This is the first in a series of articles where we’ll be covering the Top Films About Gangsters. The gangster films subgenre typically acts as an umbrella subgenre that also includes Films about Mobsters, The Mob, The Mafia, The Yakuza and other forms of Organized Crime. Because organized crime covers such a wide area of criminal activity, the gangster films subgenre is often associated with other crime subgenres including Films About Assassins & Hitmen, Films About Capers & Heists, Films About Cops & the FBI, Films About Narcos, Films About Gambling and Films About Undercover Agents. While some Films About Gangs or Films About Drug Trafficking will also often be included in this subgenre, we have films about street gangs and films that primarily deal with drug dealers in their own collections, dependent on the film’s overall theme.
Films About Gangsters have had a long and storied history in movies from Little Caesar (1931) and Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) to classic mafia films of the 70’s with The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974). Other popular gangster films over the past decades include On the Waterfront (1954), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Scarface (1983), The Untouchables (1987), Goodfellas (1990), City of God (2002) and The Departed (2006).
This first article will cover the Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen from the 1970’s and you can check out additional articles by decade below. We are also going to include a Best Of subgenre article as a grand finale. There are so many great gangster films over the last 70 years that we felt it best to break down some of the subgenre’s forgotten and lesser-known gems by decade before we give you the Best Of list which will likely feature many films you’ve already heard of or have seen.
- Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 1970’s
- Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 1980’s
- Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s
- Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 2000’s
- Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 2010’s
- Best Recent Gangster Films
- Best Films About Gangsters
As with most of our articles, we generally focus on films made after 1970. However, given that gangster films have been a fixture of Hollywood since its inception in the early 1900’s, we’ll provide a list of pre-1970’s classic gangster films below. This is where you’ll find some of the early classics from Scarface (1932) and White Heat (1949) to The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967) and Bonnie & Clyde (1967).
While gangster films had been popular in the early decades of cinema, it wasn’t until the 70’s that there was a resurgence in films about organized crime. Themes ranged from period pieces featuring famous gangsters from the early 1900’s to Japanese films focused on Japan’s organized crime (called yakuza) to the rise of Exploitation films (and specifically Blaxploitation films) that often included explicit violence and/or nudity overlaid on gangster-driven narratives. But the most popular theme of the decade that would emerge and dominate future decades of the subgenre, was the rise of the Italian mafia in film.
The dominance of the Italian mafia in the gangster film subgenre can be directly traced back to The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974). Not only are these films considered the best films of the subgenre, but also two of the best films of all time. Though other films about the Italian mafia such as The Sicilian Checkmate (1973) and Cry of a Prostitute (1974) were Italian produced films that explored mafia families in Italy, The Godfather films would bring focus to the Italian-American mafia. This focus on American mafia families with Italian roots, would also be central to subgenre films such as Mean Streets (1973) and Family Enforcer (1976) and further cement the Italian mafia as the dominant form of organized crime within the subgenre over the following decades.
Historical-themed period films would also be a major subgenre theme of the 1970’s with films exploring famous gangsters of decades past. John Dillinger would be the subject of Dillinger (1973) and Al Capone would be featured in Capone (1975). F.I.S.T. (1978) would be another period film that created a fictional narrative loosely based on labor organizer Jimmy Hoffa and his ties to organized crime.
Japanese yakuza (gangsters) would also become another popular theme of the subgenre with many Japanese films focusing on crime-specific narratives or integrating yakuza into martial arts-themed films. Blood for Blood (1971), Yakuza Wolf (1972) and Cops vs. Thugs (1975) were examples of a few Japanese-produced films of the decade that featured yakuza-driven plots. The yakuza would also be featured in an American produced film by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum in the aptly titled, The Yakuza (1974).
