30 Underrated Gangster Movies You Need To Watch

An unfortunate box office bomb that came and went in theaters with little fanfare, "Kill The Irishman" was an indie gangster bio-pic directed by Jonathan Hensleigh ("The Punisher") that starred a former Frank Castle and a future Kingpin. 

Ray Stevenson ("Punisher: War Zone") and Vincent D'Onofrio ("Daredevil") were joined by Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Linda Cardellini, Vinnie Jones, and Paul Sorvino, among other heavy hitters. It recounted the career of American mafia man Danny Greene, the Irish-American mobster who was the target of multiple mobs during the bloody gang wars of the 1970s that saw a series of deadly bombings rock Cleveland.

The film begins with young longshoreman Greene becoming involved with the mafia when he helps a friend repay a debt to a local mob boss. But eventually he becomes part of the outfit himself, working his way up through its ranks. But when he begins to harbor his own dreams of power, and strikes out on his own, Greene makes enemies of his former mafia allies. Eventually recruited as an FBI informant, he uses his insider status to stay one step ahead of the competition. 

 A simple story of Greene's stunning rise and devastating fall, it's the movie's cast that elevates it, turning the film from an average crime drama into an underrated gem.

A Netflix original, this charming little film directed by John Lee Hancock ("The Founder") took the story of Bonnie and Clyde — two of American history's most notorious outlaws — and told the story from the opposing angle. Rather than focusing on the daring bank robbers themselves — which had already been done so perfectly in the Warren Beatty/Faye Dunaway classic "Bonnie and Clyde" — "The Highwaymen" told the true story of real-life Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, a pair of agents who doggedly pursued the lawless lovers across the country to stop their robbing rampage. 

In the film, Bonnie and Clyde have already escaped justice for some time, and Hamer is lured out of retirement to start a fresh manhunt after the killer couple are involved in a deadly shootout in Missouri. Enlisting the aid of his former partner Gault, it's up to the aging officers to find Bonnie and Clyde before they can strike again. Starring screen icons Woody Harrelson ("Solo: A Star Wars Story") and Kevin Costner (who had so brilliantly played famed prohibition Elliot Ness in "The Untouchables"), "The Highwaymen" is a tight and suspenseful chase movie, a criminally under-appreciated gangster film that was hardly seen but well-reviewed by those who did. 

Believed to be the move that made Paramount so reluctant to greenlight "The Godfather" some years later, "The Brotherhood" may have been a flop at the box office, but it was by no means a failure as a film. Starring Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, it tells the tale of a legendary mafia boss named Frank Ginetta, whose younger brother Vince (played by Alex Cord, of "Airwolf" fame) has just returned home from service in the Vietnam war. But a rift develops between the brothers when Vince marries Emma, the daughter of Frank's chief rival, the mafia don Dominick — who Frank believes was at least partly responsible for the death of their father.

With Vince now a part of the family that his brother has hated for so long, he's torn between his loyalty to his brother — slowly rising through the ranks of his greatest enemy's organization — and loyalty to his father's memory. A fresh take on the gangster genre, it may have been just a little too far ahead of its time, with a gritty realism that gangster films of the day were not yet known for four years before Coppola's masterpiece. But top-notch performances and a strong script make it a winner.

With director Nicholas Winding Refn ("Drive") behind the camera and Mads Mikkelson ("Fantastic Beasts") in front of it, it's surprising that "Pusher" has been so long overlooked as one of the best international crime dramas of the 1990s. But the Danish film was Refn and Mikkelson's breakout, a foreign gangster flick centered on Frank (Kim Bodnia), a drug dealer in Copenhagen who sells cocaine on the streets alongside his partner Tonny (Mikkelson). But when a major drug deal turns sour and the pair are arrested, they quickly turn on one another as their supplier Milo demands an even bigger return.

With no partner, and in need of cash to cover his debts, Frank criss-crosses the city trying to find a score. With less than a week to pay back what he owes, his efforts grow increasingly desperate and frazzled, as each new scheme seems to backfire. When the situation deteriorates past the point of no return, Frank is forced to take more drastic measures, striking back at Milo and turning his debt into an all-out blood-feud. 

