The 10 Best Movies About Real Life Organized Crime, Ranked

Movies have a way of making the violent world of organized crime look sexy. After watching De Niro park his vintage Aston Martin in front of a nightclub and walk in wearing a shiny suit, you might contemplate being a mobster. Well, at least for a few minutes. But then you realize that it is a silly career choice because most mobsters end up dead or in jail.

There have been numerous movies about organized crime, so selecting the best one to watch might be a difficult task. Well, why not go with the best of the best? The following are the ten best films ever made about organized crime. Happy viewing ladies and gentlemen!

10 Black Mass (2015)

Movies like this make you wonder why Johnny Depp doesn’t play more gangster roles. He was clearly born to do this. In Black Mass, Depp is the notorious Irish crime boss James ”Whitey” Bulger. The film was adapted from the non-fiction book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob by Gerard O’Neill.

Bulger was the head of the Winter Hill gang in Massachusetts. He was indicted for 19 murders before agreeing to be an FBI informant. However, he later ditched the FBI and went into hiding for a whopping 16 years. He was later captured and sentenced but got killed by fellow inmates shortly after arriving in prison.

9 The Untouchables (1987)

The Untouchables saw Kevin Costner playing Elliot Ness, a determined FBI agent who was obsessed with taking down the notorious Prohibition Era gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro). In the movie, Ness gets help from a police officer called Jimmy Malone who is played by Sean Connery. The former James Bond actor won an Academy Award for this role.

The movie is full of memorable scenes including one where Capone beats a man to death at a dinner table using a bat. The shootout at the staircase scene is also one to behold. The real-life Ness was actually the leader of a group of law enforcement called ‘The Untouchables.’ The interesting part? Due to his integrity, he refused a bribe from one of Al Capone’s men but ended up dying poor in 1957 at the age of 54.

8 The Valachi Papers (1972)

In this film, the iconic Charles Bronson played Joseph Valachi, a mobster who turned FBI informant and revealed the inner workings of the previously mysterious “Cosa Nostra.” Valachi’s testimony provided plenty of content for the media and even Hollywood directors who now had an idea of how mobsters did their business.

The movie didn’t do so well commercially because it was released around the same time as the first film in the Godfather Trilogy. However, Bronson’s chilling performance is remarkable. It was a welcome break from his common action-hero and Western roles that involved end-to-end fighting and shooting. Imagine Chuck Norris playing a mobster. That’s more like it.

7 Black Souls (2014)

Black Souls tells the story of the Caborne crime family in Italy. It follows three brothers: Luigi, Rocco, and Luciano. Luigi and Rocco are deep into the business of trafficking narcotics, but the calm Luciano is content with his life in the mountains of Calabria where he herds goats.

Luciano’s son Leo is disgusted by his dad’s boring life so he grows to like his uncles and their criminal lives. He soon becomes a gangster, much to his father’s dismay. He must now choose whether to do something about it or continue with his normal life. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.

6 Donnie Brasco (1997)

The movie told the story of a real-life FBI agent called Joe Pistone (Depp) who worked undercover in the Bonnano crime family for four years under the fake name Donnie Brasco. Pistone’s Sicilian heritage made the mafia warm up to him and take him in. Lefty (Al Pacino) was the one who is mostly responsible for the mess because it is him who introduced Pistone to the bosses.

Consequently, evidence provided by Pistone led to more than 200 arrests and 100 convictions of Bonnano members and their associates. Pistone is also considered a pioneer in undercover work since before him, FBI agents were not allowed to go undercover for long because the bureau feared they would be corrupted.

5 The Irishman (2019)

After almost 25 years since they worked together, director Martin Scorsese and actor collaborated once again for the 9th time in the movie The Irishman. The film which was adapted from the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt told the real-life story of Irish hitman Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) and his association with the Bufalino crime family.

Frank who served in World War II came back to America and got a job as a truck driver. Since the cash wasn’t enough, he resorted to conducting petty crimes. His exploits caught the attention of mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) who hired him. He carried out several hits for the mob including the murder of controversial International Brotherhood of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The real-life Sheeran died in December 2003 shortly after telling his story to Brandt.

4 Bugsy (1991)

In Bugsy, New York mobster Benjamin Bugsy Siegel (Warren Beaty) leaves his city City and moves to Los Angeles to build gambling rackets. Despite being a married man, he starts an affair with actress Virginia Hill. The ambitious Siegel then moves his operations to Nevada where he becomes one of the founders of the city.

Siegel was a popular gangster in his heydey. Before the likes of the flamboyant John Gotti came along, he also made his name as one of the first celebrity mobsters who would frequently appear in the papers. He was also one of the founders of Murder Incorporated, a corporation of mafia families. He was shot and killed at the home of Virginia Hill.

3 The French Connection (1971)

In the 70s, just like in the 90s, movies about organized crime dominated. The French Connection follows two police detectives Jimmy Doyle and Buddy Russo, who go on a mission to track the source of drugs that are flooding New York. It turns out that a French Kingpin called Suave Alain Charnier is supplying the drugs from France and has set up an extensive network of junior dealers.

The film is based on real-life characters though the names were changed. The main villain Alain is actually Jean Jehan in real life who was apprehended in Paris and charged with drug trafficking. He was not handed over to the US since Frances never extradites its citizens.

2 Gomorrah (2008)

Gomorrah received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film and numerous international awards. It is based on the investigative book of a similar name by Roberto Saviano. Netflix later adapted the same story into a series. However, it doesn’t quite match up to the magnificence of the film.

In Gomorrah, the Italian city of Naples is controlled by the Camorra crime family.  However, there is no code of honor in the organization and soon, greed and backstabbing take over. Many ordinary citizens from Naples were cast in the film, including some who were actual members of Camorra. For example, Bernardino Terracciano, who appeared in the film received a life sentence for murder in 2016.

1 Goodfellas (1990)

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” When a movie begins with such a statement, you can be sure that you’ll be in for a treat. Goodfellas is definitely Martin Scorsese’s magnum opus. It came out in the same year as The Godfather: Part III but when you compare the two films, there’s a clear heavyweight.

Adapted from the book The Wiseguys, the movie tells the story of real-life mobster turned FBI informant Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he morphs from a street gangster to a key player in the Lucchese crime family. Despite Liotta playing the main character, it is Joe Pesci who mostly steals the show while playing Tommy Devitto. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1213 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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