And it wouldn’t be the 70’s without the exploitation subgenre’s explicit content making a mark in the subgenre with films including Truck Stop Women (1974) and The Lady in Red (1979). However, this explicit content would be primarily driven by the Blaxploitation craze of the 70’s with films such as Hell Up in Harlem (1973), Sugar Hill (1974), The Black Godfather (1974), Sheba, Baby (1975) and J.D.’s Revenge (1976).
Our complete list of Films About Gangsters, The Mafia and The Mob features over 378+ films from 1954 – 2024. This collection features almost every film featuring mobsters, gangsters, the yakuza and other forms of organized crime. If you don’t see a film in our collection, it is likely in other collections such as Films About Assassins & Hitmen, Films About Capers & Heists, Films About Cops & the FBI, Films About Narcos, Films About Gambling, Films About Gangs and Films About Drugs & Narcos. Also, as we’re always updating our collections and will be releasing additional articles of great Gangster Films, subscribe to our newsletter for our latest updates as we post them.
Classic Films About Gangsters pre-1970: Little Caesar (1931), Scarface (1932), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Roaring Twenties (1939), White Heat (1949), The Big Heat (1953), On the Waterfront (1954), The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967) and Bonnie & Clyde (1967).
Classic Films About Gangsters from the 1970’s: Get Carter (1971), The Godfather (1972), Prime Cut (1972), Charley Varrick (1973), Dillinger (1973), Mean Streets (1973), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), The Godfather: Part II (1974), F.I.S.T. (1978) and Fingers (1978).
Top Films About Gangsters from the 1970’s that didn’t make our list: Gods of the Plague (1970), Villain (1971), The Sicilian Checkmate (1973), Hammer (1972), Slaughter (1972), Yakuza Wolf: Extend My Condolences (1972), The Stone Killer (1973), Hell Up in Harlem (1973), Cry of a Prostitute (1974), Truck Stop Women (1974), The Yakuza (1974), The Black Godfather (1974), Cops vs. Thugs (1975), The Climber (1975), Sheba, Baby (1975), The Candy Tangerine Man (1975), J.D.’s Revenge (1976), Hollywood Man (1976), Paradise Alley (1978), The Gang That Sold America (1979) and Love and Bullets (1979).
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Here is our list of the Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 1970’s:
#10
Family Enforcer
Plot: A kid from the neighborhood goes to work for the Mafia as a collector.
KBZ’s Take: If you want to see an early version of Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito character from Goodfellas (1990), then this is your film. Also known as The Death Collector, Family Enforcer is a low budget film exploring mob family collection and enforcement in New Jersey.
It’s not a great film by any means as the film looks cheap and some of the acting leaves much to be desired. But, if you’re a fan of Goodfellas or The Sopranos, this is a film you should definitely check out not only for Pesci’s early role but early roles of other cinema mobsters including Frank Vincent (Phil Leotardo from The Sopranos).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#9
Yakuza Wolf
Plot: A fearless man confronts a yakuza organization pushing the envelope of extravagant & all sorts of violence.
KBZ’s Take: We listed a few of the Japanese yakuza films from the 1970’s and this is the best one. Sonny Chiba was a fixture in Japan’s martial arts films of the 70’s, and Yakuza Wolf is one of his earlier films that falls on the exploitation side with Chiba as a man seeking revenge on the yakuza.
The film is action-packed with some thrilling sequences and is highly recommended for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#8
Sugar Hill
Plot: When nightclub owner Langston (Larry D. Johnson) refuses to sell out to local mob boss Morgan (Robert Quarry), he is beaten to death by a gang of hired thugs. His grief-stricken fiancée, Diana Sugar Hill (Marki Bey), vows revenge for his murder and turns to aged voodoo authority Mama Maitresse (Zara Cully). Together they conjure up the demonic spirit of Baron Samedi (Don Pedro Colley), who agrees to help Sugar. He raises an army of zombies and sets them upon Langston’s killers.
