Mobster movies develop a life of their own on the big screen and have a dedicated fan base. From power struggles to murderous rampages, organized crime has been on the big screen for more than a century.
Here are the best classic mob movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes:
1. "The Big Heat" (1953)
In this brutal crime drama, a detective, played by Glenn Ford, seeks vengeance against the gangsters who killed his wife while trying to kill him.
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"In many ways, Fritz Lang's 'The Big Heat,' scripted by former crime reporter Sydney Boehm, laid the groundwork not only for 'Dirty Harry,' but for the whole sub-genre of 'rogue cop' films that began to surface during the Vietnam era," writes John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune.
2. "The Killing" (1956)
This Stanley Kubrick film depicts a band of greedy criminals who attempt a race track robbery and their efforts are foiled.
"This taut crime picture was one of the earliest films in the career of Stanley Kubrick, but something of the director's voice and characteristic preoccupations are already evident here," said reviewer Wendy Ide in Times UK.
3. "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather: Part II" (1974)
"The Godfather" movies set the benchmark for American cinema. Critics agree the films got "everything right," transcending expectations to become a great commercial success.
The multi-generational crime film depicts life in the 1940s amongst a family of heavily involved in organized crime.
"This elegiac organized-crime saga from the young Francis Ford Coppola is one of the all-time high watermarks of American cinema, rich with subtle acting and blessed with stunning cinematography from Gordon Willis," wrote Andrew Collins for Radio Times.
4. "Scarface" (1932)
The film portrays the life of mobster Al Capone, also known as "Scarface," who struggles with his boss for power. The finale of the film is one of the bloodiest and longest for its time period.
"Scarface contains more cruelty than any of its gangster picture predecessors, but there's a squarer for every killing. The blows are always softened by judicial preachments and sad endings for the sinners," said Variety in its review.
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