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Favorite Gangster Flicks..
I am sure this topic is going to get a lot of adrenalin surging and more personal onslaughts than required as this is one topic that is close to many of our hearts. We all might in refined society crib about the heavy violence in our movies and how we as a society have got degenerated but at the bottom of our portable paradises, we carry a list of movies that we tend to watch and love as they are centered on the underworld. I have decided today to put down some of my best loved gangster flicks (in no particular order). These are movies that I really enjoy and quote excessively from (one I tend to make the voice like the hero but it comes out like a croak. No prizes for guessing which movie this is) & tend to watch more than a healthy number of times. So here goes my list and do let me know what you all feel about this
1. The Godfather – I & II (Hate the III)
What can one say about the Godfather? It’s an exceptional movie. Heck, it’s the best and am sure there is no one on this planet that has not seen this movie. This is one of the best in this genre and I love everything about this movie. Marlon Brando & Robert De Niro as Don Vito Corleone, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, James Caan as sonny…Man this is a movie that gets my blood racing. Each character is so wonderfully written, the dynamics between the family, the Black Sheep becoming the Godfather, extremely heady stuff. I love I & II. These were like phenomenal. Both Marlon Brando & Robert De Niro did a spot on job as the Godfather and Pacino showed how he comes to his own as Michael. The other thing I love about this movie is you actually like the bad guys and want them to win. This is the wonderful thing about writing and how you can make a viewer like or hate your character. In these movies (I & II) we love the family and want no harm to come to them. We hate Fredo for being a snitch and hate Tessio for breaking his loyalty. We love Clemenza for being loyal to the family. We forgive Sonny for his outburst and have some sort of a grudging admiration for Johnny Fontane as he has the love of the Godfather. We understand why Michael has to kill Carlo although Carlo is Carla’s Husband. We feel agitated when Kay asks dumb questions to Michael. We hate it when Moe Green tries to act too smart. Man, where can you get a film like this where you are so involved in the movie that you actually start to live it out. This is one of my all time favorite flicks and I have a constant argument with my friends when I call this a relationship flick more than a gangster one. My belief has been that if you cannot find an answer to your question in the Godfather or the Hitchhiker’s Guide, then you are asking the wrong question
2. Satya
I have always maintained that this is one of the best gangster flicks that came out of India. There have been many but I just love this film for what all it establishes as part of the storyline. Yes there are holes, yes the gangster look like they are having way more fun than the police, yes there is no message in the movie, but who the F@c# cares about it. Its one glorious tale of the slow growth of a gangster and his friendship with a mob boss ultimately resulting in their death. I love this movie again for its characters and the strength of each of the characters. There is no one wasted in the frame. This is simply superb when we see movies with so many people but we do not realize their need in the story. We again while watching this movie fall in love with Biku Mhatre, Bhau Thakurdas Jhawle, Pyaari Mhatre & we actually like Chakri as Satya in this movie. He could not speak Hindi well and RGV had cast him as a silent man who thinks well before speaking. This whole cast was well planned in this movie. This was the first one where we were led into the lives of others (the underworld) & we got to see them for what they were. We saw normal people doing a job that comes naturally to them and it left you flummoxed and surprised. Till this movie came along, Gangsters were never shown as people really and were shown more as gangsters. I love this movie for what it managed to achieve.
3. Scarface
Tony Montana…Wow..This is most probably a move that bordered between art house classic and commercial fare quite well. This is the story of the rise & fall of a Cuban Gang lord who wants to grow too quickly but at his heart is still a simple man who wants to have a family and a simple life. This movie is a powerhouse in each of the departments and I love the multiple offspring’s of this movie. There is a band with a name as to the number of times the “F” word was used. There is a volatile cocktail available in London which is called the Scarface and if you have had 6 of these, you start to believe you are Tony Montana. This movie worked wonders for my teenage years (this is that time of life where using an obscene word is considered a lot of fun) & I loved Al Pacino in this movie. A lot of people have bad things to say about this movie but I really love the way the story is woven around this central protagonist/antagonist of this tale. This is another character you feel sorry for when he dies and you actually are rooting for him when he falls down to a spray of bullets. I loved all the minor characters in this movie as much as the major ones. I loved the language, the treatment, the narrative style, the sub plots and everything left in this telling movie.
