The top three gangster films that aren’t The Godfather
Not the third one though
Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather films (excluding The Godfather III – no one likes the third one, let’s be real) are often considered to be two of the greatest films ever made. In fact, they sit nicely below The Shawshank Redemption’s top spot on IMDb’s Top 100 Films list. However, The Godfather is not the be-all and end-all. One must never forget that the ‘gangster film’ genre is rich in quality, and can branch out from the standard mid-1900s Mafia setting:
Once Upon a Time in America(1984)
Once Upon a Time in America is the first in the trilogy of films by Sergio Leone, which also contains the classic_Once Upon a Time in the West_. The fact that this feature follows the entire lives of a group of Jewish ghetto youths and their rise to power in New York means that it is notoriously long. I’ll be straight though, unless you’ve experienced the 251 minute extended director’s cut you have no right to complain about the length.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Tarantino’s feature-length debut movie – and, in my opinion, one of his best – is an intricate, stylish, theatrical story set almost entirely in one location. The film is such a classic and many of its scenes so iconic that it’s likely you’ve already had countless Tarantino fanboys insist you watch it already. Why in God’s name haven’t you then?
Hard Boiled (1992)
Asian crime dramas are the spiritual cousins to the classic American Mafioso film. Be it an artistic and violent Yakuza drama or gritty 90s Hong Kong action romp, the Eastern film industry has many contenders for critic’s top spots. Hard Boiled focuses on tough-as-nails cop Yun-Fat Chow drives the narrative. For reference, Body count: 307.
