Posted on January 18, 2024
Top 10 Mob Films of All Time
Look, we know it’s a top-10 and yet we started at 12. Just deal with it, we all are. Let us know what movies you think need to be on this list in the comments.
#1 & #2 – The Godfather and The Godfather Part II
The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are not really two movies — they’re a single epic carved in halves. As such, they drop in as a combined # 1 and # 2 in our Top Mob Films of All Time list.
Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece of film making – crafting an incredible meditation on power, family, and decay. The American dream and nightmare played out across two generations.
The first film plants the seeds – Michael Corleone’s reluctant transformation from war hero to ruthless mafioso don. It’s a tight, operatic tragedy. Marlon Brando won best actor for his portrayal of Don Corlene – a man that “refused to be a fool dancing on the string, held by all those bigshots.”
By the time we get to Part II, Coppola effectively stretches his reach through parallel storytelling— young Vito Carleone – thrillingly played by Robert De Niro – rise to power that is contrasted with Michael’s moral collapse—we see both the building of an epic empire and its ultimate corrosion.
Part I is the ascension; Part II is the reckoning. Michael’s cold stare at the end of the second film is the natural consequence of everything that began with that fateful “offer he can’t refuse.”
The artistry, the performances, the weight of history—they fuse into one glorious and tragic saga. Together, they remain unmatched in cinematic history. Best Picture x 2, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay x 2, and Best Original Score.
#3 – The Departed
What another Scorsese masterpiece? Who is this guy?
Winner of four Oscars including Martin Scorsese’s first and only Best Picture as well as Best Director.
An all-star cast with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Marky Mark surrounding the incomparable Jack Nicolson as Irish mob boss Frank Costello.
Marty’s gritty remake of a Hong Kong hit – Internal Affairs, another film that is required viewing — is a compelling cat and mouse game between Leo’s under cover cop infiltrating Frank’s gang, and Matt Damon as Frank’s slimy mole in the Boston PD.
Exploring moral ambiguity with layers of deception and deceit is both violent and comedic. Great scenes are gloriously distributed to each fine actor.
Ray Winston is captivating and menacing as Mr. French – Frank’s right-hand man.
Meanwhile, Jack always gets the best philosophical lines:
– “You can’t trust a guy who acts like he’s got nothing to lose.”
– “When you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference.“
– “I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.“
– “She fell funny.“
But it is Mark Wahlberg that has the most hilarious insults:
– “I’m the guy who does his job you must be the other guy!“
You can and should watch this incredible gangster film again and once again.
#4 – Goodfellas
- Robert De Niro as Jimmy “ the Gent “ Conway
- Joe Pesci as always playing a psychopath – this time Tommy DeVito
- Ray Liotta – RIP – as Henry Hill
Goodfellas gallops through a most compelling story with a background soundtrack of popular music from Tony Bennett to Aretha Franklin to the matching bravado of the Rolling Stones which match the timeless comedic quotably elements – “Funny, how?“
All the Goodfellas gangsters are at once sentimental, fearful, and fully dysfunctional. Their sense of omerta is completely discarded as they furiously rat each other out to save themselves.
Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill’s descent is horrible and fascinating as he gradually deteriorates to become his own best cocaine customer.
Goodfellas is aggressively comedic – a black comedy cautionary tale that stands up to repeated viewing.
#5 – Casino
Based the non-fiction book by Nicolas Pileggi on the true story of the rise and fall of the mob in 1970’s Las Vegas with the fictional Tangier’s Hotel standing in for the real Stardust Hotel where this tale actually took place in 1973.
Infinitely rewatchable – if you haven’t seen it yet – what is wrong with you? You will never know how many blueberries go into a properly made muffin.
Look for Don Rickles and James Wood.
#6 – Sexy Beast
Jonathan Glazer’s stylish and atmospheric cockney black comedy gangster flick. Tightly written with an outstanding cast and fun fast cut cinematography.
Sir Ben Kingsley plays a most foul-mouthed sociopathic gangster Don Logan. His performance gained him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Playing a character at the opposite pole of his Gandhi role.
Ray Winstone as Gal Dove does a great turn as the former hard man now plump retired criminal. He is bullied back into the underworld by Don Logan that he and his beloved wife had escaped from.
Ian McShane is incredible as the suave London crime boss Teddy Bass that is putting the gang together for one last big score.
Intense is the keyword here.
And it has simply the best opening scene ever filmed
#7 – Miller’s Crossing
Snappy dialog and double-double crossing twisting plot that demands careful attention and multiple viewings. Fabulous cast doing dastardly and violent deeds. Violence, loyalty, love, hate, and friendship! Beautifully filmed with entertaining quotable lines that draws you into the period.
Albert Finney’s Irish Mob boss Leo O’Bannon’s defending his home scene is movie poetry. Firing away with his Tommy gun wearing his silk robe and embroidered slippers while the soft strains of the poignant “Danny Boy” plays in the background to counterbalance the chatter of the machine gun and the ensuing violence is one of the most noteworthy scenes cinematic history.
Our favorite quote –
“I don’t ask much, and I don’t ask often – trust me on this.”
Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan to Albert Finney’s Leo O’Bannon
