Plenty of gangster movies take inspiration from real life, which gives actors an opportunity to play real-life criminals. These movies often produce brilliant performances, as some of the best actors around play gangsters whose lives were more violent and sensational than most fictional crime movies.
Many of thebest gangster movies everare based on true stories, includingGoodfellasandBonnie and Clyde.The real-life history behind these movies is often hard to believe, so it takes a compelling central performance to ground them in reality. The crime genre’s greatest actors, including Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington, have all been praised for their performances as notorious mobsters.
The Untouchablestakes place in Chicago, as Eliot Ness struggles to impose prohibition laws with Al Capone flooding the city with bootleg liquor. It’s an entertaining blend of fact and fiction, often choosing to present a more outlandish myth over a mundane truth. Robert De Niro is just one part of a great ensemble cast, but Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia and Sean Connery are also on top form.
Several ofRobert De Niro’s best moviessee him playing gangsters, especially his collaborations with Martin Scorsese. Although he plays real-life mobsters inThe Irishman, Goodfellasand many more,Al Capone is the most notorious criminal he has portrayed on screen. De Niro uses his considerable charms to lean into Capone’s public persona as a showman, rubbing shoulders with the press and taunting his opponents in law enforcement. Still, he has a brutally violent streak behind closed doors, as one iconic scene with a baseball bat highlights.
Although he is known for playing law enforcement officers,Denzel Washington’s villain charactersalways show an interesting new side to his talents, and he seems to enjoy himself in these roles. His Oscar-winning turn inTraining Dayis one example, but he’s also outstanding in Ridley Scott’sAmerican Gangster.
10 Unconventional Gangster Movies That Changed Up The Genre
A few unexpected gangster films have made big waves throughout the years, leaving behind a noticeable impact on the popular film genre.
American Gangstershows some of Frank Lucas' admirable qualities, but this only helps to bring his barbaric acts of violence into sharper focus. His determination and dedication to his tasks mirrors that of the detective trying to put him behind bars, but Lucas refuses to conform to any rule book.This makes for a fascinating character study, especially given the real-life context of Lucas' crimes in the 1960s and 1970s.
Many ofMartin Scorsese’s best moviesinvolve gangsters, and most of these are based on real life.Gangs of New Yorkdoesn’t usually get the same amount of appreciation as other hits likeGoodfellas, CasinoandThe Departed,but there’s still a lot to like about the period crime thriller. In particular, Daniel Day-Lewis' flamboyant portrayal of Bill the Butcher makes him a scene-stealing presence throughout.
His darkly comic, showy presence perfectly highlights Bill the Butcher’s dangerous swagger.
Gangs of New Yorkpresents a heavily fictionalized version of Bill the Butcher. For starters, his name is changed from William Poole to William Cutting, and the timeline of his life is distorted so that he survives until much later than he did in reality. These differences give Day-Lewis license to bring his own panache to the character, and his darkly comic, showy presence perfectly highlights Bill the Butcher’s dangerous swagger.
Tom Hardy plays two famous gangsters at once inLegend,often sharing the screen with himself alone.Hardy is known for crime moviesand bold, unexpected acting choices, both of which make him a perfect fit for the dual role of Ronnie and Reggie Kray. The Kray brothers are probably London’s most notorious gangsters ever, and they became celebrities during their peak in the 1960s, welcoming the city’s rich and famous to their nightclub.
Hardy brings his deadpan delivery toLegend,highlighting the style of London at the time. This dark humor also heightens the impact of the flashes of shocking violence. While representing the two sides to the Krays,Hardy also differentiates between the calm, intelligent Reggie and his volatile brother Ronnie, who is often used as a hammer against anyone who stands in their way.
Bonnie and Clydewas a revolutionary gangster movie at the time, paving the way for New Hollywood with its shocking depictions of violence and its nuanced representation of criminals. It has helped to amplify the mythos surrounding the Barrow gang, solidifying them as American Robin Hood figures whose violence and romance go hand-in-hand.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway’s compelling performances are central to the appeal ofBonnie and Clyde.They are two big reasons why the movie remains so absorbing so many years later, even after the impact of the violence has faded. They present Bonnie and Clyde as two lovers who communicate on the same wavelength, developing a twisted philosophy that pits them against the entire world.
Goodfellasis a masterpiece of the gangster genre, and it has influenced countless other movies ever since. Martin Scorsese’s infectious blend of humor and frantic action is helped along by the movie’s breakneck speed. There isn’t a single scene ofGoodfellaswhich passes without something memorable, whether it’s a dark joke, a shocking murder or a surprising moment of pathos to humanize the brash mobsters.
Ray Liotta shines in his finest performance of all, playing famous mafia snitch Henry Hill.
Thecast ofGoodfellasis one of Scorsese’s best, with many actors playing real-life gangsters. Ray Liotta shines in his finest performance of all, playing famous mafia snitch Henry Hill. Henry narrates the story, which offers a window into his emotional state as his aspirational dreams of a life of luxury turn to paranoia, fear and guilt. Throughout these tumultuous changes, Liotta is always fascinating to watch.
American bank robber John Dillinger is shrouded in myth, since the media often printed exaggerated accounts of his crimes. Some newspapers sought to portray him as a rogue hero fighting against big corporations during the Great Depression, while others painted him as a dangerous menace, whose crimes were symbolic of the sickness within American society at the time.
10 Great Gangster Movies Everyone Always Forgets About
While some gangster movies are well-known across the board, other great crime films lack the same kind of ever-present cultural relevance.
Johnny Depp is one of many actors who have played Dillinger over the years, with his performance in Michael Mann’sPublic Enemiesgaining widespread acclaim. There are few falsehoods inPublic Enemies,butit has been praised for its depiction of Dillinger, even going so far as to use official court transcripts as dialogue.Dillinger’s prison breaks and most famous shootouts are also shown.
Al Pacino is another actor who has played plenty of gangsters throughout his career, includingScarface’s Tony Montana andThe Godfather’s Michael Corleone. These characters are both fictional, but movies likeDog Day AfternoonandDonnie Brascoshow that Pacino can also play real-life criminals.Donnie Brascosees him playing Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero, a key figure in New York City’s Bonnano crime family.
Donnie Brascois a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse between Ruggiero and the undercover FBI agent infiltrating the mafia, andPacino works well with Johnny Depp. He delivers a nuanced, refined performance which highlights his range, especially when compared to some of his more bombastic roles. He maintains an air of mystery to the character, suggesting to both the audience and his counterpart that he may know more than he lets on.
