Top 100 Gangster Movies
by killa_man23 | created - 13 Aug 2011 | updated - 19 Jun 2020 | Public100 of the best gangster movies from different countries and different decades.
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1. 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: 1,256,207 | 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.
2. 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: 2,010,281 | Gross: $134.97M
A beloved masterpiece from Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Marlon Brando is and always will be Don Vito Corleone.
3. 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: 1,363,023 | Gross: $57.30M
The greatest sequel ever made.
4. 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: 1,421,127 | Gross: $132.38M
Remake of the Hong Kong classic 'Infernal Affairs', this film boasts a stellar cast and won Scorsese his long overdue Oscar.
5. City of God (2002)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama
In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund | Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele, Phellipe Haagensen
Votes: 800,223 | Gross: $7.56M
The quintessential gangster movie. Groundbreaking, inspiring and based on a true story. The cinematography, directing and writing is unmatched in Brazilian cinema.
6. 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: 2,217,821 | 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.
7. A Prophet (2009)
R | 155 min | Crime, Drama
A young Algerian man is sent to a French prison.
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb
Votes: 102,150 | Gross: $2.08M
Winner at Cannes and nominated for Best Foreign film at the Academy Awards, this is probably the best gangster film to ever come out of France.
8. 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: 915,658 | Gross: $45.60M
Al Pacino disappears into the role of Cuban kingpin Tony Montana and gives us 3 hours of pure, cathartic entertainment.
9. 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: 1,144,582 | Gross: $23.34M
Thrilling from start to finish.
10. The Irishman (2019)
R | 209 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An illustration of Frank Sheeran's life, from W.W.II veteran to hit-man for the Bufalino crime family and his alleged assassination of his close friend Jimmy Hoffa.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel
Votes: 430,691 | Gross: $7.00M
11. Miller's Crossing (1990)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Tom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, John Turturro, Marcia Gay Harden
Votes: 142,066 | Gross: $5.08M
The Coen Brothers take a stab at the gangster/crime genre and deliver an intellegent and aesthetically pleasing classic.
12. 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: 377,415 | 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'.
13. 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: 154,473 | 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.
14. 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: 86,702 | Gross: $0.10M
Sequel to the critically acclaimed 'Elite Squad' and one of the few sequels to outdo the orginal.
15. 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: 1,087,445 | Gross: $2.83M
Quintin Tarantino's official debut. Dialog heavy, violent and very funny. A bonafide classic.
16. Road to Perdition (2002)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A mob enforcer's son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman
Votes: 284,376 | Gross: $104.45M
Sam Medes, director of 'American Beauty' brings forth the adaptation of the popular comic series and Paul Newman gives his last great performance as Irish mob boss John Rooney.
17. Elite Squad (2007)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In 1997 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his position while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope visits.
Director: José Padilha | Stars: Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Milhem Cortaz
Votes: 110,140 | Gross: $0.01M
A gangster film set in the late 90's that focuses heavily on a special forces milirary unit known as BOPE and how they deal with the gangsters and drug lords in the favelas. From the writer of 'City of God'.
18. 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: 563,461 | 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.
19. The French Connection (1971)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco
Votes: 135,557 | Gross: $15.63M
The Oscar-winning film featuring Gene Hackman at his best as well as the greatest car chase in cinema history.
20. 25th Hour (2002)
R | 135 min | Drama
Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson
Votes: 184,613 | Gross: $13.06M
Half gangster film, half love letter to NYC after the 9/11 attacks. Ed Norton and Rosario Dawson star in this bleak film about a man making all the wrong choices in life.
21. Amores Perros (2000)
R | 154 min | Drama, Thriller
An amateur dog fighter, a supermodel, and a derelict assassin, all separately struggling to find love, find their lives transformed by a devastating car wreck in Mexico City.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerrero
Votes: 252,766 | Gross: $5.38M
Inspired by Robert Altman's style of story telling, Amores Perros is Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's best film. His other films include Babel and Biutiful.
