10 Gangster Movies Criticized By Experts

Gangster movies often tell the stories of real criminals or claim to have their basis in fact, although some experts question the validity of these depictions. As an insanely violent genre that showcases the most extreme sides of criminality, it’s not surprising that some filmmakers exaggerate for dramatic effect. However, that’s not to say gangster movies shouldn’t be held accountable, and it’s important that if something claims to be a true story, the movie should stand up against cold, hard facts.

Some of the greatest gangster movies of all time have been criticized for accuracy issues. Timeless classics by directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have had their fair share of historical detractors who took issues with different scenes, performances, or narrative choices. This can also be an issue for fictional films, as even if the characters were not supposed to be real, they were usually set within a context that had many real-world parallels.

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10 The Untouchables (1987)

Experts claim The Untouchables depicted events that did not occur

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Although The Untouchables may have earned Sean Connery a long-awaited Academy Award, experts assert that it was far from accurate. This Prohibition-era-era gangster movie explored the criminal underworld of 1930s Chicago and the team that sought to bring the notorious bootlegger Al Capone to justice. While this led to a very entertaining and now classic gangster movie, The Untouchables also depicts some events that never occurred, and an analysis in The Guardian described the film as “punch-drunk with inaccuracies.”

Major issues with The Untouchables include the raid at the Canada-United States border, which never happened, and the courthouse and railway station shootouts. While Kevin Costner, as Eliot Ness, was depicted killing Frank Nitti, this also did not occur as Nitti passed away in 1943, 12 years after the real Capone trial. Although The Untouchables took many liberties when it came to historical accuracy, this does not take away its place as a classic of 1980s gangster movies.

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9.3/10 The Untouchables RCrimeHistoryThriller

The Untouchables, directed by Brian De Palma, is a crime drama set during Prohibition-era Chicago. The film stars Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness, a federal agent determined to bring down the notorious gangster Al Capone, portrayed by Robert De Niro. Alongside Sean Connery as seasoned officer Jim Malone, Ness forms an elite team to combat organized crime, focusing on the legal strategy to dismantle Capone’s empire.

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*Availability in US Director Brian De Palma Release Date June 3, 1987 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Writers David Mamet Cast Kevin Costner , Sean Connery , Charles Martin Smith , Andy Garcia , Robert De Niro , Richard Bradford , Jack Kehoe , Brad Sullivan Runtime 1h 59m Main Genre Crime Expand

9 Black Mass (2015)

Experts claim Black Mass portrayed an inaccurate characterization of Whitey Bulger

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The biographical gangster movie Black Mass starred Johnny Depp as the real American mobster Whitey Bulger. Based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill’s book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob, Black Mass outlined Bulger’s criminal history in South Boston and his eventual role as an FBI informant. While Depp’s performance received critical acclaim, one notable critic was the real Bulger, who described the movie as “pure fiction” (via Daily Beast.)

Bulger disapproved of key plot points in Black Mass, although his associate Kevin Weeks did concede that the killings depicted in the movie did happen. However, Weeks was adamant that the characterization of Bulger was all wrong and that “the only resemblance to Whitey’s character was the hairline.” Even though Bulger was shown as an aggressive gang leader in Black Mass, Weeks asserted: “In all the years I was with that man, he never swore at me once.”

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8/10 Black Mass RDramaDocumentaryThriller

Black Mass is a crime drama biography based on the true story of one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. History, Whitey Bulger. When Bulger’s turf is encroached on by a rival mafia family, the Angiulo brothers, the death of one of his own mafia family members leads him to join his long-time friend and become an informant for the FBI to exact his revenge – and push the Angiulo’s out of his turf.

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*Availability in US Director Scott Cooper Release Date September 4, 2015 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Mark Mallouk , Jez Butterworth , Dick Lehr , Gerard O’Neill Cast Sienna Miller , Dakota Johnson , Jesse Plemons , Kevin Bacon , Johhny Depp , Joel Edgerton , Benedict Cumberbatch Runtime 123minutes Budget $53 million Expand

8 Goodfellas (1990)

Experts claim Goodfellas exaggerated some aspects of its story

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Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is one of the most acclaimed gangster movies of all time. Ray Liotta’s incredible characterization of Henry Hill, a notorious monster who rose to prominence with the Lucchese crime family of New York City from 1955 until 1980, has gained widespread acclaim. Adding to this, the characterization of Joe Pesci’s portrayal of Tommy DeVito led to one of cinema’s greatest movie quotes as he questions, “Funny how?” which became one of the most menacing and hilarious moments in gangster movie history.

