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The Best Gangster Movies of All Time

The rise-and-fall canon: every gangster film in our library ranked by composite score across 20+ lists, awards and polls.

The gangster picture is America's dark founding myth — capitalism with the gloves off. The Warner cycle of 1931–32 (Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, Scarface) built the rise-and-fall arc the genre still runs on; Coppola's Godfather films turned it into national epic, and Scorsese's Goodfellas and Casino re-grounded it in working-class procedure. The tradition is international — Melville's Le Samouraï, Kitano's yakuza films, A Prophet — but its grammar remains Hollywood's.

The Godfather (1972) leads with a composite score of 9.75.

Masters of the genre

  1. 1
    The Godfather1972 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States / Italy · crime, drama, thriller
    9.75

    Empire 500 (2008) #1 · Oscar Best Picture winner 1972 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #3

  2. 2
    Goodfellas1990 · Martin Scorsese · United States · biography, crime, thriller
    6.33

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1991 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #28 · Empire 500 (2008) #6

  3. 3
    Pulp Fiction1994 · Quentin Tarantino · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    5.76

    Palme d'Or winner 1994 · Empire 500 (2008) #9 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1994

  4. 4
    The Godfather Part II1974 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    5.37

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1974 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #26 · Letterboxd Top 250 #8

  5. 5
    No Country for Old Men2007 · Ethan Coen, Joel Coen · United States · drama, thriller, western
    4.20

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2007 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #1

  6. 6
    Some Like It Hot1959 · Billy Wilder · United States · comedy, romance, crime
    3.47

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #38 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #62 · AFI 100 (2007) #22

  7. 7
    The Departed2006 · Martin Scorsese · United States / Hong Kong, China · drama, thriller, crime
    3.41

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2006 · Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 2006 #1

  8. 8
    The Irishman2019 · Martin Scorsese · United States · crime, drama, biography
    2.33

    Film Comment year-end poll 2019 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2019 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2019

  9. 9
    A Prophet2009 · Jacques Audiard · France / Italy · drama, crime, thriller
    2.25

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 2009 · César Best Film winner 2010 · Film Comment year-end poll 2010 #5

  10. 10
    Once Upon a Time in America1984 · Sergio Leone · United States / Italy / France · crime, drama, thriller
    2.14

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1984 #1 · Siskel's annual top 10 1984 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157

  11. 11
    Miller's Crossing1990 · Ethan Coen, Joel Coen · United States · film-noir, crime, drama
    2.13

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1991 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1991 #3 · TIME All-TIME 100

  12. 12
    Dog Day Afternoon1975 · Sidney Lumet · United States · crime, action, drama
    2.04

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1976 #5 · National Film Registry (inducted 2009)

  13. 13
    Eastern Promises2007 · David Cronenberg · Canada / United Kingdom / United States · crime, drama, mystery
    1.42

    TIFF People's Choice winner 2007 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #6 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #8

  14. 14
    The Godfather Part III1990 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    1.37

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1990 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1991 #4 · Empire 500 (2008) #282

  15. 15
    Mean Streets1973 · Martin Scorsese · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    1.33

    National Film Registry (inducted 1997) · Siskel's annual top 10 1974 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #377

  16. 16
    Gangs of New York2002 · Martin Scorsese · United States / Italy / Netherlands · crime, drama, mystery
    1.16

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 2002 · Film Comment year-end poll 2002 #10 · Sarris's annual top 10 2002 #3

  17. 17
    Reservoir Dogs1992 · Quentin Tarantino · United States · crime, thriller, drama
    1.11

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1993 #6 · Kehr's annual top 10 1992 #3 · Empire 500 (2008) #97

  18. 18
    Heat1995 · Michael Mann · United States · thriller, drama, crime
    1.01

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169 · Empire 500 (2008) #38 · Letterboxd Top 250 #151

  19. 19
    Jackie Brown1997 · Quentin Tarantino · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    0.93

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1998 #10 · Ebert's annual top 10 1997 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #215

  20. 20
    Grisbi1954 · Jacques Becker · France / Italy · crime, film-noir, drama
    0.93

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1954 #2 · Criterion Collection spine #271 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

  21. 21
    Sin City2005 · Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino · United States · crime, film-noir, drama
    0.90

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2005 #8 · Sarris's annual top 10 2005 #4 · Film Comment year-end poll 2005 #41

  22. 22
    Casino1995 · Martin Scorsese · United States / France · crime, drama, biography
    0.87

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1996 #3 · Ebert's annual top 10 1995 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #395

  23. 23
    The Usual Suspects1995 · Bryan Singer · United States · crime, film-noir, mystery
    0.86

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1996 #7 · Empire 500 (2008) #61 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  24. 24
    Carlito's Way1993 · Brian De Palma · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    0.80

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1994 #3 · Empire 500 (2008) #278 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  25. 25
    The Long Good Friday1980 · John Mackenzie · United Kingdom · crime, drama
    0.78

    BFI Top 100 British films #21 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Criterion Collection spine #26

  26. 26
    White Heat1949 · Raoul Walsh · United States · crime, film-noir, mystery
    0.77