A brilliant low-fi thriller, "Pusher" earned two sequels, both with Mikkelson taking the lead role. Though many believe "Pusher II" to be the best of the trilogy thanks to the emerging star's performance, the first is perhaps the most underrated, and was the subject of a UK remake starring Richard Coyle in 2012.

An exploration of the Latino gangs of East Los Angeles in the early 1990s, "Blood In, Blood Out" is a unique gangster film starring a young Benjamin Bratt, as well as an ensemble cast of lesser known actors that adds up to an unsung great. Described by some as a mix of "The Godfather" and "Boyz 'N the Hood," the film focuses on two young hispanic brothers, Paco (Bratt) and Cruz, and Miklo, who are members of the Vatos Locos gang. Their cousin Miklo, thrown out by his abusive father, comes to stay with them in Los Angeles and soon joins them after an attack on the gang's chief rivals, the Tres Puntos.

But the three kids are then separated, with Paco enlisting in the military and later joining the LAPD, while Miklo is imprisoned for murder, and Cruz descends into drugs. The film then follows each of them through their own personal journeys as Miklo rises up to become a prominent member of San Quentin's La Onda gang, and when released, finds himself on the wrong side of his cousin Paco in the middle of a violent racial turf war.

Though not a flawless film — the performances from its mostly unknown cast wobble between brilliant and questionable — it's a devastating look at race and gang violence in Los Angeles of the '80s and '90s as it tore apart a single family. A bit overlong at three hours, it takes a commitment in both time and emotion, but is well worth the investment.

A veteran of gangster films like "A Bronx Tale," "Bullets Over Broadway," and "The Usual Suspects," noted character actor Chazz Palminteri starred in the TNT made-for-television movie "Boss of Bosses" and made an underrated classic.

Chronicling the ascension of New York crime boss Paul Castellano — who would eventually take over the Gambino crime family following the death of Carlo Gambino — the film begins with Paul growing up in Brooklyn, where his cousin Sam Gambino guided him into a life of crime. 

Eventually, Paul would begin moving what was once an illicit, violent way of doing business into a legitimate profession, with a focus on white collar affairs. This perfectly suited Sam, who saw Paul's new focus on business as the future of the family. With his health declining, he controversially appointed Paul as his eventual successor, upsetting underboss Aniello Dellocroce, who had expected the appointment himself. This led to a split among the family, making Paul a target.

Undoubtedly influenced by "The Sopranos," which by 2001 had become a phenomenon, "Boss Of Bosses" focused on Castellano the man, rather than the larger-than-life mafia kingpin typically at the center of these kinds of movies. If you can track down a copy, it's more than worth the brisk 90 minute runtime.

One of Joel and Ethan Cohen's greatest films (and that's really saying something), "Miller's Crossing" is also one of their least successful and less heralded. 

Arguably the most visually evocative gangster movie ever made, this double-crossing Dashiell Hammett ("Red Harvest")-inspired flick keeps returning to Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) impotently dreaming about his hat — and indeed, much of the film is dreamlike in its style, nightmarish in its compunction, and dreamy in its supremely twisty, endlessly quotable dialogue. 

"Crossing" tells the story of Reagan, an Irish mafia man who works for mob boss Leo O'Bannon (Albert Finney). But Leo sparks a gang war when he refuses to grant his Italian rival (a delightfully fierce Jon Polito) the right to kill a slimy bookie (and his girlfriend's brother) named Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro). Ousted from the outfit and now working with the Italians, Tom (a tough talker whose hidden weakness is that he lacks the conviction of a killer) is tasked with proving his fealty by killing Bernie himself, an uncomfortable ask because he is secretly also sleeping with Bernie's sister (Marcia Gay Harden). In a masterfully orchestrated, powerful sequence, Turturro begs for his life — like a dumb animal, out in the woods — while Byrne searches his heart.

That's only the beginning; from Finney's tommy gun scene to the raid on an Irish social club to tension between Tom and The Dane so thick that it feels like anyone's head could be ripped off in an instant, every scene in the film is riveting. An unmissable mafia movie, "Miller's Crossing," like many from the era, was unfortunately downplayed under the specter of bigger gangland contemporaries. Do yourself a favor and don't give it the hi-hat.

