Crime stories serve as the inspiration for a variety of Hollywood projects, from police procedural shows to dark thrillers. Some of the best crime movies focus on gangsters, from low-level crime lords to powerful Mafia bosses. Often exploring the rise of criminals as they ascend through the ranks of gangs and crime families, these films can range from dark dramas to comedies. The 2000s had plenty of interesting examinations of gangsters and crime organizations.

Gangster movies continue to reel in audiences for their exploration of a lifestyle of crime, the efforts of cops to bring them down, and how a person's journey leads them to dangerous behavior. While some of these films will focus on the lives of major figures in criminal organizations, others focus on lower-level crooks and the police charged with arresting them. From Prohibition Era revenge thrillers to modern looks at the drug trade, gangster movies are still some of the best films in cinema.

10 Layer Cake Focuses On A Middle Man In The Drug Trade

Layer Cake revolves around an unnamed drug distributor, credited as XXXX. Under the direction of his boss, Jimmy, the protagonist is tasked with finding the missing daughter of one of his boss' associates, as well as the purchase of a large amount of ecstasy. However, when he realizes the drugs have been stolen from Serbian gangsters and Jimmy is a police informant, XXXX kills his boss and has to find a way to get rid of Dragan, a Serbian assassin.

Layer Cake explores the rise of XXXX from a low-level distributor to a boss as he takes over from Jimmy, and expands his operations while trying to kill his Serbian would-be assassin. When he is confronted by another gangster, he begins to realize his life of crime may not be as simple as he thought. Led by Daniel Craig in the role of XXXX, the film is full of some treasured British actors, such as Michael Gambon and Sienna Miller, and is a tense look at the British drug trade.

9 Gangs Of New York Is A Revenge-Driven Gangster Epic

Based on Herbert Asbury's novel of the same name, Gangs of New York begins when two warring gangs, one Protestant Anglo-American, the other Irish Catholic, battle for control of their area, Five Points. When the Protestant leader, William Cutting, kills the Irish boss, Priest Vallon, his gang takes over -- forcing Vallon's son, Amsterdam, to flee into hiding. Sixteen years later, the boy returns, bluffs his way into Cutting's gang, and plans his revenge against him.

Gangs of New York may not be Scorsese's best crime movie, but it is a must-see film, both for the acting of Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. An underrated revenge story, the film certainly has its flaws but is held together by its epic scale and range of brilliant performances, while spotlighting an often overlooked corner of American history.

8 Snatch Is Britain's Best Crime Movie

Snatch revolves around a group of characters who get roped into a plot revolving around a missing diamond. The film primarily follows Turkish, a small-time boxing promoter who has an agreement with local gangster, Brick Top, to have his fighter, Gorgeous George, enter a match. However, when George fights an Irish traveler, Mickey, in a bare-knuckle match, he's left unable to fight -- and Turkish tries to convince Mickey to fill in for him and take a dive. At the same time, three thieves attempt to steal a diamond from a jewel thief, Franky, which makes them public enemy number one to Boris, a KGB officer turned gangster.

Snatch is a great, elaborate crime story that follows a large cast of characters as they each cross paths, culminating in an unlikely intersection of the boxing story with the jewel. The film takes some cues from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction but stands out as a great, original crime story all the same. With Jason Statham and Brad Pitt headlining the movie, it has an impressive cast and a healthy dose of British humor added on top.

7 Sin City Is A Brilliant Comic Book Movie

Sin City takes place in a rundown, gritty city, one full of rampant corruption, unchecked violence, and the tyranny of a dark and twisted crime family, the Roarks -- one of whom happens to be a Senator. The film begins with the story of Hartigan, a hard-boiled detective who gets framed as a child predator after he seemingly kills Senator Roark's rapist son. When he gets paroled after eight years in a cell, he tracks down Nancy, the girl he saved, so he can prevent Roark Jr from finding her himself.

Sin City also focuses on Marv, a violent tough guy looking to avenge a murdered call girl, and Dwight, who defends the prostitute residents of Old Town from the mob. Based on Frank Miller's iconic crime comics of the same name, the anthology movie is non-stop action as criminals are dealt some small measure of justice by the city's unlikely heroes.