4. Good Fellas
How can I make a list of gangster movies and leave my God/Guru out of it? I love the way Scorsese starts off his movies and this is no exception. This movie is the tale of 3 boys who are all Wiseguys who want to have lots of fun & live a life on their own terms. Nicholas Pileggi had got a cracking story and Scorsese added great life to it. The great duo of Joe Pesci & Robert De Niro was firmed in this movie. Ray Liota was fantastic in this movie. When you see movies like Unlawful Entry, you get up and sadly mourn the death of a good actor. The interplay between these 3 characters, their individual growth in the mafia is so well etched in this movie. The dialogues are superb and I love the pace of this movie. I particularly love the scene where Ray is making a dinner for his brother who is returning from jail, looking up for the chopper to ensure he is not seen when he is making a move of the drugs. These scenes are so well paced, you wonder at the insightfulness of the master (This is the fan in me speaking). I love this movie for the bonhomie it brings, the way its leads us into the semantics of the underworld, the love friendship and all that makes a good gangster flick. I also love Mean Streets but like Good Fellas more for its treatment and story line.
5. Infernal Affairs (mou gaan dou)
Infernal affairs is a wonderful movie that was primarily responsible for resurrecting the Hong Kong Cinema Industry and stupefied me when I first saw the movie. This is a tale of Chan Wing-Yan, who is undercover into the Triad, and at the same time, a Gang Member Lau Kin-Ming is in the police force. They are both in this position to get information on the other side. Yan has been undercover as a gangster for over 10 years and has started to question why he is a cop and at the same time Ming wants to wash away all his sins. The movie is a roller coaster ride and there is no way to exit this ride till you see it to the very end. I love the tightness with which it had been shot, the complex layered approach of narrative, the simple yet unattainable dreams of both the protagonists (neither can be called the antagonist as he is a creation of his environment). All in all a great flick and again the subtext in this movie is also people and not really the gangster fare that make this a really great movie.
5. City of God
I am sure a lot of people must have already seen this movie and the characters in this movie are so well etched in my mind that they sometimes comes to me out of the blue. Lil Ze, Buscape (rocket), Benny, Carrot all are so real and so flesh & blood that this movie shakes you to your very core. This is one hell of a movie and I actually attribute a similar feeling that I got while watching Bandit queen to this movie. Both of them are so stark ,real, so unyielding that you actually hate the movie when you are watching it but you understand it later for what it is & it keeps haunting you for days to come. A feast of a movie and you cannot fathom the truth when you come to realize that almost all the actors in this movie were amateurs and the directors themselves were not great experienced people but at the heart of this movie is a wonderful story and hence it works at all the level.
6. A Bronx Tale
Robert De Niro’s directorial debut and Chazz Palminteri’s story is so nice that it could be set anywhere and it would still make sense. This is one of my favorites for the way the story is centered on the life of a young boy & his growth to a teenager. The boy’s name is “C” & we see his life and his surroundings in this movie. Highly autobiographical and emotional, this is a wonderful tale on celluloid & stage. This is not a gangster gangster flick but the plot centers around Bronx and the Italian Mafia boss Sonny (Chazz Palminteri) & the admiration C has for him. C in this movie really has 2 fathers. One is his blood father the nose to the grindstone Robert De Niro who is a bus driver & squeaky clean. The other is the Don Sonny who loves C for not telling him out to the police on a Murder Rap. The story is extremely well told and you enjoy the narrative and start to understand C’s predicament when he has to always choose whether he will be a Gangster or Not. The climax, the confrontation between Sonny & C are all so nice that you will watch this movie for many more times.
PS: The young C in the movie has a great Hollywood lineage. He is the Grandson of the great Frank Capra
7. Reservoir Dogs
Can I dare to have a list of Gangster films without the great Quentin Tarantino in the list. This is one of the best according to me for the witty dialogues, the 6 diverse characters, a trigger happy story and by god, you have a kick-ass movie. Six strangers come together to pull off a heist. I love the color coding given to the 6 gents Mr. White, Mr. Orange (The newbie), Mr. Blonde (Billy Madsen), Mr. Pink, Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue. They get caught in a police ambush which kills Mr. Brown and seriously injures Mr. Orange, the criminals return to where they were supposed to meet and they have to weed out the mole within them. All hail Tarantino for making this really amazing flick.