From Seijun Suzuki, an acclaimed Japanese director who influenced Quentin Tarantino, comes the noir crime picture "Tokyo Drifter." The film introduces Tetsuya Hondo, a Yakuza enforcer, who leaves his life of crime behind when his mob boss retires. After he rejects an offer to join the rival gang, a bounty is placed on his head and suddenly Hondo finds himself on the run from multiple assassins. But his efforts to seek help from an ally of his former boss leads to a stunning revelation that sends him on a path of violent revenge.

A highly evocative film that oozes style and psychedelic charm, the film was well ahead of its time, with frenzied action and even some energetic musical numbers. Viewed today, it should come as no surprise that it proved influential to future filmmakers. A stunning cinematic achievement, it's another film lauded in its homeland, praised by critics and those in the know, but without much recognition stateside. Put up against American gangster movies of the 1960s, "Tokyo Drifter" stands head and shoulders above.

At the time of its release, the Eddie Murphy written and directed "Harlem Nights" was a spectacle of Black luminaries — and a box office failure that threatened the once-bulletproof-superstar's career. Take a look back now, however, and you'll find so much more.

Gangster movies need not all be dark, gritty thrillers, and "Nights" is proof. A film that often glossed over in retrospectives of Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy, it was a team-up of two of the funniest men working in Hollywood at the time, and as successful a period crime caper as it was a comedy. Set in 1918, Pryor stars as Sugar Ray, who along with his adoptive son "Quick" Brown (Murphy) run the hippest joint in the city, Club Sugar Ray's, a Harlem night club that uses a candy shop as a front for illegal gambling. 

But problems arise for them when local gangster Bugsy Calhoun (Michael Lerner) gets wind that Sugar Ray's club is pulling in more business than his own establishment, and becomes determined to shut them down. With the police in his pocket, Calhoun sends corrupt copper Cantone (Danny Aiello) to harass the duo. Sugar Ray and Quick vow to fight back, even though Calhoun has more men, more power, and more lawmen on the take. 

Though no award-winner, "Harlem Nights" is a movie the critics got wrong, as the laughs are there and the comic wit of both its bright stars are on point. The period setting and old-school gangster vibe give it a fresh take for a buddy film, making it one of the most underrated '80s comedies as well.

Character actor Tim Roth was fresh off 1992's breakout gangster flick "Reservoir Dogs" when he took the lead role in the crime drama "Little Odessa," the directorial debut from filmmaker James Gray (whose later work includes "The Lost City of Z"). Edward Furlong, Maximillian Schell, and Vanessa Redgrave co-starred in this film about mafia assassin Joshua Shapira (Roth) and the complicated relationship he has with the rest of his Russian family: younger brother Rueben (Furlong), and his elder Jewish parents Arkady and Irina (Schell and Redgrave).

Having long since left home and estranged from his father after he'd joined the Russian mob, Joshua has taken on a new assignment that takes him back to Brighton Beach, bringing him right to his family's doorstep. Back home in the community he'd left behind, he tries to reconnect with his brother and his ailing mother as well as a former girlfriend, and finds that his two lives are now impossibly intertwined, threatening to involve his family in his dirty line of work.

A sobering family drama told amidst the backdrop of gang violence, it got lost in a sea of similar films of the era — but it remains one of the best, even if it is so rarely recalled.

Academy Award-winner Ben Kingsley gave a tour de force performance in the gangland thriller "Sexy Beast"; it might be the closest an actor has ever come to being a "force of nature" caught on celluloid. The film centers on Dove (Ray Winstone), an aging former gangster who lives a peaceful retirement in a Spanish villa, having put his criminal past behind him. But at the behest of crime boss Teddy Bass (Ian McShane), one of Dove's former associates — the violent, sociopathic killer Don Logan (Kingsley) — arrives to recruit him for a daring heist back home. Obsessed with getting cooperation from Dove for one last job, Logan's behavior becomes increasingly deranged.

But while he agrees to help in the robbery, he exacts a penance that continues to haunt him. Led by Kingsley in one of the finest roles of his lengthy career, "Sexy Beast" is a film that must be seen to be believed, as no simple plot synopsis will do justice to the magic on the screen. A brutal, unrelenting film with raw violence and a savage dash of humor, it's such a unique movie that it draws few comparables. The fact that it isn't remembered among the best gangster movies of the era is frankly ... criminal.