While real-life gangsters’ reactions to Goodfellas have been extremely positive, with most mobsters asserting it was an accurate representation of a life of crime, not everyone was so quick to praise it. Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano, a former underboss in the Gambino crime family, gave his opinion on Goodfellas on The Adam Carolla Show when he said, “There’s a lot of truth” in the movie, but some aspects were exaggerated for dramatic effect. While Goodfellas may have changed some aspects of the truth for the sake of cinema, it’s a testament to its power that even real gangsters praise it.

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10/10 Goodfellas RBiographyCrimeDrama

Goodfellas is a 1990 crime film starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and outlines the life and times of mobster Henry Hill. It’s based on the book Wiseguy, written by Nicholas Pileggi.

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date September 21, 1990 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Nicholas Pileggi , Martin Scorsese Cast Robert De Niro , Ray Liotta , Joe Pesci , Lorraine Bracco , Paul Sorvino , Frank Sivero Runtime 145 Minutes Budget $25 million Main Genre Crime Expand

7 Scarface (1983)

Experts claim Scarface propagated negative stereotypes

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Scarface is one of the most notable gangster movies ever made, as director Brian de Palma powerfully remade the original 1930s crime classic for a new audience. With Al Pacino in a typically over-the-top performance, his characterization of Tony Montana has become truly iconic, as the phrase “say hello to my little friend” has earned an important place in popular culture. While many aspects of Scarface have received widespread praise, one issue that has continually appeared was the opposition to non-Cuban actors cast in Cuban roles and the proliferation of racial stereotypes (via Guardian.)

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For all the excess and graphic violence seen within Scarface, it’s clear that gangster movies can spread negative stereotypes, as the fictional story of Tony Montana had plenty of real-world parallels. Scarface told the story of a Cuban migrant who arrived penniless in Miami during the Mariel boatlift only to become a notorious drug lord. This criminal reimagining of the American dream had the unfortunate negative effects of viewers associating migrants and refugees with criminal behavior, with Demetrio Perez, the city commissioner of Miami, calling out Scarface in particular (via Vulture.)

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9.5/10 Scarface RCrimeDrama

Brian De Palma’s iconic crime drama is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same name and follows Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who begins a life of crime after arriving in Miami. It chronicles his rise from a penniless thug to one of the richest and most ruthless kingpins in the world, amassing a criminal empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

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*Availability in US Director Brian De Palma Release Date December 9, 1983 Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Oliver Stone , Howard Hawks , Ben Hecht Cast Al Pacino , Michelle Pfeiffer , Robert Loggia , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Miriam Colon , F. Murray Abraham Runtime 170 minutes Budget $25 million Main Genre Crime Expand

6 The Departed (2006)

Experts claim The Departed featured inaccurate criminal practices

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The Departed finally earned filmmaker Martin Scorsese an accolade that had evaded him his entire career by winning Best Picture and Best Director Oscars at the Academy Awards. As a gangster movie loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang while also acting as a remake of the Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs, this mix of source material unsurprisingly led to some realism issues. While The Departed was a masterclass in filmmaking, ex-Hong Kong mafia member Jimmy Tsui explained why it was inaccurate in a video for Insider.

Tsui broke down the scene in The Departed, in which Costello’s crew meets with Chinese criminals to sell stolen microprocessors to them. Giving this scene a five out of ten for realism, Tsui said that the Hong Kong triad thinks of crime as a business and will do anything profitable, “so they don’t care who they’re dealing with as long as it’s of interest.” However, the main issue Tsui saw with the scene was that the Americans had hired a translator to speak on their behalf, saying he’d never heard of an interpreter doing this.

