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Audiences love a gangster story. Crime movies have been a mainstay of cinema since the medium’s beginning, serving up plenty of action and drama with stories like The Godfather and Goodfellas. They’re even better when they’re based on real people, delving into the minds of actual mobsters and lowlifes. Indeed, there have been dozens of great gangster biopics over the decades, some of which rank among the greatest films of all time.
At their best, these movies can be both gripping and insightful, helping viewers understand what makes these criminals tick. They highlight the allure and danger of life outside the law, capturing the highs of wealth and power as well as the inevitable downfall. What follows are the ten best gangster biopics ever, from grand epics to lean thrillers. They are ranked by how impactful they have been to the genre and how accurately they portray their often larger-than-life subjects. Fans of gunplay, betrayal, and antihero protagonists are in for a treat.
10 ‘Blow’ (2001)
Directed by Ted Demme
“Always spyin’, always judgin’.” Johnny Depp stars in Blow as George Jung, a small-town American who becomes one of the biggest drug traffickers in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s. Jung starts as a petty marijuana dealer but slowly transforms into a key player in the cocaine trade with the Medellín Cartel. The movie explores this evolution, paying a lot of attention to his tragedies and turbulent relationships.
Breaking Bad, this is not, but Blow still makes for an interesting glimpse into the cocaine trade and the way it can sweep up ordinary people. Depp is compelling in the role, doing a lot to make this self-absorbed, foolish figure at least somewhat likable, assisted by fantastic supporting work from Penélope Cruz, Paul Reubens, Ray Liotta, Franka Potente, and Rachel Griffiths. Director Ted Demme borrows a little too much from older crime movies, but the finished product is better than the sum of its parts.
9 ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967)
Directed by Arthur Penn
“You made me somebody they’re gonna remember.” Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are far and away history’s most iconic crime couple, and director Arthur Penn does them justice in this New Hollywood neo-noir. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway star as the bank-robbing lovers on a crime spree across the central U.S. during the Great Depression. They are fittingly charismatic in the role, helped by Penn’s stylish direction and romantic, humorous screenplay by David Newman and Robert Benton.
Despite some historical inaccuracies, Bonnie and Clyde was a true game-changer, thanks to its overt violence, witty dialogue, thrilling chases, and plentiful shootouts. Aesthetically, Penn draws on the French New Wave, producing a vibrant, violent crime film that caused a stir on release and influenced many gangster movies that would follow in the 1960s. Bonnie and Clyde is more of a cinematic fairytale than a historical recreation, but this is precisely what makes it special. Films like Badlands, True Romance, and Natural Born Killers wouldn’t exist without its blueprint.
8 ‘Legend’ (2015)
Directed by Brian Hegeland
“Sometimes, to achieve greatness, you have to cut off a little piece of yourself, no matter how much it hurts.” Tom Hardy pulls double duty in this British crime movie, playing twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray, notorious gangsters who ruled London’s East End during the 1960s. Legend explores their rise to power, involvement in organized crime, and eventual downfall due to their violent excess and internal conflicts. Disagreements and distrust also formed between the brothers, with explosive consequences.
Legend is a little rough around the edges, but there’s no denying the strength of Hardy’s performance. He nicely captures the contrasting personalities of the suave, business-minded Reggie and the volatile, psychopathic Ronnie. Hardy carries much of the movie on his own, though supporting players David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, and Emily Browning are also solid. Plus, the period details are well done, bringing the decade to life with authentic costumes, styles, street brawls, and Cockney slang.
7 ‘Bugsy’ (1991)
Directed by Barry Levinson
“Everybody deserves a fresh start every once in a while.” Warren Beatty leads this movie as Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, a mobster who helped develop the Las Vegas Strip into the gambling mecca it is today. Bugsy follows Bugsy’s ascent through the criminal underworld, his affair with Virginia Hill (Annette Bening), and his obsessive pursuit of his dream, which ultimately threatens to undermine everything he’s worked for.
Narrative-wise, Bugsy occasionally drags, but the talented cast always keeps things engaging, even during the slower scenes. Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, and Bebe Neuwirth are particularly good. Beatty is also just as compelling as one would expect, capturing Bugsy’s magnetism as well as his dark side. The movie would have worked simply as a character study, but director Barry Levinson uses Bugsy as a vehicle to examine the era more broadly. Finally, a top-notch score by maestro Ennio Morricone holds it all together, making Bugsyone of the stronger biopics of the 1990s.
6 ‘The Untouchables’ (1987)
Directed by Brian De Palma
“People are gonna drink! You know that. I know that.” The Untouchables is a thrilling account of the battle between law enforcement and organized crime during Prohibition, focusing on the efforts of federal agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) to bring down Al Capone (Robert De Niro). Ness assembles a team of incorruptible agents, including Jim Malone (Sean Connery), but Capone’s sprawling criminal enterprise makes for a menacing foe.
