Since the silent era, gangster movies have played a significant role in Hollywood. Little Caesar (1931), generally considered the first fully developed gangster film, established a model still used today – a rags-to-riches story illustrating the dramatic ascent and humiliating fall of a hoodlum trying to hit it big in the mob.
So, if you’re in the mood for the genre, find your pick of gangster movies filled with action, mystery, and treachery on HBO MAX. Here’s the list of the 10 best gangster movies on HBO Max.
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Brooklyn’s Finest
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Michael C. Martin
Cast: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke
IMDb Rating: 6.7
Runtime: 2 hrs.12 mins
The American crime drama Brooklyn’s Finest was released in theatres across the US on March 5, 2010.
After having traveled quite diverse career routes, three unrelated Brooklyn police officers find themselves in the same dangerous spot.
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Son of a Gun
Director: Julius Avery
Writer: Julius Avery, John Collee
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Brenton Thwaites, Alicia Vikander
IMDb Rating: 6.4
Runtime: 1 hr.48 mins
It’s a crime thriller drama released in 2004. The film received a nomination for the ASSG Award for Feature Film Soundtrack of the Year.
Brendan Lynch, Australia’s most known thug, helps JR break out of jail. They then join Lynch’s crew for a gold robbery, which soon turns the two men against each other.
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The Departed
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: William Monahan, Alan Mak, Felix Chong
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
IMDb Rating: 8.5
Runtime: 2 hrs.31 mins
A 2006 American epic criminal thriller, The Departed is a remake of the Infernal Affairs movie from 2002 Hong Kong. It is also largely modeled on the actual Boston Winter Hill Gang. The film won the Oscar for Best Motion Picture of the Year.
While joining an Irish mafia in South Boston, a covert officer and a police mole try to figure out who the other is.
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GoodFellas
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
IMDb Rating: 8.7
Runtime: 2 hr,25 mins
Goodfellas is a 1990 American historical crime film that Warner Bros. premiered in the US on September 19, 1990. It is a movie based on Pileggi’s nonfiction work Wiseguy, published in 1985. Goodfellas is one of the greatest movies ever filmed, especially in the gangster genre.
It is a biography of Henry Hill’s life in the mob. The film discusses his personal relationship with his wife and the Italian American criminal gang as partners.
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Jackie Brown
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino, Elmore Leonard
Cast: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Runtime: 2 hr.34 mins
An American crime movie, Jackie Brown, premiered on December 25, 1997. The film earned $74 million globally and garnered mostly favorable reviews from critics.
The ATF detains a flight crew who has a criminal history of smuggling. As a result, she faces pressure to turn informant on the drug trafficker she serves, and now she needs to find a method to do it without dying.
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The Untouchables
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: David Mamet, Oscar Fraley, Eliot Ness
Cast: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro
IMDb Rating: 7.9
Runtime: 1 hr.59 mins
American crime movie The Untouchables was released in 1987. The movie’s storyline is mostly fiction, yet it is partially modeled on the 1957 book with the same title and the real events. The film earned $106.2 million globally and garnered largely favorable reviews.
It is a time of widespread corruption during Prohibition in the U. S. Federal Agent Eliot Ness must form a small, hand-picked unit to stop the brutal Chicago criminal, Al Capone.
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Revolver
Director: Guy Ritchie
Writer: Luc Besson, Guy Ritchie
Cast: Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, André 3000
IMDb Rating: 6.3
Runtime: 1 hr.51 mins
Revolver, an action thriller from 2005, opened in a few US theatres on December 7, 2007. Despite its dismal box office performance and unfavorable reviews, Ritchie’s earlier crime film fans have developed a minor cult following.
Its story follows Jake Green, a gambler, who participates in a game that could have fatal repercussions.
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War
Director: Philip G. Atwell
Writer: Lee Anthony Smith, Gregory J. Bradley
Cast: Jet Li, Jason Statham, Nadine Velazquez
IMDb Rating: 6.2
Runtime: 1 hr.43 mins
On August 24, 2007, this American action thriller War premiered in the US. War’s original working title was Rogue, which was changed to prevent conflict with a different film of the same name.
An FBI agent seeks retaliation for his partner’s assassination against the mysterious assailant identified only as “Rogue.”
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A Most Violent Year
Director: J.C. Chandor
Writer: J.C. Chandor
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo
IMDb Rating: 7.0
Runtime: 2 hr.5 mins
The American crime thriller, A Most Violent Year, premiered in theatres on December 31, 2014. The film won the NBR Award for Best Film from the National Board of Review USA.
Its story follows an aspiring immigrant battling to defend his family, enterprise, and community in 1981 – the most deadly year in New York City’s record.
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The Long Good Friday
Director: John Mackenzie
Writer: Barrie Keeffe
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Paul Freeman
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Runtime: 1 hr.54 mins
It’s a British gangster movie from 1980 titled The Long Good Friday. The movie received 21 votes, placing it at the 21st spot on the British Film Institute’s list of the “BFI Top 100 British films.”
The resurgence of a mysterious, extremely potent menace puts a young mobster to the test.
