Dunn, Robert Wuhl
Votes: 1,171
29. Little Caesar (1931)
Not Rated | 79 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A small-time criminal moves to a big city to seek bigger fortune.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Glenda Farrell, William Collier Jr.
Votes: 14,498
30. Bullets or Ballots (1936)
Passed | 82 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
When a crusader against rackets is murdered, a grand jury battles the rackets by promoting McLaren to be in charge of the cleanup. He fires NYPD Detective Blake, who punches him and joins the racket.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane, Humphrey Bogart
Votes: 3,476
31. Black Hand (1950)
Passed | 92 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller
Now grown-up, Johnny Columbo returns to New York from Italy having sworn a vendetta against the Black Hand who killed his father years earlier. Becoming romantically involved with a girl ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Thorpe | Stars: Gene Kelly, J. Carrol Naish, Teresa Celli, Marc Lawrence
Votes: 951
32. Highway 301 (1950)
Passed | 83 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Led by a psychopathic killer, a vicious gang of armed robbers terrorizes Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, robbing banks and payrolls and murdering anyone who might identify them.
Director: Andrew L. Stone | Stars: William P. Lane Jr., John S. Battle, W. Kerr Scott, Steve Cochran
Votes: 1,111
33. Incident on a Dark Street (1973 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 96 min | Crime, Drama
A small-time hood is murdered just as he is about to blow the whistle on an organized crime ring.
Director: Buzz Kulik | Stars: James Olson, David Canary, Robert Pine, Richard S. Castellano
Votes: 214
34. White Heat (1949)
Not Rated | 114 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly
Votes: 35,662
35. Bound by Honor (1993)
R | 180 min | Crime, Drama
Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on step-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo.
Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Damian Chapa, Jesse Borrego, Benjamin Bratt, Enrique Castillo
Votes: 33,966 | Gross: $4.50M
36. Harlem Nights (1989)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
During the 1930s, a New York City illegal gambling house owner and his associates must deal with strong competition, gangsters, and corrupt cops in order to stay in business.
Director: Eddie Murphy | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello
Votes: 24,759 | Gross: $60.86M
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