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9.7/10 The Departed RThrillerDramaCrime

A remake of the 2002 film Infernal Affairs, Martin Scorcese’s The Departed is one of the definitive crime epics. It follows Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a Massachusetts State Police officer who serves as an informant for mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), and Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover cop placed within Costello’s organization. Both Sullivan and Costigan scramble to uncover the other’s identity in order to save their own lives from the wrath of Costello and his gang.

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date October 6, 2006 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers William Monahan , Alan Mak , Felix Chong Cast Martin Sheen , Matt Damon , Jack Nicholson , Mark Wahlberg , Leonardo DiCaprio Runtime 151 minutes Budget $90 million Main Genre Crime Expand

5 American Gangster (2007)

Experts claim much of American Gangster was fabricated

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Director Ridley Scott released his own take on a Martin Scorsese-style gangster movie with the biographical crime film American Gangster. Telling the story of Frank Lucas and his criminal career smuggling heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, American Gangster was a thrilling game of cat and mouse with incredible performances from Denzel Washington as Lucas and Russell Crowe as the cop trying to take him down.

While American Gangster was a commercial and critical success, Lucas himself stated that only a small portion of the movie was true and a lot was fabricated for dramatic effect (via The Voice.) Lucas said that there “a lot of scenes throughout the film that are not true” and there were many situations left out that he wished were included. While Lucas likely does not have much in common with Sterling Johnson Jr., the federal judge who assisted his arrest and trial, they aligned on the idea that American Gangster was “one percent reality and ninety-nine percent Hollywood” (via Today.)

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10/10 American Gangster RBiographyCrimeDocumentaryDrama

American Gangster is a 2007 crime film directed by Ridley Scott, featuring Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin in Harlem, and Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, the detective determined to bring him down. The film explores the rise of Lucas in the drug trade and the eventual intersection of their lives amidst the backdrop of a corrupt and morally complex society.

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*Availability in US Director Ridley Scott Release Date November 2, 2007 Writers Steven Zaillian , Mark Jacobson Cast Carla Gugino , Idris Elba , John Hawkes , Cuba Gooding Jr , Russell Crowe , Denzel Washington , Ted Levine , Josh Brolin , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Joe Morton Runtime 157 minutes Budget $100 million Expand

4 Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Experts claim Bonnie and Clyde romanticized the couple

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Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway’s portrayal of criminal lovers on the run in Bonnie and Clyde was an important factor in the romanticization of the American bandits. As a definitive release in the New Hollywood era of cinema, Bonnie and Clyde broke down cinematic taboos and was an important release within the countercultural movement of the 1960s. While Bonnie and Clyde opened the door for a more open presentation of sex and violence in cinema, it was also not without historical inaccuracies.

One major error that was explored by author Jeff Guinn in his book Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde was the presentation of Frank Hamer as a vengeful bungler who was captured, humiliated, and released by Bonnie and Clyde. In reality, Hamer was a decorated Texas ranger who came out of retirement to hunt the couple and had never previously met them before he and his posse ambushed and killed them in 1934. The presentation of a previous relationship between the bandits and Hamer gave Bonnie and Clyde a narrative background that was false.

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Bonnie and Clyde BiographyCrimeDocumentaryDramaRomance Where to Watch

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*Availability in US Director Arthur Penn Release Date July 18, 1967 Writers David Newman , Robert Benton , Robert Towne Cast Warren Beatty , Faye Dunaway , Michael J. Pollard , Gene Hackman , Estelle Parsons , Denver Pyle Runtime 111 minutes Main Genre Biography Expand

3 Gotti (2018)

Experts claim Gotti was wrong on all fronts

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The story New York City mobster John Gotti was told in the widely derided biographical crime movie Gotti. With John Travolta in the title role, Gotti received an abysmal 0% on Rotten Tomatoes as audiences, experts, and reviewers all agreed this movie was packed inaccuracies (via Collider.) Often described as the worst gangster movie of all time, Gotti failed to live up to the greatest heights of the genre as it, unfortunately, faltered in its attempt to reach the level of classics like The Godfather and Goodfellas.