    TIME All-TIME 100 · National Film Registry (inducted 2003) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  27. 27
    The Untouchables1987 · Brian De Palma · United States · crime, action, biography
    0.72

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1987 #4 · Empire 500 (2008) #295 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  28. 28
    Battles Without Honor and Humanity1973 · Kinji Fukasaku · Japan · crime, drama, action
    0.63

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1973 #2

  29. 29
    Spellbound1999 · Masato Harada · Japan
    0.63

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1999 #2

  30. 30
    Scarface1932 · Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson · United States · drama, crime, action
    0.61

    National Film Registry (inducted 1994) · Criterion Collection spine #1239 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  31. 31
    The Killing1956 · Stanley Kubrick · United States · crime, film-noir, drama
    0.52

    Criterion Collection spine #575 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  32. 32
    Little Caesar1931 · Mervyn LeRoy · United States · crime, drama, film-noir
    0.50

    National Film Registry (inducted 2000) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  33. 33
    The Public Enemy1931 · William A. Wellman · United States · drama, crime, film-noir
    0.50

    National Film Registry (inducted 1998) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  34. 34
    Donnie Brasco1997 · Mike Newell · United States · crime, drama, biography
    0.50

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1997 #7 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  35. 35
    Scarface1983 · Brian De Palma · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    0.43

    Empire 500 (2008) #284 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  36. 36
    Angels with Dirty Faces1938 · Michael Curtiz · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    0.34

    National Film Registry (inducted 2024) · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  37. 37
    Bullets Over Broadway1994 · Woody Allen · United States · crime, comedy, romance
    0.33

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1995 #7

  38. 38
    Winter's Flower1978 · Yasuo Furuhata · Japan
    0.32

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1978 #8

  39. 39
    Léon: The Professional1994 · Luc Besson · France / United States · thriller, crime, drama
    0.30

    Empire 500 (2008) #227 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  40. 40
    Hishakaku And Kiratsune: A Tale Of Two Yakuza1968 · Tomu Uchida · Japan
    0.30

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1968 #9

  41. 41
    Chōchin1987 · Shunichi Kajima · Japan
    0.29

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1987 #10

  42. 42
    Shabu1996 · Tatsuoki Hosono · Japan
    0.29

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1996 #10

  43. 43
    The Roaring Twenties1939 · Raoul Walsh · United States · crime, drama, film-noir
    0.27

    Criterion Collection spine #1208 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  44. 44
    Public Enemies2009 · Michael Mann · United States · biography, crime, action
    0.22

    Film Comment year-end poll 2009 #21

  45. 45
    Branded to Kill1967 · Seijun Suzuki · Japan · film-noir
    0.16

    Criterion Collection spine #38

  46. 46
    Billy Bathgate1991 · Robert Benton · United States · crime, drama
    0.16

    Sarris's annual top 10 1991 #8

  47. 47
    Prime Cut1972 · Michael Ritchie · United States · crime
    0.11

    Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

Every gangster picture is an argument about America told through one doomed man's climb, and the list below is a ledger of how that argument has aged. The films are ranked by composite score — not by chronology, and not by anyone's editorial top ten — so the order will not match the canon you carry in your head.

The Warner cycle and the Code

The genre arrived almost fully formed in 1931–32, when three Hollywood films — Mervyn LeRoy's Little Caesar (1931), William A. Wellman's The Public Enemy (1931) and Howard Hawks's Scarface (1932) — fixed the rise-and-fall arc the form still runs on: an immigrant outsider claws upward through Prohibition-era bootlegging and is destroyed at the summit. Then the Hays Code closed the door. Its demand that every crime be punished and every badge respected kept the gangster scarce for roughly three decades; out of that long drought only Raoul Walsh's White Heat (1949) still burns, which is why it lands ahead of the founding trio on our board despite arriving eighteen years later. The Code's collapse in the late 1960s reopened everything, and New Hollywood inherited a genre with its safety catch off.

The modern epics

What returned was bigger than what left. Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972) sits at #1 across our entire library — score 9.75, higher than any other title on this page by a wide distance — with The Godfather Part II (1974) following at #15. Martin Scorsese owns more of this page than anyone: Goodfellas (1990) at #6, The Departed (2006) at #104, plus Casino (1995), Mean Streets (1973) and the late, elegiac The Irishman (2019) — the genre's second author working as a chronicler of labor, not a maker of myth. The international line is thinner but real: Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984) at #332, Jacques Audiard's prison ascent A Prophet (2009) at #298, and Kinji Fukasaku's Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973), the yakuza saga that did to Japan's honor code what Goodfellas did to omertà.

How to read our list

This is the tight cut. Membership comes from Wikidata's gangster subgenre tag, re-ranked by our composite score, which keeps it narrower than the sibling crime and neo-noir pages — but the tag is looser than the label, so a few guests wander in: Pulp Fiction (1994) at #11, No Country for Old Men (2007) and even Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959) all carry the tag without being gangster films in any strict sense. Read the top as the canon and the tail as the tag's honest reach; the score, not the sorting, is what we vouch for. All 47 titles are here.