8. Millers Crossing
Ethan & Joel Coen. Need I say more? A wonderful film of friendship, revenge, redemption, life, love and Albert Finney at his best. A highly styled film like none other which can perhaps be seen as a corner stone of gangster movies. The movie at a basic level is a look at ethics & morals within the criminal underworld of the 1930s. Two rival gangs fight for control of a city where every being is either bought or to be bought & to its police force is joke. Black humor and shocking violence compete for screen time along with rich characters that seem to treat life like a joke. I love this movie and have watched it both for its story and more times for its cinematography. I feel this movie has to be initially watched as a film and then it has to be studied to understand the use of lighting and cinematography. Excellent film & I like it so much I currently have 2 copies of it :-)
8. The Untouchables
I do so want to not scream but I usually have a silent scream in my mind when I say this name. I love this movie a lot..A whole lot. I love Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner. I love this movie. Set in 1920’s prohibition, Chicago is corrupt from the judges downward. So in going up against Al Capone, Treasury agent Eliot Ness picks just two cops to help him and his accountant colleague. One is a sharp-shooting rookie (Andy Garcia), the other a seen-it-all Irish Cop (Sean Connery, who else) who does not trust anybody. The conversation between Kevin & Sean on the bridge is a really amazing shot and one that I really like. The four of them are ready to battle Capone and his empire, but it could just be that guns are not the best way to get him. Lovely Flick..Simply Superb
The others I really like are also:
Jiang Hu (Blood Brothers) – Sanjay Remake Gupta made a bad remake of this in Dus Kahaniyaan. Story of 2 gangsters juxtaposed in time. A real treat
Vaastav – A wonderful movie and one that reaffirms Sanjay Dutt as an actor and not a star. This will always remain Mahesh Manjrekar’s best movie.
American Gangster – Denzel Washington, Russel Crowe, Ridley Scott, Nicholas Pileggi..Need I say more?
Carlito’s Way – Good film
Once upon a time in America – King of Spaghetti Westerns had done this movie, believe it or not..Sergio Leone directed this very good flick
First 2 Guy Richtie Movies – Lock, Stock & Snatch..Both were good fir different reasons and I loved them both in the order they were released
Well I still have more & am sure you all have lots to add to this list..So here goes guys and start clacking away your responses to these & your favorites
Cheers & Good Night,
Deepak Venkateshan
55 Responses to “Favorite Gangster Flicks..”
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wow.. good long list :)
When I watched Vastav.. was thinking wot wud have happened, if it had release before Satya… coz it was compared a lot with Satya (even thought it had so many differences)… just in terms of commercial success… it might have made more money…
Just by reading couple of ur earlier posts.. I guess u have seen some kannada movies… so the movie by Upendra, “OM” with Shivraj kumar wud definitely find a place in my list :D
nice list and good thing is that I have watched quite a few of these :)
What about ‘company’? You haven’t watched it or didn’t like it?
u knw deepak just a day ago i was toying with idea of coming up with a post on the same topic..nevertheless…..ur lists the best work done on the gangsta world…..though i wish COMPANY was on the list……
the dialogues it has are exemplary..for instance the one by ajay devgan
” Khaas aadmiyon ko kabhi yeh nahi bhulna chahiye ki woh kabhi bhi aam ho sakte hai…”
excellent stuff man…
p.s the impact of the above dialogue comes with the prologue to it…..
chandu has used force against some guy called chopra who happens to be well familiar with malik…
malik: ” baithna padega chopra ke saath..woh apna khaas aadmi hai…”
dubey: ” khaas aadmiyon ke saath aisi naubat aati hi kyun hai..”
malik:” isliye ki khaas aadmiyon ko kabhi yeh nahi bhulna chahiye ki woh kabhi bhi aam ho sakte hai..”
RGV of those days…where art thou?
yep company should have been in the list …..
ashwin ,
got to watch company again …..simply superb perfomance by Ajay Devgan ….
here’ another dialogue :
hamare dhande mein ek galti ko maaf karna usse bhi badi galati hai ….
goodfellas: a treat to watch…..
scorcese got it right from the tagline itself..
” As far back as i can remember i always wanted to be a gangster”
it cant get better than that…..^:)^
@ anand
totally agree with u…
i think ajay should have got the national award for COMPANY instead of THE LEGEND OF BHAGAT SINGH
even mohanlal, vivek and manisha were at their best…
I liked The Departed too, and if you consider No country for old men a gangsta flick…that one too….
Add GUNDA to the list… the classic deserves a mention
:d
I agree with other people that Company can not be excluded.Make ur list grow one in size(as all are deserving) and add Company. Satya has the rawness in dealing with underworld where as Company was a very mature movie….
