Best Gangster Movies: 10 Essential Films to Watch
Key takeaways
- The Godfather (1972) and Goodfellas (1990) offer contrasting introductions to gangster movies: a family-centered epic and a fast-moving story about mob life.
- The list spans classic films, including Little Caesar (1931) and The Public Enemy (1931), as well as later crime dramas and outlaw stories.
- “Gangster movie” can include more than traditional mafia stories, with films such as Bonnie and Clyde and Pulp Fiction broadening the category.
- Choose a first film based on the kind of story you want: a crime epic, a classic-era film, an outlaw story, or a stylized modern drama.
Table of contents
- The best gangster movies to add to your watchlist
- Which gangster movie should you watch first?
- A note on what counts as a gangster movie
- The takeaway
The best gangster movies to add to your watchlist
The best gangster movies range from slow-burning family epics to fast, volatile stories about criminals chasing money and power. If you’re new to the genre, start with The Godfather (1972) for a carefully layered crime saga or Goodfellas (1990) for a more immediate ride through mob life. For a broader view, add a classic such as Little Caesar (1931) and an outlaw film such as Bonnie and Clyde (1967).
There’s no single definitive ranking: some viewers favor historical influence, while others want sharp dialogue, memorable characters, or a brisk pace. The American Film Institute’s 10 Top 10 gangster-film selection offers a useful starting point, but “gangster movie” covers more than traditional mafia stories. This list brings together celebrated genre staples and films that broaden the definition.
1. The Godfather (1972)
Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is the clearest starting point for viewers who want a crime story built around family, loyalty, and succession. The Corleone family’s business is central, but the film’s patient pace gives equal weight to its private relationships and shifting power dynamics.
Choose it when you want an expansive, character-led drama rather than a nonstop run of action. Its deliberate approach also makes it a strong first pick for anyone who finds crime films more interesting when they explore the people and institutions behind the violence. AFI places it at the top of its gangster-film selection.
2. Goodfellas (1990)
Where The Godfather is measured and formal, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is brisk, restless, and close to the everyday rhythms of mob life. It follows Henry Hill’s involvement in organized crime, making it a good choice for viewers who want a rise-and-fall story with momentum and a strong sense of personality.
The contrast between the two films makes them ideal companion watches. Start with The Godfather for the scale of a family saga; choose Goodfellas if you’d rather be pulled quickly into the routines, rewards, and costs of a criminal world. AFI includes both among its leading gangster films, though the choice between them comes down to taste as much as ranking.
3. The Godfather Part II (1974)
Coppola’s sequel is more than a continuation: it develops the Corleone story while also tracing an earlier period in the family’s history. That structure makes it especially rewarding after the first film, as it puts the family’s changing position into a wider perspective.
This is the best next pick for viewers who want another long, serious crime drama rather than a change of style. It shares The Godfather’s patient storytelling, but its two strands give it a broader scope. Watching the first film before this one is the natural choice; Part II is also a standout in its own right and ranks highly on AFI’s list.
4. The Public Enemy (1931)
For an early Hollywood gangster film, The Public Enemy offers a more compact entry point than the major modern crime epics. The story follows Tom Powers, a young criminal played by James Cagney, in a period when the genre was establishing many of its familiar conventions.
Its age is part of the appeal: the film lets viewers see a different era of studio storytelling and a less expansive style of crime drama. If you’re curious about the genre’s roots but don’t want to begin with a silent film, this is a practical choice. AFI includes it among its selected gangster movies.
5. Little Caesar (1931)
Edward G. Robinson stars as Rico, a criminal whose ambition drives the story of Little Caesar. At about 79 minutes, it’s one of the shorter options on this list, making it a useful pick if you want a classic gangster film without committing to an epic-length runtime.
Choose it for a direct, focused portrait of a man seeking power. It also pairs well with The Public Enemy: both are early studio-era films, but watching them together gives you two distinct examples of how the genre took shape. Little Caesar appears on AFI’s gangster-film selection.
