No. I do not mean these:
Definitely not those. I’m talking about anti-government, doing things for themselves their own way, violent, murderous GANGSTERS.
Here is a list of my favorite gangster movies that are definitely worth being noted*:
6. Road to Perdition (83%)
Basically a film told by a young son’s point of view. Curious, the young boy never really knows what his mysterious father (Tom Hanks) does for a living until one night he young boy follows his father to “work.” From that moment the whole family is in danger and unexpected events fill the rest of the plot.
As a true Hanks fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this change of character. Instead of the happy, determined character I have seen Hanks play many times, his character, Mike Sullivan is a straight faced man who takes NO shit. Not even from his son.
5. The Departed (93%)
Ah! I love watching older Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s pretty bad ass in this film too. Other important cast members include Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson.
The focus is on a duo of men (DiCaprio, Damon) from the same police department who were both put in the same situation unbeknown to the other. As the department targets a group of Irish mafia (lead by Nicholson) the undercover cops they have assigned may seem to have alternate alliegences…
4. TIE!!
&
Are you sure you want me to ramble on about these two Quentin Tarantino movies? Too bad. They’re bad ass.
In my opinion, I feel as though Pulp Fiction is a better movie with such a great storyline that I could watch it forever. The characters are so bold and so eccentric that after viewing, I feel as though I know them (how much I would actually WANT to know them differs…) The various story lines such as the two hit men (John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson) work for the infamous Marcelles Wallace (Ving Rhames) who has a drug addict wife (Uma Therman). Wallace tries to make a betting deal with a popular boxer, Butch (Bruce Willace) and even when things go wrong… everything (usually) turns out all right.
As for Reservoir Dogs, it’s a group of bank robbers with a robbery gone wrong. A snitch is in the group and the plot revolves around who he could be. The script is impeccable and I cannot get enough of Tarantino’s dialogue. It shines in this film. Also, Tarantino’s music choice is pretty damn awesome if I do say so myself. I’ll include a snippet of my favorite part
(WARNING * SPOILER * WARNING)
3. Goodfellas (97%)
Just putting this out there, I’m pretty obsessed with Robert DeNiro in gangster films. This is one of the reasons why.
Basically the story of a young boy who grows up and dreams of being in the mafia (basically what all young children dream about, by the way). As he makes connections and befriends the top dogs, he grows to be apart of them. It’s a beautifully told story and one of the best gangster films of all time. Oh and Joe Pesci is pretty damn cool too.
Gives you a couple rules to live by: “Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut!”
I remember being Wow’d after watching this film. Another MASTERPIECE directed by Martin Scorsese. Robert DeNiro. Joe Pesci. Sharon Stone. It is the rise and indefinite fall of power and riches. As I watched this, it made me think about celebrity life today. It’s all an illusion. You receive and receive but if you take everything for granted, chances are shit will hit the fan.
Shit hits the fan in Casino.
1. The Godfather Trilogy (100%, 98%, 68%)
I’m hoping there was no surprise here. I’m a huge fan of The Godfather and had so much more respect after I read the novel by Mario Puzo. The film adaptation is extremely faithful and the story itself is legendary.
There is just something about Don Vito Corleone’s rise to power and how he held onto his dynasty. He was powerful but respected even more so. It astounds me the magic he could do with words and how he seemed to handle everything perfectly. Can Marlon Brando get any cooler? Seriously. I especially loved the young Don played by DeNiro (see, I told you I loved him!).
One of the best films ever made. PERIOD. Read it. Watch it. Appreciate.
*This is a list of films I have seen. Other noted gangster films include:
Donnie Brasco, Miller’s Crossing, The Untouchables, Mean Streets, White Heat, Scarface, Once Upon A Time in America, The Usual Suspects and Gangs of New York
SayreSays 