Top Ten Mafia Movies
Scarface (1932)
Kicking it old school. Howard Hawkes directs this classic cautionary Mafia tale, based in part on the real-life Al Capone. The film, which Roger Ebert says raised movie violence to a high in its day, is about Tony Camonte (Paul Muni), a bodyguard who rises to power when his gangland boss is offed. His mental state and violent life aren’t conducive to long term success. A film classic by a legendary director
The Godfather (1972)
All right, maybe this one is the best of the mafia films. You can find few movies that have the dark tone and gripping epic feel of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. With Al Pacino as the son who almost broke free and Marlon Brando as the garbled ultimate Don, The Godfather is the gold standard of mob movies. Great casting, painstaking direction, scary and riveting story, relatable themes, and some of the most quoted lines in movie history. Based on the book by Mario Puzo.
The Godfather II (1974)
They say sequels never measure up, but somehow, this continuing story of the Corleone mafia family pulls it off. The Godfather II won an Oscar like its predecessor and gave us a flashback look at the young Don Corleone’s rise to power. Hey, look, it’s Robert DeNiro speaking Italian. Interweaves the past and present of the family, creating another dark and twisted tale.
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
This movie gets away from the Italian mafia as (Italian) director Sergio Leone turns attention on the Jewish Mob operating in New York. Robert DeNiro once again appear, here along with James Woods. This movie also incorporates “past and present” elements, giving us the mobsters as kids, adults in their primes and older guys looking back. Nominated for a Golden Globe and winner of the BAFTA (Britain’s equivalent of the Oscar). Ennio Morricone does the music.
Scarface (1985)
Say hello to Brian De Palma’s little friend. Again, this “mafia” movie isn’t straight-up Sicilian mafia, but tells the story of a Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who gets in on the Miami drug scene in a big way. You still get plenty of violence, drugs, self-destruction, and deceit though. Steven Bauer and Michelle Pfeifer co-star. Based on the 1932 movie. A fan favorite.
The Untouchables (1987)
Say hello to another one of Brian De Palma’s little friends. This movie, written by David Mamet, isn’t just the story of mafia-buster Elliot Ness and his fictionalized colleagues, but also the story of Al Capone’s downfall. As played by a hefty DeNiro, Capone the most famous of all mafia dons, is a bloated SOB thug. Not the most complex portrait, but really enjoyable. The Untouchables is a good vs. evil story, heavy on the shades of gray when it comes to the cops. “I’ve become what I’ve beheld,” says Ness (Kevin Costner), “And I’m convinced I’ve done good.” Stylish and ultra-violent. Sean Connery won an Oscar for best supporting actor here.
Goodfellas (1990)
Martin Scorcese dramatizes the rise and fall of real life mafioso Henry Hill in this violent, engrossing movie. Ray Liotta stars as Hill who is sucked into the glamorous if dangerous mob life only to ultimately betray it as a government informant. The movie is filled with multi-dimensional characters and an insider’s view of how the mob works. Oscar-winning performance by Joe Pesci as a crazy made guy who, well, doesn’t quite make it to the end of the film. Robert DeNiro and The Soprano’s Lorraine Bracco also star. Definitely a top mafia movie.
Bugsy (1991)
A movie about one of the corrupt founders of Las Vegas, Jewish mobster Bugsy Segal. With heavy mafia overtones, the movie is also a romance between Segal (Warren Beatty) and moll Virginia Hill (Annette Bening, eventually Beatty’s wife…). Directed by Barry Levinson, there’s some good mafia history in this period piece. It’s a good looking film too, winning Oscars in various visual categories. Beatty, Levinson and co-stars Ben Kingsley and Harvey Keitel were also Oscar-nominated. You gotta love Gandhi as Meyer Lansky.
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Johnny Depp digs into the mafia genre playing undercover cop Joe Pistone aka Donny Brasco. His job involves infiltrating a link of the mob chain where Al Pacino’s low-level mobster Ruggerio. The two bond as Pistone digs for dirt, and the tension rises as it becomes apparent that when this group of mafiosos goes down, Ruggerio goes down too. Anne Heche plays Pistone’s wife who can’t quite take her husband’s double life. Best screenplay nomination for Paul Attanasio (Homicide: Life on The Street)
Road to Perdition (2002)
It’s paved with good intentions, isn’t it? Irish mafia hitman Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is on the run with his son after his boss (Paul Newman) chooses his own deadbeat son over Sullivan. Sam Mendes directs this dark, intense, and very beautifully photographed (by Oscar winner Conrad L. Hall) period movie about the sins and loyalties of fathers and sons and the search for redemption. Jude Law co-stars as a really nasty hitman.
Other mafia movies to check out: American Me (Edward James Olmos as a Mexican-American mobster); Billy Bathgate (Dustin Hoffman); Miller’s Crossing (the mob meets the Coen Brothers); Casino (a Scorcese hit); Mafia! (spoof of mafia movies by the guys who brought us Hot Shots);
Another related article,” The Gangster Film and American Dream.”
