1

Good four. If you can delete the statement where Casino and, for the love of God, Godfather Part III are honorable mention, you got a nice condensed list.

But, you know what the problem is with the list of things, they are usually overly subjective at best or No Duh" at best. For more inspired choices, how about
1. City of God
2. Road to Perdition
3. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
4. Gangster No. 1

Hopefully you'll get a reader who has not seen at least one of these four and take it for a spin.

grendel on Nov 1, 2007

2

I have to agree with grendel on road to perdition. Not sure why Reservoir Dogs is in the list. I can agree with the first 3, but not that. I could put Mobsters (1991) in that spot or Road to Perdition, scarface, etc

Bob Buskirk on Nov 1, 2007

3

Grendel-
I disagree that Casino and Godfather Part III should be taken off the honorable mention list. Casino although scattered and long was still a great film. Godfather III…well…I have to put it on there. Even though it wasn't a very good movie you have to mention it just for closure from the first two. It's kind of like Matrix Revolutions where you have to watch it to complete the story.

The list is really to introduce the genre to some and remind those of us who already love these films to give them another viewing. Rewatching Goodfellas and The Untouchables was really enjoyable since it had been quite awhile. I still stick with the list of 4 but I would add City of God and Road to Perdition to the honorable mention list. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels I would have to think about more, it seems like a stretch. I haven’t seen Gangster No. 1, but if you are putting it on your list I will have to check it out.

Bob Buskirk-
Reservoir Dogs is a gangster film although it might not seem like it at first glance. It really depends on how you define gangster. Wikipedia says,

"A gangster is a general term, though frequently misused, for a career criminal who is, or at some point almost invariably becomes, a member of a violent crime organization, such as a gang or mafia.

Gangsters as a collective therefore are typically organized criminals who are actively engaged in crime as a group activity or enterprise for pleasure and profit. The visibility of activities of gangsters can range from the low-level such as drug-trafficking or protectionism, which are prone to be 'under the radar', to the in your face spectacular…"

Although not fitting into the classic view we have of a gangster movie, which is typically The Godfather. Reservoir Dogs fits into the definition above and I think is enjoyable because of its unique twist on the classic gangster film.

Ken Evans on Nov 2, 2007

4

Good list….I like Reservoir Dogs but calling it a gangster movie is a stretch…its as much a gangster movie as Pulp fiction. I don't think The Untouchables deserves mention here…I would replace it with either Casino or Miller's Crossing….

Fred O on Nov 2, 2007

5

this entire list is wrong. they have nothing to do with the actual story. there are 3 movies that you should watch before American Gangster and they are:

(in chronological order)
1. The French Connection
2. The Cotton Club
3. Hoodlum

These movies deal with Bumpy Johnson and the drug problem in Harlem

mos on Nov 4, 2007

6

Hoodlum should be number 1 because American Gangster picked up where Hoodlum left of.

Dez on Nov 7, 2007

7

I totally agree with mos.

Dez on Nov 7, 2007

8

Mos and Dez-

I hear what you two are saying and would agree with you guys if the list was about movies dealing with drug problems in Harlem, but thats not what the list is. The list is to introduce and remind people of other great films in the Gangster movie genre. Good list though if anyone wants to know more about that subject.

Ken Evans on Nov 7, 2007

9

All the movies mentioned are okay , but if you really want to emerse yourself in a gangster / mob bravado , you must see Corky Romano . Corky Romano is one of , if not thee best mob movies ever produced !!!! The acting is reminicent of Casablanca or Gone With The Wind but with the furor of classics such as The Lion King and Tommy Boy . I am not a Homo .

J on Nov 7, 2007

10

I'm not a fan of "The Untouchables", but I guess I have to see it again. Brian De Palma's best scenes are always ripoffs of other, better movies (which is why I don't like his movies very much).

"Reservoir Dogs" was an interesting choice for variety. It's definitely a classic (though very different) gangster movie.

As for the honorable mentions, I have to defend Godfather III, since if it were not for the first 2 movies (and Sofia Coppola), everyone would've liked it better. "Road to Perdition" sucked. Tom Hanks is as lame of a gangster as they come. "Miller's Crossing" is a way better Irish mafia movie.

