Mob Mentality

Six years after going off the show, The Sopranos is still remembered by fans and critics alike as one of the best-loved television series ever made. The six-season show told the story of Tony Soprano, an Italian-American mobster living in New Jersey and trying to balance the demands of "work" ... and family. Critically acclaimed for its sharp writing and talented actors, the show is remembered both for its impact on pop culture -- and its maddening "fade-to-black" series finale.

Sopranos' star James Gandolifini, who played Tony Soprano, unexpectedly passed away yesterday while on a family vacation in Italy. Fans and fellow actors have already taken to the internet, writing tributes to the actor best remembered for his role in the acclaimed HBO series.

So in honor of his most iconic role, let's take a look at some other classic films in the crime-and-criminal genre.


-- The Public Enemy [1931]

James Cagney is best remembered for playing "tough guys," and this film was the reason why. In his seventh film role, Cagney played Tom Powers, a tough guy rising through the gangster ranks during the Prohibition. His tough, harsh, cruel performance made an unforgettable mark on the genre of gangster pictures.



-- The Godfather Trilogy [1972, 1974, 1990]

Okay, okay, you know this one. But no list of gangster movies would be complete without the Godfather trilogy. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (and based on a novel by Mario Puzo), the trio of films following the story of the Corleone Mafia family received a total of 29 Academy Award nominations, winning nine (including acting Oscars for Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro, Best Director for Coppola, and two Best Picture awards).



-- Once Upon a Time in America [1984]

Director Sergio Leone is best remembered for his Spaghetti Western films, like the Dollars trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West. But Leone should still get credit for this, his final movie. Starring Robert De Niro, the film chronicles the life of David "Noodles" Aaronson, and his fifty-year dark struggle in pursuit of the American dream.



-- The Untouchables [1987] 

With Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness -- and Robert De Niro as Al Capone -- this Brian De Palma film has become the definitive adaptation of American Prohibition agent Ness's autobiography.



-- Miller’s Crossing [1990] 

From the ever-unique Coen Brothers, this film follows the personal fallout as a war unfolds between rival Irish and Italians gangs.



-- Reservoir Dogs [1992]

Director Quentin Tarantino is your go-to guy when you're looking for something a little off the beaten path. Think of this one as The Avengers for gangsters. Here, six strangers are pulled together by a local mob boss to pull off the perfect heist. Trouble is, it looks like one of them's a police mole.



-- Donnie Brasco [1997]

Based on a real-life story (as written in FBI agent Joseph Pistone's autobiography), Donnie Brasco tells the story of an undercover agent who infiltrates New York's Bonanno crime family ... for six years. In the end, Pistone is left with the choice of whether or not to betray his mob boss "mentor," Lefty Ruggiero.



-- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels  [1998]

Four kids owe money to the local gang boss; what're they to do?  The plan they concoct -- to steal the cash from their drug-dealing next-door neighbors -- might not be their best call. Or is it?  Directed by Guy Ritchie, this is one of the more surreal entries on the list.



-- Road to Perdition [2002]

Recently voted as the most trustworthy person in America, Tom Hanks might be an unexpected choice to play a mob hitman. It's precisely what makes this movie so memorable, as Michael Sullivan (Hanks) must navigate between his job and his responsibilities to his son.



-- The Departed [2006]

It's another undercover story -- with a twist!  While an undercover officer is busy infiltrating a family of organized crime, the crime family is returning the favor, with one of their members joining the police force. The film, which won Martin Scorsese his first-ever Best Picture Oscar, is actually a remake of the Hong Kong film Internal Affairs -- which is worth a watch in its own right.


-- Post by Ms. B