Top Five Lists! Gangster Movies

I usually hate the phrase "Gangster Movie" but I am lacking a better word for this, coz not all the movies on this list are about the REAL italian or american mafia so. As I said one week ago with the Western movies this is actually a genre that I really really enjoy watching. I think this is my second love after Western movies so lets roll with it. Maybe this will get some comments because the number one might be controversial!

1. Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese at its best. One of the fucking best movies I have ever seen. Based on the real story of Henry Hill like he grows into the mob group that is just over the street. The film shows it from the beginning,starting when little Hill is parking all the Cadillacs for the bad guys and ending with the thing, that ended most of the mafia in North America. The actors are awesome with Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci and of course Robert DeNiro. Just a great piece of art that is enjoyable every moment.

2. Godfather I - Usually this is the obvious choice number one, but for me this film is the close second behind Goodfellas. I can´t really explain why I guess it´s because I saw Goodfellas first and it hooked me right away, the Godfather had me also quick, but not as quick as Goodfellas. This movie is just the great story of Michael Corleone as he turns to his father in a war, that is fought between two rival families. Great movie, great acting and I honestly LOVE the ending with the ceremony and simultaniously all the enemies of the Corleone Family are extingushed. GREAT SCENES!

3. Godfather II - This movie is something like a split experience for me. I really love the flashbacks were you can see, how Vito came to America and how he started his crime empire. The other part of the movie with Michael trying to figure out who tried to assasinate him is also well done, but is a bit of a letdown compared to the flashbacks, that are told through Robert DeNiro. But please don´t get me wrong, this movie is still great in both strings but really the old string is a bit better, which makes it a bit of a split experience.

4. The Departed - A newer example of gangster movie, not about the original italian root mafia, but about the Boston Irish Mafia. This movie is actually my movie of the last decades, I have seen it so many times and I still love this movie. It´s once again directed by Scorsese and it starrs great stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg and last but not least Jack Nicholson. The entire structure of the movie is GREAT just AWESOME, the way it is shown, that the cop who is trying to infiltrate the mafia is in a bad situation and the gangster who is infiltrating the lines of the cops lives a perfect live, this contrast is so great. Then the tension in this movie is awesome, you never really know whats going to happen next - great unpredictable movie. And last but not least, this is the movie where the blog has its name from, so it got to be on the list! :)

5. Pulp Fiction - The ultimate cult film, John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson directed by great director Quentin Tarrantino. Just a great film with absolute classic quotes and actions. I mean not everybody has seen the movie, but as soon as the music of the dancing scene hits, everybody knows where this is coming from. Also for me this is classic Tarrantino, not a straight forward story, but divided into several pieces and different strings. Everytime you see a movie by him you will see that stylistic device and it is always epic!

So that is the Top Five List for gangster movies, but as last week I will also throw out other notable films, that are fitting into the same category and are worth watching.

Scarface, Once upon a time in America, Donnie Brasco, The Untouchables, Casino, Snatch, Reservoir Dogs and Carlito´s Way

That´s it for this week, if you wanna discuss about the list or if you are willing to throw out your personal ranking feel free to do so in the comments, also if you wanna keep track with this blog follow me on twitter : twitter.com/fanthaiza and also make sure you are a official reader of this blog! Enjoy you weekend!