KBZ’s Take: We had to include one Blaxploitation film of the 70’s on our list, and you can’t go wrong with Sugar Hill. This is one crazy film with gangsters, zombies, black magic and the beautiful and ruthless Marki Bey hellbent on revenge.
The film is also billed as horror but it’s not particularly scary. It’s a film with some humorous moments showing unique social justice delivered to “the man”. For cinephiles, it’s a must-see film and for fans of the subgenre, it’s one of the strangest gangster films you’ll ever see.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: 1930s set film that tells the crime story of Polly Franklin, a poor farmer’s daughter who leaves for Chicago, where she is sent to prison, serves as a prostitute, falls in love with the gangster known as John Dillinger and attempts a bank robbery.
KBZ’s Take: Though this film is noted for featuring Robert Conrad as John Dillinger, it’s not a story about Dillinger. It’s the story of Polly (Pamela Sue Martin) and her life leading up to her eventual meeting with Dillinger. And though the film is set during the Depression era (and looks convincingly good), make no mistake, this is also a Roger Corman-produced exploitation film.
With Corman’s involvement, you can likely guess that this comes with Corman’s brand of exploitation elements. These include Polly’s coming-of-age experience, her involvement in prostitution and a women-in-prison segment (with a must-see performance by Nancy Parsons as a sadistic female guard). You might also recognize Parsons as the infamous Miss Balbricker from Porky’s (1981).
Despite the exploitation elements, the film is carried by John Sayle’s great script and eventually gets to the infamous involvement of Polly with Dillinger. We can’t say it’s a must-see film, but for fans of the subgenre, it’s a film that has unexpected appeal once it gets to it’s latter half involving the infamous gangster.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#6
Fingers
Plot: A wanna-be concert pianist spends his days making a living by collecting debts for his Mafioso father, a lifestyle that could eventually ruin his dreams of a musical career.
KBZ’s Take: Fingers is basically Taxi Driver (1976) if you replace Robert DeNiro with Harvey Keitel and change his profession from a mentally unstable taxi driver to a mentally unstable mob collector. It’s also one of Keitel’s best films in his storied career.
This is a must-see film for fans of the subgenre for Keitel’s performance as Jimmy who slowly falls deeper and deeper into the ‘collector’ life with tragic consequences. It’s one of the lesser-known subgenre films of the 70’s despite Keitel’s involvement and a cast including Michael V. Gazzo, Danny Aiello, Jim Brown and Ed Marinaro. There are also some minor roles from classic mafia actors such as Lenny Montana (Luca Brasi in The Godfather (1972)) and Tony Sirico and Dominic Chianese (Paulie Walnuts and Uncle Junior from The Sopranos).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#5
Capone
Plot: Young Al Capone catches the eye of Johnny Torrio, a criminal visiting New York from Chicago. Torrio invites Capone to move to Illinois to help run his Prohibition-era alcohol sales operation. Capone rises through the ranks of Torrio’s gang and eventually takes over. On top, he works to consolidate his power by eliminating his enemies, fixing elections to his advantage and getting rich. In his spare time, Capone courts the principled Iris Crawford.
KBZ’s Take: Though it could be argued that Rod Steiger in Al Capone (1959) and Robert DeNiro in The Untouchables (1987) are the best cinematic portrayals of the legendary gangster, Ben Gazzara’s performance as Al Capone isn’t far off. And while the film suffers from both Roger Corman’s involvement (on the exploitation side) and the historical inaccuracies of Capone’s life in the film, it’s still one of the better subgenre films of the decade.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#4
Dillinger
Plot: After a shoot-out kills five FBI agents in Kansas City, the Bureau targets John Dillinger as one of the men to hunt down. Waiting for him to break Federal law they sort out several other mobsters, while Dillinger’s bank robbing exploits make him something of a folk hero. Escaping from jail he finds Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson have joined the gang and pretty soon he is Public Enemy Number One. Now the G-men really are after him.