“Ab iske baad kya karoge?Maaroge yaa maroge.Aur agar maaroge to bhi maroge”
“ye sab jo kuchh hua woh ek aadami ki wajah se nahi hai…tumhare dhandhe ki jaat hi aisi hai”
“Agar main use abhi chhod deta to woh ghar jaa ke badalaa lene ki koshish karataa…mujhe uske bachcho se jyada apne bachcho ki chinta hai”
Well rudro…he has named Internal Affairs..Departed is a remake of the same…
@JP
COMPLETELY AGREE!
GUNDA ROXXXXX!!!! :d
Jokes apart, I too, think that Company should have been on list. may be Departed also? What u thnk guys?
Also not actually a gangster movie but somewhat near, Parinda.
Sweet article. Makes me inspired to write a post bout lesser known cult gangster flicks. :d
@deepak,
for me ‘once upon a time…’ ranks right up there with the godfather
I thought Company was on par with Satya if not better! What about Agneepath, Thakshak, Maqbool?
I think Pulp fiction, Casino, Once upon a time in America and our very own Deewar can be added.
Deepak
Apart from all ur recommendations, i would also add some of my own favorites
Donnie Brasco- Pretty much underrated Gangster flick, excellent performances by Pacino and Johnny Depp.
Also how did u miss out Nayagan? That is one of the best Gangster movies made. In fact would rate it as one of Mani’s best movies right up there along with Iruvar. Gritty, hard hitting, realistic, thankfully Mani does not go around sugar coating here, as he normally does.
Thanks a tonne for putting up A Bronx Tale, that is pretty much an underrated classic for sure.
Also Marty’s Mean Streets, one of his best and most underrated movie. A wonderful depiction of life on New York’s seedy alleys. Casino in fact i felt was more like Mean Streets remade, with Joe Pesci doing the same kinda role De Niro did in Mean Streets.
Love most of the Hong Kong gangsta flicks.
Ok here are my additions
1) The Long Good Friday
2) Full Contact
3) The Killer
4) Hathyaar (JP Dutta)
5) Get Carter (Original)
6) A Better Tomorrow
7) Chopper
8) Le Samourai
9) Angels with Dirty Faces
10) Sexy Beast
11) Point Blank
12) Yakuza Papers Saga
13) Eastern Promises
14) A History of Violence
And above all else
HEAT
My favorite Gangster film would easily be David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence–not just another one of those gratuitous murderous romps soliciting visceral, unthinking responses to its violence while evoking westerns and noirs.Not even an art film, reflecting on the meaning, implications, and effects of its violence, and getting us to do the same. David Cronenberg’s genius here is the way he makes it possible to work both sides of the street. He provokes confused emotional responses–laughter at serious moments and spontaneous applause at some of the violent ones–that might embarrass us, but Cronenberg isn’t engaging in parody or irony. Nor is he nihilistically pandering to our worst impulses: the filmmaking is too measured and too intelligent. He implicitly respects us and our responses, even when those responses are silly or disturbing.
Of the three Godfathers, I prefer Part III,even though it has less continous a storyline as compared to the first two(even less coherence,less lucidity and less violence) but it is morally and conceptually superior to both of them.Both earlier parts are grand entertainments predicated for the most part on two conflicting emotions–a savoring of violence, crime, and duplicity and remorse about the same three things. These attitudes are played off against each other not as a dialectic but as two possible ways of responding to the material, a contradiction that Coppola’s style exalts to epic proportions.Even more guilt is present in The Godfather Part III than in its two predecessors, but this time it is merely acknowledged, not celebrated, and the crimes that occasion it are only memories–crimes that are recalled and discussed but not recapitulated in flashbacks. Emotionally speaking, these crimes boil down to one above all–Michael Corleone having ordered his own brother Fredo killed for participating in a plot against him near the end of part two. In most respects it devotes itself to playing out the full implications of that act.
Miller’s Crossing was the work of a pair of movie brats (both in their mid-30s) eager to show their emulation of Dashiell Hammett but, in spiky postmodernist fashion, almost totally indifferent to Hammett’s own period–except for what they could skim from superficial readings of Red Harvest, The Glass Key, and a few secondary sources. Historical and psychological veracity consisted basically of whatever they could get away with, based on the cynical assumption that their audience was every bit as devoid of interest in these matters as they were. For all its visual sophistication and strong performances it was a soulless film,better than their previous films though,even if the period ambience was not beleivable or the characters seemed much too blinkered and naive.
add BOONDOCKS SAINTS to the list … too good movie, u guys have to watch this one.. awesome soundtrack
william dafoe is excellent in this movie… he is a very underrated actor according to me.
