25 Classic Gangster Films

‘A Bronx Tale’ (1993)
Robert De Niro plays a protective father who disapproves of his son’s close bond with the town’s local gangster (played by Chazz Palminteri) in this 1960s Bronx-set film.
‘American Gangster’ (2007)
Ridley Scott's American Gangster stars Denzel Washington as notorious heroin smuggler Frank Lucas and Russell Crowe as a narcotics task force detective. The biopic, based on Lucas' real criminal history, also features Ted Levine, Josh Brolin and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967)
‘Bonnie and Clyde’
‘Boyz N the Hood’ (1991)
John Singleton's directorial debut chronicles the story of childhood friends — played by Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Morris Chestnut — who grow up within the strong drug and gang culture in South Central Los Angeles.
‘Carlito’s Way’ (1993)
Al Pacino stars as a Puerto Ricanex-convict who vows not to return to his drug dealing days in New York City.
‘Casino’ (1995)
Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci play two mobsters who take over the gambling realm of Las Vegas in Martin Scorsese's Casino.
‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995)
Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Pollack star as five suspected conmen targeted by a mysterious criminal mastermind in the Bryan Singer-directed film.
‘The Departed’ (2006)
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg co-star in the crime thriller, which tells the story of an undercover cop who is assigned to infiltrate an Irish gang, and one of the gang's own members, who, at the same time, has infiltrated the state police. The film scored four Oscar wins in 2007, including best picture and best director.
‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)
One of Quentin Tarantino's earliest breakout hits, Reservoir Dogs tells the story of six hired criminals who suspect there is an undercover cop amongst them when a planned jewelry heist falls through. Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney and Michael Madsen co-star in the 1992 crime drama.
‘Donnie Brasco’ (1997)
Johnny Depp plays the role of real-life undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone, who infiltrates the New York City mafia under the alias Donnie Brasco.
‘Gangs of New York’ (2002)
Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York tells the story of a man who returns to the scene of his father's death years later and seeks revenge against his father's killer. Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz co-star in the 1860s-set historical drama, which garnered ten Oscar nominations in 2003.
‘The Godfather’ (1972)
Marlon Brando stars as Don Vito Corleone, the patriarch of a mob empire who passes his dynasty on to his reluctant son (played by Al Pacino) in Francis Ford Coppola's classic crime film. The Godfather was awarded three Oscars in 1973 (best picture, best actor and best adapted screenplay) and spawned two equally successful sequels: The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990).
‘Goodfellas’ (1990)
Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta star as three greed-driven gangsters who seek to climb their way up the mob hierarchy in this Martin Scorsese-directed crime film. Pesci took home the Academy Award for best supporting actor in 1991 for his role as Tommy DeVito.
‘Heat’ (1995)
Al Pacino stars as a veteran L.A.P.D. detective who tracks downa team of professional bank robbers, led by Robert De Niro, in the action film directed and written by Michael Mann.
‘King of New York’ (1990)
Christopher Walken plays the role of Frank White, a former drug lord determined to take over New York's underground narcotics business to distribute the profits to the poor, in Abel Ferrara's action thriller.
‘Mean Streets’ (1973)
Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro co-star in the Martin Scorsese-directed crime drama, which follows the journey of a young mafia hopeful who struggles with balancing his involvement in the local crime scene and other personal commitments.
‘Menace II Society’ (1993)
A young hoodlum struggles to escape the urban ghetto of South Central Los Angeles in the 1993 crime drama directed by Albert and Allen Hughes.
‘Miller’s Crossing’ (1990)
Directed and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, Miller’s Crossing tells the story of one man (Gabriel Byrne) who walks the line between two rival gangs.
‘Once Upon a Time in America’ (1984)
The Sergio Leone-directed film chronicles the lives of a group of Jewish gangsters who take over the crime scene of Prohibition-era New York City. Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Joe Pesci and Burt Young co-star.
‘The Public Enemy’ (1931)
The 1931 crime film centers on a young gangster who rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld in Prohibition-era Chicago. James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods and Joan Blondell star in leading roles.
‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino,the Oscar-winning film intersects seven different narratives about two hitmen (John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson), a prizefighter (Bruce Willis), and the wife of a mob boss (Uma Therman).
‘Road to Perdition’ (2002)
The Oscar-winning film, starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law, follows what unfolds when a hitman’s son discovers what his father does for a living.
‘Scarface’ (1983)
Scarface stars Al Pacino as a Cuban refugee turned drug lord who rises to the top of the crime chain in 1980s Miami. A remake of the 1983 classic (which itself is a remake of the 1932 film of the same name) is currently in the works, with Pablo Larrain in line to direct and Jonathan Herman set to pen the script.
‘The Untouchables’ (1987)
Federal agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) assembles a team — dubbed "The Untouchables" — to bring down Chicago crime lord Al Capone (played by Robert De Niro). Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, and Sean Connery make up Costner's onscreen team.
‘White Heat’ (1949)
The Oscar-nominated film noir features James Cagney in the leading role of a volatile gang leader and also stars Virginia Mayo and Edmond O'Brien.