6. White Heat (1949)
If you’re looking for a classic gangster film with a volatile central figure, try White Heat. James Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a criminal whose fierce temperament gives the movie a different energy from the more family-centered Godfather films.
It’s a strong choice for viewers who prefer a forceful lead performance and a tighter, older-school crime story. The film also helps show that classic gangster movies weren’t limited to one formula: the genre could focus on an individual criminal as much as on an organized family. AFI includes White Heat in its selection.
7. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Bonnie and Clyde follows the notorious outlaw couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. It isn’t a conventional mafia-family drama, but it belongs in a broader gangster-film watchlist because it centers on criminals, their partnership, and the public story built around their crimes.
Choose it when you want an outlaw story rather than a story about an established crime organization. Its inclusion also illustrates how broad the category can be: gangster films may focus on a family, a criminal network, or a pair of fugitives. AFI recognizes the film in its gangster category.
8. Scarface: The Shame of a Nation (1932)
The 1932 Scarface, also known as Scarface: The Shame of a Nation, is a separate film from Brian De Palma’s better-known 1983 version. It centers on Tony Camonte and belongs to the early wave of American gangster pictures.
This is the one to choose if you want to compare how filmmakers approached the gangster story in different decades. Its period setting and older studio style make it a very different experience from the 1983 film, even though both share a title and focus on an ambitious criminal. AFI’s selection includes this original Scarface.
9. Scarface (1983)
Brian De Palma’s Scarface shifts the story to a later era and follows Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino, as he rises through Miami’s criminal underworld. Its heightened style and intense central performance make it a good fit for viewers who want a louder, more extravagant crime drama.
The two Scarface films shouldn’t be treated as interchangeable. Watch the 1932 version for an early gangster picture; choose the 1983 version for a more modern, stylized rise-and-fall story. If you’re interested in both, the release order—1932, then 1983—makes their differences easier to appreciate. Both appear in AFI’s gangster-film selection.
10. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction is an ensemble crime film built around intersecting characters and storylines. It isn’t a traditional mafia saga, so it may not suit viewers looking specifically for a family-centered story like The Godfather. It does, however, fit a wider view of gangster cinema that includes stylized stories about criminals and their worlds.
Pick it when you want a more fragmented structure and a distinctive blend of crime and dark humor. It’s also a reminder that genre lists can be flexible: AFI includes Pulp Fiction in its gangster category, even though its approach differs sharply from classic mob dramas.
Which gangster movie should you watch first?
Use the kind of story you’re in the mood for as your guide:
| If you want… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| A family-centered crime epic | The Godfather (1972) |
| A fast-moving mob-life story | Goodfellas (1990) |
| A sequel that expands a saga | The Godfather Part II (1974) |
| A shorter classic-era film | Little Caesar (1931) |
| An early Hollywood gangster story | The Public Enemy (1931) |
| An outlaw couple’s story | Bonnie and Clyde (1967) |
| A stylized, modern rise-and-fall drama | Scarface (1983) |
| A crime ensemble with an unconventional structure | Pulp Fiction (1994) |
A note on what counts as a gangster movie
Some viewers use “gangster movie” to mean stories about organized crime, especially mafia families. Others include outlaw films and crime ensembles focused on individual criminals. AFI’s selection reflects that wider definition by placing titles such as Bonnie and Clyde and Pulp Fiction alongside films like The Godfather and Little Caesar.
That breadth is useful, but it also means no single list can settle the category for everyone. If you want a traditional organized-crime story, begin with The Godfather or Goodfellas. If you’re open to a looser definition, Bonnie and Clyde and Pulp Fiction add very different takes on criminal life.
The takeaway
For a well-rounded introduction to the best gangster movies, begin with The Godfather, Goodfellas, and The Godfather Part II, then branch out by era and style. The classic films show how the genre developed, while Bonnie and Clyde, both versions of Scarface, and Pulp Fiction demonstrate how far a gangster story can move beyond the traditional mob saga.