Parinda is another favorite of mine. This was the movie that set the tone for most other gangster movies. Dark, violent and brooding, this was a movie clearly ahead of it’s times. Witness the scene where Anil questions Jackie about his involvement in the underworld, and notice the way both characters are framed against the sea, as the launch travels. Fantastic performances from Jackie and Nana Patekar. TO date Anna remains one of the most memorable vilian characters in Bollywood. It was not a caricature like Mogambo or Dr.Dang. This was a villian chillingly realistic.
I would also rate Marty’s Mean Streets one of his best gangster movies much ahead of Casino and Departed. The camera work is really outstanding, in the way Marty, tracks the movements of the characters at close angles. The scene where De Niro tracks down Harvey Keitel, is one of the best shot. The way the camera follows De Niro along the alley walls, and into Keitel’s room, just brilliant. I think this was the movie that would define Marty’s style. Also i wonder why Harvey Keitel never got his due. He is one of the most underrated actors, witness his performances in Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Reservoir Dogs, superb.
How could one forget Mere Apne ?
@Anand
Have not seen Thakshak, but Maqbool would make the cut any time for me. Totally dark and intense, and the performances- Irfan Khan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseer all just brilliant. Vishaal Bharadwaj clearly showed his genius as a movie maker with this movie.
Agneepath me thinks was good in parts. Some scenes were good, like the one where Amitabh Bachan rescues Neelam from a rival don’s lair. And also the scene where Amitabh outsmarts Danny. But problem with Mukul Anand is that most of his movies remain totally inconsistent, good in parts, but not overall.
@Kcp
I dont think Mere Apne could exactly be considered a gangster flick. It was more like unemployed youth indulging in street fights. Closer to Arjun and Ankush. But still a brilliant movie.
Election & Election 2?
Hey deepak
good list, maybe you can add Company and Mean streets.
how can you forget “Aatank Hi Aatank “?This was the movie we both saw during college. Man !! what a movie, that should come on the list of “Wannabe gangster movies”:d
someone mentioned “OM”, I guess we should upload the famous scene from Saikumar’s police story, people will have a good laugh.
cheers
Harsha
mohra, boom, vidhata, maqbool, gangs of new york, D, risk, ab tak chhappan, khudgarj,
Oops..you are right Ratnakar…though I consider MA as the mother of all street fights films in India ( gangsters do the same, albeit with more and sophisticated weapons ). Yes the unemployment in India promotes most of these gangsters to take up the easy way.
maqbool, company, vasstav were missing from the list. 2nd half of ghulam was good too
Hey Ratnakar
Agree, PARINDA should defiantly be in this list.
A brilliant movie by Vidhu Vinod Copra.
Do not know why he is not making such good movie any more ?
Ratnakaer,
How do u define the gangster flick genre to start off with? Is it about people who indulge in killing or other illicit activities at the behest of other people? Are they movies that focuss of the mechanics of how these people work internally and abt how their actions affect those arnd them?
If this definition of gangster films is true then I dont think “Mean Streets” qualifies to be called a gangster film in the first place. That term almost belittles the movie that “Mean Streets” was..
As I saw it, “Mean Streets” was the story of this guy, Charlie growing up in Little Italy who is constantly sorrounded by a certain dichotomy of life. Of being sorrounded in a state of chaos, sin and sly violence on one hand and that of catholicism, teachings of noble behaviour and correct living on another.
He indlulges in the former but wants to be a part of the latter. That scene where he holds his hand above a flame seeking penance after feeling a stripper is a clear indication of what the movie aims to protray. It was as I saw it, a movie about a guy who wants himself disassociated from the state of sin that he finds himself in but cant.
Zulm ki huqoomat and Sarkaar
Gang, Gangster, chhal
Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II
On the other hand Henry Hill’s character in “Goodfellas” in an exact anti-thesis of Charlie’s charcter. He is drawn to that life. He is not, in the entire movie shown hurting anybody except for one sequence.
But, he is attracted to the power, the charm and the grace thats associated with being a part of sinful world he has chosen to inhabit.
In the closing sequence where he says, “I ordered for sphagetti and myaonisse and they gave me egg noodles and tomate sauce”(Or something like that) shows that he’s not actually repenting.
Scorsese there shows a character whose evil actions are to be interpreted as wrong by the viewer themselves without any help from the character himself.
That to me is a pure gangster film. It shows why gangsters choose to be in that state of sin even when they themselves dispprove of their actions..