KBZ’s Take: Dillinger, like Capone (1975), trades historical accuracy for a better cinematic narrative. But where Dillinger differs (and excels) is with its documentary-like narrative of Dillinger’s life and his pursuit by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Ben Johnson). It also has arguably the best on-screen performance of Dillinger with Warren Oates bringing the notorious gangster to life.
Though the film is extremely violent, it’s not an exploitation film in the manner of Corman’s Capone. The violence is central to the story of a man who robbed 24 banks and reportedly kill 10 men. It’s a lesser-known classic film of the subgenre no fan should miss.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#3
F.I.S.T.
Plot: Johnny Kovak joins the Teamsters trade-union in a local chapter in the 1930s and works his way up in the organization. As he climbs higher and higher his methods become more ruthless and finally senator Madison starts a campaign to find the truth about the alleged connections with the Mob.
KBZ’s Take: Loosely based on the life of Jimmy Hoffa, Sylvester Stallone gives one of his best performances of his career as the Hoffa-inspired Johnny Kovak. It’s also one of the best period subgenre films of the decade that immaculately recreates both the 1930’s and the 1950’s. It’s a beautiful film to watch with an engrossing story about the birth of labor unions in the U.S.
And like the real-life Hoffa, the film explores the labor union’s leadership’s ties to organized crime. While it’s not a typical gangster film, it’s an intriguing look at how the mafia operates and inserts itself into local business.
It’s a must-see film for fans of the subgenre and a film any movie lover should check out for not only Stallone’s performance, but that of other great actors of the era including Rod Steiger and Peter Boyle.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#2
Silver Bears
Plot: Financial wizard Doc Fletcher is sent by crime boss Joe Fiore to buy a bank in Switzerland in order to more easily launder their profits. When he arrives, Fletcher finds that the bank, acquired by his associate Prince di Siracusa, consists of some shabby offices above a restaurant. To make up for this, the Prince suggests that Fletcher invests in a silver mine owned by Shireen and Agha Firdausi. This solves one problem, but the mine also attracts the attention of some of the most powerful people in the silver business. Fletcher must pull out all his wheeler-dealing skills in order to keep hold of everything he’s worked for, in the process romancing a banker’s discontented wife.
KBZ’s Take: This is one film on our list that isn’t a straight up gangster film. In fact, it’s a film that’s hard hard to classify as the film involves the mafia but is also about financial fraud and con artists told in a very quirky manner. You could even say it’s one of the better caper films of the 70’s with an intriguing cast including Michael Caine, Cybill Shepherd, Louis Jordan, David Warner, Martin Balsam, Tom Smothers….and Jay Leno?!?
Yes, even Jay Leno is part of this eclectic cast which tells a brilliant story involving mafia money laundering in Switzerland. It’s one of the more light-hearted films of the subgenre, but also one of its best of the decade.
Where to Stream / Buy: Tubi
#1
Prime Cut
Plot: Chicago mob enforcers are sent to Kansas City to rough up a Kansas City slaughterhouse owner.
KBZ’s Take: When we get asked for gangster film recommendations, Prime Cut is always at the top of our list. It’s an early 1970’s film that’s been forgotten over time even though it’s one of the best films of the subgenre of any decade.
This is a unique gangster story that’s elevated by the performances of Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman and Sissy Spacek. Marvin is great as a Chicago Irish mob enforcer sent to Missouri to collect from Mary Ann (Hackman). Hackman chews the scenery as the twisted slaughterhouse owner who also sells young women on the side. And Spacek (as Poppy) shows how she would eventually become a star as one of the young women for sale that befriends Marvin’s Nick Devlin.
Not only does the film give a unique look into Midwest mafia life, but it also has one of the decade’s most thrilling action scenes as Devlin and Poppy are pursued by a harvester through a wheat field. It’s one of the decade’s best subgenre films and one film you’ll never forget.
Additional Lists: Top Gangster & Mob Films You Haven’t Seen #4
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
