How about those Mafia movies?
Apr 26 '00
This category defines Best Dramas Ever, but how about a little twist of Best Mafia Dramas Ever. I mean, they are in the way dramas, but not necessarily without a twist. So, to get right to the point, this is my take on the Best Mafia Movies Ever. (the ones that I had a chance to watch)
1. Godfather I, II and III
This is a timeless classic, a Saga about an organized crime family. The story takes us through time. Godfather movies are about a few generations of Corleone family. The father, Vitto Corleone, comes to United States as a young boy to get away from the man who has murdered his parents. He gets married and has a few children. It is about his children growing up and running one of the most powerful organizations in the country. This movie is about love, hate, revenge, respect and honor. The plot is great, the cast is more then you can ask for. We have Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and many more. If anyone has not seen or heard about this one, he or she must not have watched films for about 25 years. This is truly one of the best movies around and is definitely one of my all time favorites.
2. Once Upon a Time in America
Four boys, four friends are growing up in New York City back in the early 1900s. One of them commits a crime and is sentenced to go to jail. When he gets out his friends are now rich and somewhat powerful. It is a very tough time, during the prohibition era. Him and his friends are running an illegal alcohol smuggling business. The story is about power, money and friendship, which at the end is put to the test. According to me, it is a classic. The plot is great, the cast is amazing and you will definitely enjoy this one for any occasion. Two of the most recognized stars in this movie are Robert De Niro and James Woods.
3. Scarface
A Cuban small time criminal comes to America, during the time when Cuba sent a great deal of them to Miami. He settles and decides to get a job that pays more then washing dishes. As he discovers an incredible potential of money and power in drug dealing, he decides to create a little empire for himself. The drugs are not the only problem when it comes to the law, but they also become a problem in influencing his judgement. The rise and fall of Tony Montana, and his business affairs is truly a great movie. Al Pacino is absolutely amazing in this one. If you are an Al Pacino fan and haven’t seen this great film, then you have not seen Al Pacino.
The next two films are made from true life stories about people from two different sides of the law. Those people actually did in fact live the lives which are portrayed in the two films and both of them are still under the witness protection program.
4. Goodfellas
This movie is about a boy, Henry Hill, who grows up to be one of the most important people in organized crime. Henry is half-Irish and half-Italian. He starts getting involved in crime at the very young age. Slowly as he grows up, he builds a reputation for himself as one of the main people in the organization. In his twenties, he has money, power and connections. Life is great. He gets married, has a few kids and goes on about his business, until the problems start. In the life of crime, there are problems and once they start, each man is for himself. As Henry gets involved in drugs to support his lifestyle, life starts to take a different turn. His friends are not the people he can trust anymore and in his world, recognizing who are his friends and who are his enemies becomes difficult. At the end he becomes an average Joe, which for him is a living hell. The movie is great, great plot and excellent cast. We have Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and many, many more. Definitely a must see for any Mafia movie lover.
5. Donnie Brasco
A story about FBI agent who is perceived by everyone to be Donnie the jeweler. One of the Mafia soldiers, Lefty, decides to get close to Donnie and through the sequence of events, the two become close friends. Donnie is an average man, with a nice Italian family. As he gets more and more involved in the job and his new friendship, his priorities start to become somewhat foggy. His judgement of who is a friend and who is a target of his work starts to change. At the end of the job, Donnie is not concerned with the same set of rules and priorities as he was, when he first entered into that plot. His identity is revealed to arrest the people, whom he was supposed to be close with. This movie is interesting and very entertaining. The cast is also incredible consisting of Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and many more.
6. Bronx Tale
It is a story, a tale about a boy who grows up in the Bronx. His childhood makes him face some decision, which lead him into a friendship with a very important man in the neighborhood. There is a struggle of his dedication to his friend and his father. His father, a hard working bus driver is not a believer in the life of crime and easy money. He is a good man and wants the best for his son. The Mafia boss also respects and loves the boy, and wants to help him make important decisions in his life. There is also a relationship that develops between the young man and the girl from a different side of town. The movie is very interesting and has a nice twist to it. Even though most of the cast was picked in order not to associate them with any other movie, there are still a few big stars. We have Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci (small part) and few others.
7. Untouchables
It is a part of American history. The movie is about a small group of people, lead by Eliot Ness to take down one of the biggest crime lords in history, Al Capone. The movie is about four men, who are not afraid to take a stand against the impossible. At the time when most of the county’s officials are on the Mafia payroll, Eliot Ness forms a group that will not take bribes and stand up for what they believe in. There is a blood shed, but the four proud men do not back down and finish what they started. The movie is about honor, trust and loyalty. The plot is amazing and very interesting. The cast consists of Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro and many more. This is a small part of history and a wonderful movie.
8. Year of the Dragon
A New York police detective is trying to reveal and prove that there is organized crime activity in China Town. He is a married man and is only trying to do what he believes is right. As he sees it, there is Chinese Mafia and the reason no one wants to look into it, becomes nobody will talk. Well, nobody will talk to the outsider. This movie has been around for a while and I must have seen it about couple of dozen times. There is great acting and very interesting plot. Mickey Rourke does one of his most outstanding performances. We also have John Lone, who contributes a great deal to the success of this film.
9. Sicilian
Even though this film did not make it that big and is on the bottom of my list, it is truly one of the greatest Mafia movies, I had a chance to watch. The Sicilian is about one man, who builds a group of people and gains a trust of local residents, which makes him untouchable. He is a man who is not afraid of the law or the Mafia lords. On his own he is trying to do what he thinks is right and what is best for the people. The movie is about crime, honor, loyalty, trust and friendship. This is one of the greatest Mafia movies made. Even though it did not hit as big as I think it should have, it is another Christopher Lambert contribution.
10. Mobsters
A story about a man known as Lucky Luciano. Mobsters is about four friends, two Jews and two Italians, who are slowly moving up in the ranks of crime activity. The legendary man, who was considered Lucky, because he survived an attempt on his life and against all odds, made it big. The story of his survival made him sort of invincible and gained him respect among the crime lords. He is faced with difficult situations and important decisions, of friendship and revenge. The movie is fantastic and is really fun to watch. The cast consists of Christian Slater, Richard Grieco, Patrick Dempsey and many others. The last but not least on my list and is definitely a great contribution to the all time Mafia movies.
Conclusion
To sum things up, this is the list of my all time favorite Mafia movies. It concludes that for the most part, there can not be a successful Mafia film without Robert De Niro or Al Pacino being a part of it.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jdanishevsky
|
|
Location: Central Jersey, USA
Reviews written: 171
Trusted by: 245 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.