While they're not on my list, I think the first two Godfathers and Goodfellas are excellent films with a lot going for them. I've never understood the hype behind "The Usual Suspects", though; it's not bad, but it's no more than "moderately entertaining". I figured out the "twist ending" halfway into the picture, which wouldn't be so bad, except I was 12 years old when I first saw it. And even back then, I knew the over-the-top tough guy characters and dialogue was played far too straight and seriously. Nowadays, I can't watch the film without laughing at many of the tense or dramatic moments. Even beyond that, the film suffers from serious pacing issues once they go through the backstory of Soze, as it seems like they didn't have enough material before the final reveal, and were trying to burn additional time. "The Usual Suspects" is not a serious artistic film on the level of the two "Godfathers" and "Goodfellas", but as pure entertainment, it's not that great either, lacking comedy, action, and ideas, all packaged with erratic pacing. The acting performances are uniformly terrific, and a few of the scenes are really good, but I'm not sure it even cracks my top 50 crime/gangster films ever.
I love these threads. I'm adding Croupier and Brother to my Netflix right after I post this. Never heard of either. Skipping the obvious and already posted, here are a couple more on my list: Natural Born Killers - Loved it, but saw it too long ago to offer my thoughts. Leon/The Professional - Seems to be love/hate among my friends, depending on whether or not they buy the emotional aspects. I buy. ...and two more I'll file as "personal favorites" instead of "best": Catch Me If You Can - Light-hearted, cheesy crowd-pleaser. I just ignore the serious parts. Point Break - Listed unapologetically and un-ironically. The camp is strong in this one.
Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs jump out at me immediately, The Untouchables seems like it should also deserve a solid mention. Stone is probably Australian centric/cult following stuff - but is an incredible movie about organized crime. I'm also having a hard time going past any conversation about Gangsters without talking about The Sopranos and Sons of Anarchy. I know they're not movies - but still deserve a mention in this conversation.
What does this even mean? Who has ever said The Usual Suspects was an artistic film? Who has compared it to The Godfather or Goodfellas? Lacking comedy? Please point me towards some comedy in The Godfather. Lacking action? The boat assault scene was great in my opinion. If you want a pure action movie watch Crank 2. Lacking ideas? The whole movie is a tale made up by the main bad-guy while in police custody. That's a pretty unique idea in my book. Trying to Add Something Meaningful to the Topic: One of my favorite crime movies is Confidence. It's the story of a group of con-men who accidentally con the bag-man of a major crime boss and have to pull a huge con to make it right. If you like being entertained and want to watch an interesting movie check it out.
Look, if you disagree with my take on a movie, fine. But don't reply like a fanboy spaz. Did you miss the name of the topic? "Best GANGSTER/CRIME films of all time"? The post was asking why "The Usual Suspects" wasn't on the list of best films in that genre. Comparing it to The Godfather 1 and 2 and Goodfellas was answering his question; because those three films are better. As for what I meant, films fall into two categories; serious "art", and just pure fun. "The Hangover" or "Inception" is pure fun, for instance, while something like "No Country for Old Men" is serious art. "The Godfather" is a serious artistic film. "The Usual Suspects" is not; it's pure entertainment. The latter requires a certain amount of humor; the former does not. The premise and events of "The Godfather" are believable. Those in "The Usual Suspects" are not. Fine, then tell me what you found so good about that scene? And Crank 2 is anything BUT a "pure action movie"; it's mostly a comedy, in fact. Yeah, the central premise is a very nice idea, no arguments there. But what OTHER ones are there throughout the film? I felt like too much of the second half of the film was empty in that sense. Focus- Yep, "Leon" is a good mention, as is "Ronin", among Jean Reno pictures.
I saw Usual Suspects about 6 months ago for the first time an I have to agree with KIMaster. It wasn't bad, but it's no classic. The ending was very good, but the production value seemed a like a B-movie.
A lot of goodies already posted. Touch of Evil The French Connection Swordfish Suicide Kings ("Fish shoes!") Get Shorty ("It's the Cadillac of minivans.")
My previous post was fueled by a large amount of alcohol. While I do like The Usual Suspects, I soberly admit it's not a great film.
Chopper I saw this movie when it first came out, thinking it's odd that they would have Austrailia's brutally vicious anti-hero Mark "Chopper" Read, a cult hero to some (but in actuality a monstrous sociopathic masochist) that kills over the smallest provocation, played by a stand-up comedian: Eric Bana. However, Bana's bizarre and chilling performance instantly shot him to super-stardom, starring in some of the most boring chick-flicks ever constructed. Check this one out. It has an ear-slicing scene WAAAAY more nasty than Resevoir Dogs.