The Godfather too.. For them, right or wrong isnt as important as “carrying out business”.. Godfather still had a moral thread running thru it..
Goodfellas and Godfather were essentially abt the internal mechanisms that dictate a gangster’s life. These ARE characters, all immersed in a state of sin but who dont want to get away from it.
In henry’s own words.. “Some Kids from my neighbourhood help my mother carry her groceries home one day. You know why they did so? It was out of respect… It was a glorious time”
Good list. Though would have loved to see the following added:
1) Omkaara.
2) Company
3) Departed (infernal affairs is there…but the Master adds his own style and material in it)
Looks like a lot of guys are in the same dark alley as me and watching far too many flicks :-) Excellent (as said by Monty Burns)
I love Mean Streets and its mentioned in the article. The reason Good fellas is nice was of the story line and like the @ 7 comment of Ashvin’s
I think Deewar should be on the list too…
its after all a “gangster” movie, long before bollywood turned into the xerox land it is today..
and one a slightly side track, if u guys enjoy Gangster flicks you got to play Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto.. :d/
Gangsta flick and no pulp fiction?
DEPARTED….guys just because it is a remake doesnt make it any less good..This was the fear I had when I finished watching it….I was like ‘here is a great gangster movie,that should lie just between ‘the godfather 3′ and ‘the godfather’ in every top gangsta movies lists’..but another part of my brain was saying that it being a remake many people would say the usual ‘I-LIKED-THE-ORIGINAL’…My appeal to everyone is , If you liked the movie acknowledge it…Its a rare case but ‘THE DEPARTED’ is better than its source material..
‘Road to Perdition’? was more a one man’s revenge story, but still was very much in gangster land and very gritty too..
How about ‘Eternal Romance’? I know it sounds mushy but its far from it. There was a teeny bit role by Brad Pitt in the movie and I dindt realize it was before he turned into the hearthrob that he is today and was waiting for him to do something awesome and the movie ended! Its a Tarentino movie and I just love the ending. Speaking of which, I think the Kill Bill series should also figure in this list.
Also, I like telugu movie ‘Gayam’ made by RGV before he joined the bollywood wagon.
Would anyone tell me when the Godfather movie released?
Donnie Brasco is one gangster movie that somehow never received due attention. Basically it deals with the lowest level, the foot soldiers, the hit mean, people who are used and cast aside when not needed. They are not the glam boys of the underworld. Pacino is Lefty one such used up hit man. And he befriends a new entrant Donnie Brasco( Johhny Depp). Only catch is that Donnie Brasco is Joe Pistone,an FBI mole sent to infiltrate the mafia.
For me Donnie Brasco, was more about interpersonal relationships against a Mafia background. Lefty sees Donnie Brasco, not just as a protege, he sees in him his lost son, he basically sees in Donnie, the person he wanted to be, but could never be. And that is why he acts like a surrogate father to Donnie. Donnie’s problem is more complicated. Sent to infiltrate the Mafia, he feels himself identifying more with the gangsters, he feels more like them after some time. And he is torn between his sense of duty and his relation with Lefty. He knows that if he sticks to his duty, Lefty dies, and throughout he carries a guilt, that one day or other, he will be the one who betrays his friend and father figure.
The movie had a brilliant performance by Pacino as the used up Lefty, but the revelation is Johnny Depp, as he stands up to Pacino, in an equally outstanding performance. Donnie Brasco, indeed proved that Depp was one of the best talents to emerge in recent times. The chemistry between Pacino and Depp is what makes this movie so outstanding.
:(( how could u guys leave out NAYAGAN. It found a place in BBCs all time great 100 movies.Best movie by Maniratnam. Kamal hassan was at his best in the movie. :-?
how about nayakan???????????.
i just scrolled down to the last comment and thats whree nayakan is there …
but surprisingly no one came up wid it .
Ratnakar,
Thanks for bringing up Donnie Brasco man,as you put it a vastly underrated movie with fantastic performances from Al Pacino and Johnny Depp.
guys,
romanzo criminale deserves to be on the list as well..
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Had a bit of relaxed holiday yesterday and put on the DVD which I had rented a few weeks back - Le Clan des Sicilians. Considering the time when it was made ( late 60’s ) I consider it to be one of the best directed gangster/thet movies of all times.
Direction, acting, dialogues, all top class. What left me spellbound is the background score of Ennio Morricone. Man…he is a legend !!! I can safely consider it to be sitting besides the Godfather series.