Top 100 Gangster Movies List

#40 Gangster Movie

Colors (1988) R

An experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.

Director:

Dennis Hopper

Writers:

Michael Schiffer

Stars:

Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso

#39 Gangster Movie

Lawless (2012) R

Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.

Director:

John Hillcoat

Writers:

Nick Cave, Matt Bondurant (novel)

Stars:

Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce

#38 Gangster Movie

Felon (2008) R

A family man convicted of killing an intruder must cope with life afterward in the violent penal system.

Director:

Ric Roman Waugh

Writers:

Ric Roman Waugh

Stars:

Stephen Dorff, Marisol Nichols, Vincent Miller

#37 Gangster Movie

Criminal Activities (2015) R

Four young men make a risky investment together that puts them in trouble with the mob.

Director:

Jackie Earle Haley

Writers:

Robert Lowell

Stars:

Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens, Christopher Abbott, John Travolta

#36 Gangster Movie

City of God (1997) PG-13

Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer.

Director:

Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund

Writers:

Paulo Lins (novel), Bráulio Mantovani

Stars:

Alexandre Rodrigues, Matheus Nachtergaele, Leandro Firmino

#35 Gangster Movie

Get Carter (2000) R

Jack Carter, a mob enforcer living in Las Vegas, travels back to his hometown of Seattle for his brother's funeral. During this visit, Carter realizes that the death of his brother was not accidental, but a murder. With this knowledge, Carter sets out to kill all those responsible.

Director:

Stephen Kay

Writers:

Ted Lewis (novel), David McKenna

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Rachael Leigh Cook, Miranda Richardson

#34 Gangster Movie

Blood In, Blood Out (1993) R

Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo.

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writers:

Ross Thomas (story), Jimmy Santiago Baca

Stars:

Damian Chapa, Jesse Borrego, Benjamin Bratt

#33 Gangster Movie

The Sting (1973) PG

In Chicago in September 1936, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writers:

David S. Ward

Stars:

Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw

#32 Gangster Movie

Blow (2001) R

The story of George Jung, the man who established the American cocaine market in the 1970s.

Director:

Ted Demme

Writers:

Bruce Porter (book), David McKenna

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente

#31 Gangster Movie

The Long Good Friday (2002) R

Harold, a prosperous English gangster, is about to close a lucrative new deal when bombs start showing up in very inconvenient places. A mysterious syndicate is trying to muscle in on his action, and Harold wants to know who they are. He finds out soon enough, and bloody mayhem ensues.

Director:

John Mackenzie

Writers:

Barrie Keeffe

Stars:

Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Paul Freeman

#30 Gangster Movie

The Family (2013) R

The Manzoni family, a notorious mafia clan, is relocated to Normandy, France under the witness protection program, where fitting in soon becomes challenging as their old habits die hard.

Director:

Luc Besson

Writers:

Luc Besson, Michael Caleo

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron

#29 Gangster Movie

The Town (2010) R

As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.

Director:

Ben Affleck

Writers:

Peter Craig, Ben Affleck

Stars:

Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm

#28 Gangster Movie

A History of Violence (2005) R

A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writers:

John Wagner, Vince Locke

Stars:

Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris

#27 Gangster Movie

Collateral (2004) R

A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles. He must find a way to save both himself and one last victim.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers:

Stuart Beattie

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith

#26 Gangster Movie

Running Scared (2006) R

A low-ranking thug is entrusted by his crime boss to dispose of a gun that killed corrupt cops, but things get out of control when the gun ends up in wrong hands.

Director:

Wayne Kramer

Writers:

Wayne Kramer

Stars:

Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Chazz Palminteri

#25 Gangster Movie

American Me (1992) R

A Mexican-American Mafia kingpin is released from prison, falls in love for the first time, and grows introspective about his gangster lifestyle.

Director:

Edward James Olmos

Writers:

Floyd Mutrux (story), Floyd Mutrux

Stars:

Edward James Olmos, William Forsythe, Sal Lopez

#24 Gangster Movie

Menace II Society (1993) R

A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

Director:

Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

Writers:

Allen Hughes (story), Albert Hughes (story)

Stars:

Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu

#23 Gangster Movie

Training Day (2009) R

On his first day on the job as a Los Angeles narcotics officer, a rookie cop goes on a 24-hour training course with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writers:

David Ayer

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn

#22 Gangster Movie

No Country for Old Men (2007) R

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.

Director:

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Writers:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Stars:

Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin

#21 Gangster Movie

The Drop (2014) R

Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost.

Director:

Michaël R. Roskam

Writers:

Dennis Lehane

Stars:

Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini

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