What's your favorite Gangster movie and why?

So, the title says it all, what's your favorite gangster movie, and then I don't mean gangster as in gangsta, but as in organized crime.

I'll tell mine later on in the thread

Greetz
Spikez

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Goodfellas

We already have a thread for gangster movie discussion.

Top Ten Gangster Movies

But to answer the question anyway, my favourite is GoodFellas, for having just about everything I like in a film.

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I'm not sure which I'd put at the top of the list, but I think it's down to The Godfather, Donnie Brasco and Goodfellas.

The Godfather.
Why? Ask anybody

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The Godfather and The Godfather II. They are the kind of movies that become a part of your psyche.

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The Godfather and Donnie Brasco. Then long, long, long nothing and maybe Polish "Pigs", if it fits into the category.

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(Oops, English isn't my first language. Mistakes may occur.)

I have to go with goodfellas, loved the movie, wish I lead the maffia life lol

The Departed

Why? It's a stunning, thrilling, star-powered, extraordinary and funny juwel of a movie. The academy was so right. I could watch it a hundred times - maybe I will do so.

But I haven`t seen much of the gangsta-classics yet. Just a couple of
De Niro & Pacino- Movies: Scarface, Heat (also very,very good) and Donnie Brasco (underestimated).

It's pretty close between The Godfather 1 and Goodfellas, but I'd probably have to go with Goodfellas. It's a pretty funny movie, the dialogue is priceless.

Has this not been done?

Probably Goodfellas or Once Upon a Time in America


I like the Scorsese film because it was based on a true story, and the subject contributed to the film. I enjoy the fast editing and rapid fire pace.

Leone's film on the other hand is much slower and lingers in many scenes. It's more atmospheric and I enjoy thinking about the meaning.

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I don't generally watch gangster movies, but I love The Departed and I enjoyed Donnie Brasco.

Edit: This one, too.

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Godfathers I and II of course, but also The Untouchables, Casino and (not sure if it counts as "organised" crime) The Usual Suspects.

I don't really consider The Godfather movies to be "gangster movies" in the classic sense of the term. I think there's a difference between crime dramas and gangster movies.

Two of my favorite gangster movies, off the top of my head are White Heat and Key Largo.


Key Largo is one of my favorites partly due to a crackling script and partly because of a stellar cast featuring superb gangster tough guy Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, and, in a standout performance, Claire Trevor. Add deft direction by John Huston and you've got one of the best gangster movies ever.



White Heat is another favorite primarily for one reason: James Cagney. If there is one actor who might possibly surpass Robinson in portraying a gangster, it would be Cagney. The whole cast is good, but Cagney's electrifying performance is what puts this movie above the rest of the pack.

The Brits sometimes make good gangster flicks. My favorite over there is The Long Good Friday.

The Long Good Friday is an excellent gangster film. The best British gangster film ever made, IMO.

I have several favorites. Bogart did the best ever portrayals of John Dillinger (in characters of different names) in The Petrified Forest, which was his big break into film, and High Sierra, which launched him as a leading man.

The Big Sleep (1946). Based on a Raymond Chandler Book with his character Philip Marlow. Screenplay by William Faulkner. Directed by Howard Hawkes. Starred Bogart and Bacall. Featured Bob Steele and Elisha Cook Jr. as very tough guys, Dorothy Malone in a very early, sexy role, Regis Toomey.

The Roaring Twenties, the last film in which Bogart and Cagney appeared together. Also featured Gladys George, Frank McHugh, Joe Sawyer, and real-life hardcase actor-criminal Paul Kelly who went to prison for beating a man to death. Great death scenes by each of the two protagonists, including the final shooting that some say was based on the real-life killing of infamous gangster Hymie Weiss. Made a great closing scene with one of the best final lines of dialog ever--"He used to be a big shot."

The Maltese Falcon. Great story based on best-selling book by Dashiell Hammett, the best crime writer ever, script by John Huston who stuck close to the book in both action and dialog. It was Huston's directorial debut and was carefully planned scene by scene and, with few exceptions, shot in sequence. Great filmwork by Arthur Edeson. It marked Sidney Greenstreet's film debut in his sixties. Starred Bogart, Mary Astor in her best role ever, Peter Lorre, Elisha Cook Jr., Gladys George, Barton MacLane, Ward Bond, and Huston's famous father Walter in a small unbilled role as the dying ship's captain who delivers the falcon to Bogart. Again, a great closing shot and famous last words--"The stuff that dreams are made of."

Donnie Brasco
Goodfellas
Scarface
The Departed
The Untouchables
The Usual Suspects
Carlito's Way
Mean Streets