6 Lucky Number Slevin Follows One Man Caught Between Two Crime Families

Lucky Number Slevin revolves around a man, Slevin, who gets mistaken for his friend, Nick, and is roped into a war between two opposing mob bosses. On one side is the Boss, the other the Rabbi, both of whom are shut-ins due to the other's persistent efforts to assassinate his rival. Slevin is abducted by the henchmen of either side, both of whom have been led to believe he's Nick, and owes them money. Unable to pay, he winds up being forced into an impossible situation.

Lucky Number Slevin stands out as one of the best films of the 2000s, thanks to its unexpected twist and an all-star cast that includes Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, and Bruce Willis. As Slevin tries to stay alive by playing the mob bosses' game, even agreeing to help assassinate the Rabbi's son, he begins to reveal that his own place in the story isn't a simple coincidence.

5 The Dark Knight Is A Superhero Crime Thriller

The Dark Knight continues the career of Christian Bale's Batman in Gotham, beginning when the Joker leads an elaborate heist on a bank owned by the mob. From there, Batman works with Jim Gordon and the city's new hotshot district attorney, Harvey Dent, to fight the mob while also trying to prevent Joker's crime spree.

The Dark Knight took one of the best comic book universes and translated it into a gritty, gangster-driven thriller, one that follows Joker as he wages his war on the soul of Gotham. Along with Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan did a great job of taking audiences to the heart of the city's mob, and the Caped Crusader's efforts to bring down organized crime and corruption.

4 A History Of Violence Keeps Audiences Guessing Until The Climax

A History of Violence begins when a pair of murderous fugitives arrive in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, where they attempt to rob a diner owned by a local family man, Tom Stall. However, when he heroically kills the criminals, Tom becomes the subject of major media attention, becoming a national sensation as people flock to the town to visit his diner. When this happens, a gangster named Carl Fogarty visits him, calling him Joey and insisting he is connected with a crime boss in Philadelphia, Richie Cusack. This ignites a sense of distrust between Tom and his family, who begin to question whether the claims are true.

A History of Violence is a brilliant crime story, one that leaves audiences in the dark whether Tom is the hitman Fogarty claims him to be, or if it really is a case of mistaken identity. Despite beginning as a small-town family drama, by the end, the film escalates to a tale of violence, revenge, and the question of whether a man can truly leave his past behind.

3 American Gangster Explores The Rise Of Frank Lucas

American Gangster casts Denzel Washington in the role of Frank Lucas, a Harlem gangster who takes over from his mentor, Bumpy Johnson after he dies. An intelligent, attentive businessman, Lucas quickly consolidates power in Harlem, edging out or killing the competition and bringing his brothers in on his operation. As he starts a major heroin trade using returning planes from Vietnam to smuggle in drugs, he becomes the focus of a police anti-drug task force, headed by Detective Richie Roberts.

American Gangster features some brilliant performances from its star-studded cast, including Washington, Russell Crowe, and Josh Brolin. The film deals with everything from the fallout of the Vietnam War and police corruption to the criminal underworld of Harlem. The movie portrays Lucas as a careful criminal, one who makes his contemporaries seem incompetent by comparison. However, it all leads up to the inevitable downfall of one of America's biggest gangsters and is one of Ridley Scott's more underrated films.

2 The Departed Is A Tale Of Corruption

The Departed takes place in Boston, and revolves around both sides of Frank Costello's leadership of the Irish mob, with the cops on one side and the criminal's gang on the other. The film primarily focuses on Billy, a rookie state trooper who goes undercover with Costello, and Colin, a member of the mob who infiltrates the Boston Police Department to be a mole.

The Departed is a great look at police corruption and maintains an interesting duality between its leads: On one hand, Billy is an honest cop pretending to be a criminal -- while Colin is a criminal posing as a lawman. When the cop managing Billy's operation is murdered, he's left practically in the dark, with no connection to his life as an officer, and no idea who he can trust.

1 Road To Perdition Follows A Gangster's Vengeance Against His Own Crime Family