Heat While I do love many of the older films considered classics (The Godfather, Goodfellas, etc.), I feel this film deserves a special mention. I`ll keep this short. Let`s get the obvious out of the way: The acting is excellent. The pacing is mesmerizing with the intensity slowly undulating, there`s always tension tension tension, it is a film about the characters being on the edge, of both their lives and their minds. And the bankrobbery: A nerve-tingling build-up to the inevitable violent confronation, the thunderous sound of gunfire in downtown LA, and best of all, no SPARKS flying around like it`s the 4th of July, only the grit of punched-out concrete and clank of dented metal. Truly sensational. However, the true core of the film is the psychological depth of their characters. Vincent Hanna`s passion and angst and Neil McCauley coldness and loyalty. How fate has set these men on a collision course and when they eventually peacefully meet over a cup of coffee the conversation they have about their black/white philosophy concerning life belies the complexity of their emotions. That`s why I would include L.A. Confidential and The Departed on my list also; it`s about the wordless growth of their characters. There is no obvious exposition. We watch them in their world and enjoy (intuitively) the process of making our own assertions because their psychology speaks to us. NOTE: I`m not saying that the other gangster films mentioned here don`t have depth, at all, but that many of them have other qualities that are much more emphasized, like powerfully emotional moments ("Look at how they massacred my boy!") and much more defined, classically dramatic story arcs.
This is one of the most underrated and underappreciated gangster films of all time. And if Pierce Brosnan could have re-packaged the menace in his face from his role as "1st Irishman" holding the gun at the end of the film into his Bond performances he could have been Daniel Craig.
Ok, here's my Top Ten: 1. The Departed Yes, I think it's a better film than Godfather. And I know that the Asian version is supposedly better, which is why it's on my 'Must See' list. I thought the pacing was better than Godfather and the twists and turns were phenomenal. The soundtrack is also fantastic and perfect. But I'm really splitting hairs here because: 2. Godfather, Part II I liked this one just a little bit better than the first one, but really it's six of one, half dozen of the other, because: 3. Godfather 4. RocknRolla I'll probably take a lot of crap for this one, but hey, it's my list. The dialogue, the action sequences, and the story were fantastic, not a weak performance or scene in the movie. 5. The Untouchables So many memorable lines. And every one delivered to perfection. 6. Pulp Fiction As someone else said, memorable ganstas doin' gansta shit. 7. Goodfellas. I'll probably take shit for putting this 7, but keep in mind it's a 'top ten' which means I REALLY like this movie. There are bits that are slow, but a stellar picture nonetheless (hey, think about how many films have been made in almost 90 years and any film that makes the top ten ever is awesome. 8. Payback Yes, Mel Gibson is a certifiable racist/douchebag, but this is a gem of a film that no one I know has ever seen. 9. Once Upon a Time in America 10. Get Shorty. "It's chilly outside, it's chili inside, it's a fuckin' chili fest!" Honorable Mentions (i.e., depending on my current mood any one of these could sneak in my top ten without missing a beat: Casino, Reservoir Dogs, Scarface, Carlito's Way, Mean Streets, Heat, Snatch, Miller's Crossing, The Sting, and Road to Perdition). Criticize away!
Nothing to criticize (those are all good movies), but if you liked Payback, check out the original film it was based on, John Boorman's incredible "Point Blank". (available in its entirety on Youtube, among other places) Of course, the way the revenge story is presented is very, very different.
Feel free to shout me down if this doesn't apply, but I will throw out "The Boondock Saints." Funny film about bad men doing, doing bad things, to worse people. I also gotta throw some love to "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrells." Just a lot of fun. I don't know if either of these movies are really applicable to the topic because they fall firmly under "fun" films judging by KIMasters definition. But I enjoy the hell out of them both.
I am not surprised, but partly disappointed that Road to Perdition was not mentioned. Basically every big name in this movie nailed their role. Tom Hanks WAS the logical father who always knew the next step and the right way to go about anything. Jude Law pulled off the lanky sociopath hit-man so well, I barely recognized him throughout the movie. His accent is flawless. And Paul Newman, well, I think his career speaks for itself. If you haven't watched it, you're missing out and better netflix that shit yesterday.
My first introduction to Tom Jane was in a little movie that is almost impossible to get on DVD (at least where I am) but is almost universally beloved by those who are fortunate to come across is. This movie is Thursday. You can watch it online fairly easily. For a film made in 1998, today it still doesn't seem at that dated...to me at least. If you're a Tom Jane fan, also check out Stander. More of a bank robber story than a gangster flick, but awesome nonetheless.
I second this. I loved this film....it was just refreshing to see Tom Hanks in a more non good guy role. The cinematography, score, all of it was top notch. Not to mention that shoot out in the rain. Flawless.
My own impressions were that this was a film trying to pattern itself after high-brow, engrossing European crime films, like a modern day "Breathless". And while it was decent, I think it ultimately failed at that. There wasn't anything majorly wrong with it, but the devil is in the details, and it was just lacking that little extra in every single character, plot thread, and scene to make it anything memorable or special. Tom Hanks' character is just a little too emotionless. Jude Law's character isn't quite menacing enough. The ending is just a little too clean and neat. I could go on and on. I applaud the film and its creators for trying to make something special, but ultimately, they came up short.
I was skimming through the thread to see if anyone would mention this movie or if I would have to. Damn good flick, one of my favorites.