As a loose dramatization of Gotti’s rise as the boss of the Gambino crime family, many instances in Gotti came across more like a bad parody in a Saturday Night Live sketch than a genuine presentation of a real man’s criminal story. While Travolta was probably the best thing about the film, a committed performance was not enough to save this disastrous movie. Perhaps Gotti’s most egregious error was that it presented its title character as a likable man and failed to hold its subject properly accountable.

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Gotti PG-13DramaBiographyCrimeDocumentaryHistory

John Travolta stars in the biographical crime drama Gotti as John Gotti himself and explores the life of the notorious mafia boss during his criminal empire in New York City. The film sees Gotti reminisce on his past while visiting some of the critical moments in his life in the present as he attempts to maintain control of his business.

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*Availability in US Director Kevin Connolly Release Date June 14, 2018 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Writers Leo Rossi Cast John Travolta , Kelly Preston , Stacy Keach , Pruitt Taylor Vince , Megan Leonard , Lydia Hull Runtime 110 Minutes Budget $10 million Expand

2 The Irishman (2019)

Experts claim The Irishman did not tell the accurate story

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Martin Scorsese triumphantly returned to the gangster genre with the crime epic The Irishman on Netflix. This highly anticipated film not only reunited Scorsese with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci but also featured the director’s only collaboration with Al Pacino. At an impressive 209-minute runtime, The Irishman powerfully explored the real story of gangster Frank Sheeran, his involvement with mobster Russell Bufalino, and their association with the union leader Jimmy Hoffa, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1975.

While The Irishman received widespread praise as a late-career triumph from Scorsese, one gangster who took issues with the film was Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano (via Vulture.) Gravano said in an interview that The Irishman got a lot wrong and that Sheeran “did not do the shooting” and he was “not the guy who killed Jimmy Hoffa.” While Gravano outlined his own theories for what truly went down, the real historical record has never been set in stone, so that’s just his opinion.

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6.3/10 The Irishman RBiographyDramaCrime

Based on the nonfiction book “I Heard You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt, The Irishman follows Frank Sheeran and his time working for the Italian mafia. In recounting his past, the mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date November 27, 2019 Studio(s) Netflix Distributor(s) Netflix Writers Steven Zaillian Cast Bobby Cannavale , Jack Huston , Joe Pesci , Jesse Plemons , Sebastian Maniscalco , Al Pacino , Kathrine Narducci , Stephen Graham , Ray Romano , Aleksa Palladino , Anna Paquin , Robert De Niro , Harvey Keitel , Jake Hoffman Runtime 210 minutes Budget $200 million Expand

1 The Godfather (1972)

Experts claim The Godfather was a little over the top

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Francis Ford Coppola revolutionized the gangster genre and forever influenced how the Italian mafia would be depicted on screen with The Godfather. As one of the greatest movies ever made, this adaptation of Mario Puzo’s original novel showcased Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) as the leader of the notorious Corleone family and laid the groundwork for his son Michael’s eventual rise as depicted in The Godfather Part II and Part III. While The Godfather was an undisputed classic in gangster cinema, some have criticized it from a realism perspective.

The American crime boss and former caporegime in the Colombo crime family, Michael Franzese, has given his opinion on countless mob movies on his personal YouTube channel. In an interview with Insider, Franzese praised The Godfather as a classic of the genre but took issue with the scene where Jack Woltz (John Marley) woke up to find a decapitated horsehead in his bed. Franzese said that gangsters during the time would use different forms of intimidation but described this moment as “a little over the top.”

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9.8/10 The Godfather RDramaCrime

Francis Ford Coppola directed this 1978 classic that would go on to become one of the most iconic crime films ever made. Starring Marlon Brando, James Caan, and Al Pacino, The Godfather gives a tense and introspective look into the Corleone crime family of New York City.

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*Availability in US Director Francis Ford Coppola Release Date March 24, 1972 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount+ Writers Mario Puzo , Francis Ford Coppola Cast Marlon Brando , Diane Keaton , James Caan , Al Pacino , Robert Duvall Runtime 175 minutes Franchise(s) The Godfather Sequel(s) The Godfather Part II , The Godfather Part III Budget $6 million Expand

Sources: The Guardian, Daily Beast, The Adam Carolla Show, Guardian, Vulture, Insider, The Voice, Today, Go Down Together, Collider, Vulture, Insider

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