Directed by veteran supporting actor Bill Duke (who, perhaps surprisingly, does not appear in front of the camera) comes "Hoodlum," starring Laurence Fishburne as real-life Harlem crime boss Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. It's a role Fishburne played once before, in the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola film "The Cotton Club," where he played a younger Johnson in a supporting role. Here, the story shifts to Johnson himself, a ruthless drug dealer in New York in the 1930s, and begins with his return to Harlem after a stretch in prison. He reconnects with Madame Queen (Cicely Tyson) who runs an illegal betting operation in the city being threatened by rival Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia) and Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth).

As passions enflame between Bumpy and his new lady Francine (Vanessa Williams), so do tensions between the two mobs, with intimidation escalating to assassination attempts. With Lucky and Dutch dead set on taking over Harlem, and Bumpy and the Queen looking to protect what's theirs, an all-out gang war soon erupts. A return to classic action-packed gangster films of the '40s and '50s filled with shoot-outs and old-school gang fights, "Hoodlum" gives the formula a modern twist, with a top-notch cast, a fresh script, and a new angle on a classic story.

Another overlooked 1990 crime drama buried by the likes of "Goodfellas," the Phil Janou film "State of Grace" starred a heavyweight lineup of actor's actors that included Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Robin Wright, and John Turturro. 

It begins with Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) returning to his New York home after a 10 year absence. Once a common street punk, Terry is now an undercover cop, and has orders to infiltrate the Irish mob run by Frankie Flannery (Ed Harris), the older brother of his former friend Jackie (Gary Oldman). But reconnecting with all his old friends, including his old girlfriend Kathleen (Robin Wright) — who is also Jackie's younger sister — makes things more difficult for him.

Allegiances are soon tested when Frankie is ordered by a rival boss to kill his younger brother after Jackie missteps and kills his men ... and Terry finds himself caught in the middle. A cult classic that deserves wider recognition, "State Of Grace" features fine acting, poetic violence, a brilliant score by Ennio Morricone and a modern gangland story that puts the value of loyalty up for appraisal.

Written, directed, and starring Takeshi Kitano — once called "the true successor to Akira Kurosowa" — this Japanese crime thriller is widely recognized at home, but hardly mentioned in America. 

Kitano plays the Yakuza enforcer Murakawa, a stoic, stone-faced machiavellian anti-hero hoping to retire from a life of killing. As the movie opens he's been sent to Okinowa by his crime lord boss, a kind of soldier-for-hire rented out to another gang, in a mission to help broker peace between rival clans. But Murakawa harbors suspicions that there's more going on than he's been told, and fears it might be a set-up.

He's correct of course, and soon finds himself on the defensive, attacked from all sides, friend and foe alike. Escaping assassination, he and several others seek refuge in a remote beach house where he is forced to confront his own existential crisis. 

Stylish in its use of violence, the film is an engrossing character-led action thriller of the highest order. It is no bloodfest, but uses its visceral visual language like a scalpel, both to shock and to fascinate, but also to illuminate, in what has been called "a deconstruction of the Yakuza genre." Crisply written with sharp dialogue and fully-realized characters that you don't often see in this sort of movie, the film is minimalist gangster storytelling at its finest.

Yet another crime drama set around 1930s organized crime, "Billy Bathgate" centers on Dutch Schultz himself, played by two-time Academy Award-winner Dustin Hoffman. In the film, a young fictional Irish immigrant named Billy (Loren Dean) comes under the mentorship of Schultz. Beside the ruthless mob underboss, Billy witnesses the brutality of Schultz's executions, killing a number of close associates for their betrayal, including Bo Weinberg (Bruce Willis), who makes Billy promise to protect his girlfriend Drew (Nicole Kidman) after his death. 

But loyalties are divided when Schultz makes Drew his mistress, and Billy comes to believe she may be Dutch's next hit after he learns she's been with someone else. Now Billy must try to keep Drew safe from Dutch's reprisal, while helping Dutch fix his upcoming criminal trial. But this also put him in crosshairs of infamous mobster Lucky Luciano. 

Though not as well reviewed as many on this list, "Billy Bathgate" is a movie the critics whiffed on. While it may not be a taut thriller or dramatic gangster action film, it's still a moving drama about a naive young man for whom the allure of the gangster lifestyle loses its luster after being experienced up close.