James Cagney in *Angels with Dirty Faces* (1938)
**Gangster film** is a type of crime film. It is about gangs and organized crime. It is considered a subgenre of the crime genre. Notable directors in this subgenre are Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Quentin Tarantino and Brian De Palma. Notable actors in gangster films are Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Wesley Snipes, Ray Liotta, Christopher Walken, and Samuel L. Jackson.

History in the United States
----------------------------

### Early Hollywood

The first official gangster film was *The Regeneration* (1915) and the first with sound was *The Lights of New York* (1928). There were a few notable films in the 1920s and early 1930s, including *Scarface* (1932), *Little Caesar* (1931) and *The Public Enemy* (1931)*.* Films from th e 1930s to 1960s reflected political and cultural views on criminals. Punishment was strict and respect for authority important. Films showed criminals and organized crime as bad things. Several gangster films had warnings before the motion picture. Early films showed criminals as a result or product of society and not rebels. As a result, viewers could sympathize with the criminals. With the growth of the FBI, there were more films about police and government officials hunting criminals. Gangster films were often about trying to deal with crimes and detectives fighting crime. 

### New Hollywood

In 1968, the Hays Code that censored inappropriate films was removed. Directors now had more freedom. Some notable gangster films were made after 1968. They include *Bonnie and Clyde* by Arthur Penn and *Mean Streets* by Martin Scorcese*.* The movie starred Robert De Niro. These films began to include move violence and gore. 

In the 1970s, *The Godfather* films by Francis Ford Coppola showed the Italian-American Mafia in New York. *The Godfather* is considered one of the best movies of all time. *The* *Godfather* movies changed the genre and made the genre more popular. Many films about the Mafia would follow in the 1970s and 1980s. Important films are the *Goodfellas* and *The Untouchables*. 

Martin Scorcese has made several gangster films from the 1990s to 2010s. Scorsese often works with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Scorsese has also worked with Leonardo DiCaprio in films like *Gangs of New York* and *The Departed*.

AFI's 10 Top 10 Gangster Films
------------------------------

| # | Film | Year |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | *The Godfather* | 1972 |
| 2 | *Goodfellas* | 1990 |
| 3 | *The Godfather Part II* | 1974 |
| 4 | *White Heat* | 1949 |
| 5 | *Bonnie and Clyde* | 1967 |
| 6 | *Scarface* | 1932 |
| 7 | *Pulp Fiction* | 1994 |
| 8 | *The Public Enemy* | 1931 |
| 9 | *Little Caesar* | 1931 |
| 10 | *Scarface* | 1983 |

Notable Gangster Films
----------------------

*For a more complete list of gangster films see List of Gangster Films.*

### 1900s - 1930s

* *Little Caesar (1931)*
* *The Pubic Enemy (1931)*
* *Scarface (1932)*
* *The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)*
* *Fury* *(1936)*
* *The Roaring Twenties (1939)*

### 1940s - 1960s

* *High Sierra (1941)*
* *T-Men (1947)*
* *I Walk Alone (1948)*
* *White Heat (1949)*
* *On the Waterfront (1954)*
* *The Killing (1956)*
* *Touch of Evil (1958)*
* *Some Like it Hot (1959)*
* *The League of Gentlemen* (1960)
* *West Side Story (1961)*
* *Bonnie and Clyde (1967)*
* *Point Blank (1967)*
* *The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)*
* *The Italian Job (1969)*

### 1970s

* *The French Connection (1971)*
* *Get Carter (1971)*
* *The Godfather (1972)*
* *Mean Streets (1973)*
* *The Sting (1973)*
* *Chinatown (1974)*
* *The Godfather: Part II (1974)*
* *Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)*
* *Bugsy Malone (1976)*
* *The Warriors (1979)*

### 1980s

* *The Long Good Friday (1980)*
* *Scarface (1983)*
* *The Outsiders* *(1983)*
* *Once Upon a Time in America (1984)*
* *A Better Tomorrow (1986)*
* *The Untouchables (1987)*
* *Black Rain (1989)*

### 1990s

* *Goodfellas (1990)*
* *King of New York (1990)*
* *Miller's Crossing (1990)*
* *Boyz n the Hood (1991)*
* *Reservoir Dogs (1992)*
* *Léon: The Professional (1994)*
* *Pulp Fiction (1994)*
* *Casino (1995)*
* *Heat (1995)*
* *The Usual Suspects (1995)*

### 2000s - 2010s

* *Snatch (2000)*
* *City of God (2002)*
* *Gangs of New York (2002)*
* *Road to Perdition (2002)*
* *A History of Violence (2005)*
* *The Departed (2006)*
* *American Gangster (2007)*
* *Eastern Promises (2007)*
* *American Hustle (2013)*
* *Gangster Squad (2013)*
* *John Wick (2014)*
* *Widows (2018)*
* *The Irishman (2019)*
* *West Side Story (2021)*