Mafia Movies

In this list, you'll find the most gripping and thrilling gangster and mafia films – from the 1930s and 1960s to the present day.

Charming and terrifying mobsters, femme fatales, crime lords, cunning double agents ready to betray their partners at the first opportunity – this entire aesthetic forms a major layer of world cinema, beloved across generations.

Films about the Russian and Italian mafia, street gang wars in Chicago, drug trafficking, and turf battles in American ghettos – you'll be able to find something for every taste: from Legend, a story of two gangster brothers, to The Godfather, portraying an entire criminal clan.

Mafiosi are more than just a bunch of criminal characters. Originating in Sicily in the nineteenth century, the traditional structure of the criminal community has survived into modern times and spread across much of the world. Mafia films show what laws govern these unique families, how deeply their members are connected, and what awaits those who dare to betray the community.

Top Five Mafia Films

The main difference between the mafia and an ordinary gang is the strict but unwritten code they live by. Members fiercely protect their rights, honour, and territory, never allowing outsiders in without a serious reason. Traditional values come above all else – and woe to anyone who threatens a member of the clan.

American Gangster

Frank Lucas used to work as a driver for influential criminal Bumpy Johnson. After his boss dies, he refuses to give up the business and is confident he can build his own criminal empire. He begins importing heroin from Southeast Asia, sticks to a strict code, and knows exactly how to run the operation to take over the market. Step by step, he achieves his goal: earning around a million dollars a day, with his personal code turning him into a star of the underworld.

But one day, narcotics kingpin Lucas catches the attention of Richie Roberts – a principled, incorruptible police officer hated by his colleagues.

Black Mass

Whitey Bulger – the brother of a senator and best friend of a federal agent – mastered the art of using his position to his advantage. Gifted with sharp intellect and agility, he ran major criminal operations while also cooperating with the FBI. When Whitey learns that exposure is near and he’s being hunted, he manages to vanish for 16 years, baffling law enforcement.

The Traitor

Tommaso Buscetta, once a mafia boss, is hiding out in Brazil with his family as a brutal turf war over the drug trade erupts back in Italy. In the meantime, Toto Riina methodically eliminates rivals in Palermo. Buscetta watches helplessly as Toto murders his loved ones, including his children from previous marriages. Eventually, Brazilian police find him and deport him back to Italy, where death at the hands of gangsters awaits.

Tommaso takes a radical step – he breaks the sacred mafia code and starts cooperating with the authorities to stop the bloodshed and save his own life.

Escobar

This film is based on the biography of one of the most notorious criminals of the last century – Colombian political figure and drug lord Pablo Escobar. Born into a humble family – his mother a teacher and his father a farmer – Pablo always longed for wealth and the freedom it would bring. As an adult, he quickly amassed a fortune through drug trafficking with a group of young men, becoming the continent's leading criminal figure.

Miss Bala

Gloria Fuentes, a makeup artist from Los Angeles, travels to Mexico to visit her friend Suzu. They go to a nightclub, only to find themselves caught in the chaos of a gang attack. In the panic, Suzu disappears without a trace. Soon, Gloria is approached by Lino, the leader of a criminal group. He promises to help find her friend – if she completes a task. Gloria agrees, especially as it sounds simple: just park a car in the right spot. But this leads to the deaths of three agents in a deadly explosion.

Gloria becomes an informant while simultaneously earning the trust of the gang boss and taking on increasingly dangerous missions.