De Palma’s visual flair is on full display here, ensuring
The Untouchables
‘s place among the most memorable crime films of the 1980s.
The movie marked the creative pairing of director Brian De Palma and writer David Mamet, meaning it generated lots of hype before it was released. The end product is good while still falling somewhat short of its potential. For example, some of the characters are portrayed a little too simplistically, and the themes can be slightly heavy-handed. Nevertheless, strong performances and stylish direction more than compensate for any perceived flaws. De Palma’s visual flair is on full display here, ensuring The Untouchables‘s place among the most memorable crime films of the 1980s.
5 ‘Donnie Brasco’ (1997)
Directed by Mike Newell
“This job is eating me alive. I can’t breathe anymore.” Donnie Brasco is based on the true story of undercover FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone (Johnny Depp), who infiltrates the New York Mafia under the alias Donnie Brasco. Along the way, seasoned mobster Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino) takes Pistone under his wing. As Pistone delves deeper into the criminal world, he becomes torn between his duty to the FBI and his loyalty to Lefty, whom he comes to see as a father figure.
The dynamic between these two men is handled well by director Mike Newell, who would later go on to helm Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). He gives both performers room to shine without eclipsing the other. In addition, Newell also aims for realism and grit, presenting a more unvarnished look at mob life. It may not be one of the flashiest or most action-packed gangster movies of the ’90s, but Donnie Brasco stands out with its nuance and restraint.
4 ‘American Gangster’ (2007)
Directed by Ridley Scott
“The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.” American Gangster centers on Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a Harlem drug lord who smuggled heroin into the United States through military planes returning from the Vietnam War. Russell Crowe is Richie Roberts, the honest cop determined to bring Lucas down, creating a cat-and-mouse game that drives the narrative. The ensuing psychological warfare between these two men not only puts each to the test but exposes corruption within the DEA itself.
Ridley Scott mines this story for operatic drama, turning American Gangster into a true crime epic. His storytelling is at its finest here, with the film being simultaneously weighty and entertaining. Altogether, American Gangster boasts outstanding acting, a gripping climax, period-accurate details in costumes and set design, a sharp screenplay, and a powerful score by Marc Streitenfeld. But the highlight is Denzel Washington, of course, who makes Lucas fearsome and tough, as well as complex and understandable.
3 ‘The Irishman’ (2019)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
“You always charge a guy with a gun! With a knife, you run away.” Speaking of epics, Martin Scorsese proved yet again that he is unmatched in the crime genre with this sweeping portrait of mob hitman Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro). The movie sees him reflecting on his involvement in some of the most notorious events of the 20th century, including the disappearance of union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).
Not everyone liked the use of de-aging for the sequences set in the past, and the film’s 209-minute runtime is intimidating, but fundamentally, The Irishman is a huge and impressive achievement. The movie is self-aware, often nodding to Scorsese’s earlier classics while digging even deeper in terms of its themes and character exploration. The Irishman‘s canonization is already well underway, with publications like Empire ranking it not only among the best crime films but as one of the best films of the 21st century in any genre.
2 ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ (1975)
Directed by Sidney Lumet
“I don’t wanna talk to some flunky pig trying to calm me, man.” Dog Day Afternoon is a tense, character-driven thriller about a bank robbery gone wrong. Al Pacino turns in one of his very best performances as Sonny, a desperate man who, along with his accomplice Sal (John Cazale), attempts to stick up a Brooklyn bank to pay for his partner’s gender reassignment surgery. What begins as a simple heist quickly escalates into a media frenzy and a tense standoff with the police, with Sonny becoming an unlikely antihero in the eyes of the public.
Director Sidney Lumet, the brains behind classics like Network and 12 Angry Men, deftly fuses crime elements with drama, dark comedy, and a hefty dose of social commentary. Dog Day Afternoon is an anti-establishment movie, taking shots at the powers that be but also critiquing its central character and his motivations. Sonny Wortzik is the eye of the storm, and Pacino brings him to life with fierce commitment. A genuinely daring crime saga that perfectly reflected its turbulent times, Dog Day Afternoon is a visceral but cathartic crime biopic.
1 ‘Goodfellas’ (1990)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
“Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” When it comes to the best gangster biopics ever made, it’s hard to top this seminal Scorsese classic. Goodfellas charts the rise and fall of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), a mob associate who works his way up through the ranks of the New York Mafia. He goes from a young boy enamored with the mob lifestyle to a man in over his head, with law enforcement closing in.
The premise isn’t groundbreaking, but the masterful execution, committed performances, and pitch-perfect propulsive soundtrack elevate Goodfellas way over the competition. It’s a genuine crime masterpiece on the same level as The Godfather. It’s smart and complex but also endlessly entertaining, with an infectious energy and a ton of humorous moments. Taken together, Goodfellas adds up to the greatest film ever made in the crime biopic subgenre, unlikely to be equaled anytime soon.
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