22. 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: 330,585 | 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'.
23. Mystic River (2003)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Emmy Rossum
Votes: 485,600 | Gross: $90.14M
Clint Eastwood directs this sad, tragic tale about three friends taking different paths when something happens to one of them during their childhood. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins both won Oscars for their roles - Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively.
24. Eastern Promises (2007)
R | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A teenager who dies during childbirth leaves clues in her journal that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Josef Altin
Votes: 260,966 | Gross: $17.11M
Quite possibly the best Russian gangster film ever made.
25. Léon: The Professional (1994)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama
12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello
Votes: 1,244,558 | Gross: $19.50M
A memorable performnce from Gary Oldman but the stand out is Natalie Portman as the 12-year old Mathilda.
26. 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: 331,993 | Gross: $41.91M
Al Pacino's last gangster film and it is certainly one of his best.
27. 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: 910,160 | 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.
28. La haine (1995)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama
24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili
Votes: 196,193 | Gross: $0.31M
Before 'City of God', before 'American History X', there was 'La Haine' (Hate).
29. Infernal Affairs (2002)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.
Directors: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak | Stars: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang
Votes: 131,332 | Gross: $0.17M
Remade by Scorsese into the Oscar-winning 'The Departed' in 2006, the original is just as great, if not better. Two of Hong Kong's biggest actors Tony Leung and Andy Lau star.
30. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Eddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham
Votes: 615,916 | Gross: $3.90M
The greatest British gangster film of all time.
31. 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: 718,746 | 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.
32. Election (2005)
Unrated | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rival gang leaders are locked in a struggle to become the new chairman of Hong Kong's Triad society.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Louis Koo, Suet Lam, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Eddie Cheung
Votes: 11,365
Known by many as the Chinese 'Godfather' - this is one of Hong Kong's finest films.
33. 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: 1,185,472 | Gross: $6.72M
Blistering depiction of life in Venice Beach and racism. Edward Norton's gives his greatest performance ever.
34. Sexy Beast (2000)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Brutal gangster Don Logan recruits "retired" safecracker Gal for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.
Director: Jonathan Glazer | Stars: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman
Votes: 69,151 | Gross: $6.95M
Ben Kingsley is thrilling, crazy and really funny in his Oscar nominated role as Don Logan, a thief who enlists the aid of a former associate for a major heist.
35. Election 2 (2006)
Unrated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
As election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok (Yam) faces competition from his godsons. At the same time, Jimmy (Koo) looks to increase his business relations with mainland China.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Nick Cheung, Ka-Tung Lam
Votes: 6,892 | Gross: $0.05M
Sequel to the 2005 film featuring returning cast members and an even crazier protagonist.
36. Carlito's Way (1993)
R | 144 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo
Votes: 232,234 | Gross: $36.95M
Al Pacino plays as a milder, wiser and more compassionate Tony Montana in this film directed by the man that gave us 'Scarface'. Also stars Sean Penn in an Oscar worthy role, as well as Luis Guizman as Pachanga and John Leguizamo as Benny Blanco.
37. 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: 242,342 | 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.
38. 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: 31,219 | 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.
39. No Country for Old Men (2007)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson
Votes: 1,059,168 | Gross: $74.28M
A satchel full of money, a pyschopathic killer, the Mexican cartel and Tommy Lee Jones as a philosophical sherriff. It's also an Oscar-winning Coen Brothers film.
40. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 635,094 | Gross: $0.71M
With the release of Oldboy in 2003, the film soon gained cult status and Oh-Dae Su, the main character, quickly became an icon in cinema.
41. Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008)
R | 113 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life before the early 1970s and the events that led to him being declared Public Enemy No. 1 in France.
Director: Jean-François Richet | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Cécile de France, Gérard Depardieu, Gilles Lellouche
Votes: 35,273 | Gross: $0.55M
If it wasn't for 'A Prophet' this would be considered the best French gangster film ever.
42. 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: 452,251 | 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.