My own top four would be:

1) Godfather II (assuming you've seen the 1st one, this one gives you a taste of 2 eras).
2) Public Enemy (James Cagney is the best gangster ever)
3) Donnie Brasco (for a look at the lower brass in the mob)
4) Goodfellas (It's got to be in every gangster movie list)

HM: "Miller's Crossing", "Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels", "The Departed", "Once Upon a Time in America".

Mark P on Nov 7, 2007

11

Wow. I think my niece wrote that list back in 1995. Can anyone say "obvious"?
The films that "Gangster" most resembles are "Serpico", "French Connection 2", "Across 110th Street", and "Donnie Brasco". But if you're given the opportunity to talk about "real" mafia films then you should really take that opportunity to shed a little light on some true overlooked classics:

1. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973). This is just about the most realistic film about the lower ranks of the mob that has ever been filmed, and I'd include the uber-classic Goodfellas in that assessment. Robert Mitchum nails the regional Boston accent, and after seeing Gone, Baby Gone, I hope someone gives Ben Affleck a stack of George V. Higgins books for Christmas so he can remake this, and then do Digger's Game, which is a phenomenal crime novel from the series that spawned this incredible film.

2. The Seven-Ups (1973). Aside from having one of the all time greatest car chases (no surprise when you learn that the director produced "Bullit"), this second installment in the French Connection series (released after the first film, but before French Connection II) lacks the star performance (Gene Hackman) of the first film, and the celebrity director (John Frankenheimer) of the official sequel, but it makes up for it all by remaining a great genre film throughout. The cast reads like a who's who of 70s action film B-listers who are finally given their chance to shine, which they do. And it was written by Sonny Grosso. Though not officially part of the French Connection franchise, it bears the same producer and cast, was written by the cop portrayed in the films and some of the actors portray characters with very similar names.

3. Palermo Connection (1990). Directed by the Italian master of Crime films Francesco Rosi (Salvatore Giulino, Hands Over the City, Lucky Luciano), this incredibly overlooked film starring James Belushi as a NYC politician leading a war-on-drugs campaign follows the opium trail back to Sicily, and sheds a lot of light on the Italian Mafia culture. It's a very current examination into the mix between crime and politics, and the reasons why prohibition may always win over legalization. It should have resonated with audiences of its day, but didn't. Upon viewing it recently, it seems almost prophetic.

4. Prince of the City (1981). Sidney Lumet had already made a name for himself making gritty cops & robbers films (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon), but this action/drama about an undercover cop with crooks in his own family was the last of his truly great films. It was nominated for 5 Oscars and picked up dozens of other awards, as well as making a leading man out of Treat Williams, though failing to launch him as a star the way it probably should have. Some people upon seeing it for the first time are surprised to learn that it's not a Martin Scorsese film. It was heavily abridged on it's initial theatrical release, which doubtlessly contributed to it's failure, but it became a smash television success when its runtime was restores and the film aired as a two-night mini-series just a few years later.

*Bonus pick
La Scorta (The Escort) (1993). Ricky Tognazzi's incredible, adrenaline packed thriller follows the men whose job it is to guard judges overseeing mafia trials. It is gritty, realistic action in the tradition of Frankenheimer, but organic in it's presentation of Italian thugs and hoods who have infiltrated the police force, and how their fellow officer's handle them. This is an Italian film in the Italian language, and makes a great double feature with Carlo Carlei's wonderful "Flight of the Innocent" which is a fly-on-the wall view of mafia kidnappers in Sicily, their methods and motivations.

Flickhead on Nov 13, 2007

12

Flickhead -

Like the title of this article says, Top 4 Recommended Gangster Movies to Watch Before Seeing American Gangster. This wasn't supposed to be a list of the more obscure gangster films. The list is to introduce and remind people of great films in the gangster movie genre. It is something to start people off watching so that they can get into this type of genre. Of course its obvious, but I have talked to many people who need a list like this. They want to get into the gangster genre but wanted a few films to start with.

Thanks for the list though. There are a few on there I need to see again, and a few I need to see for the first time. Maybe next time I'll add on a section of the more obscure films for the advanced movie viewer that wants to get deeper.

Ken Evans on Nov 14, 2007

13

For me the best gangster movie got to be : -

1. goodfellas
2. casino
3. godfather - all the series
4. infernal affair (hk movie) - cantonese - i know it a chinese movie but one have to check it out before you disagree with me.

Nazreen Jefrizal KL Malaysia on Jan 3, 2008