Paramount+'s miniseries, The Godfather. The series itself was released to mixed reviews, with many criticizing that the story behind The Godfather's journey to becoming a movie is not all that interesting compared to the movie itself.
Audiences might have a better reception to a movie about the production of another Brando project: the infamous adaptation of The Island of Doctor Moreau. But instead of re-hashing one of cinema's most famous gangster films, maybe it's time to look deeper into lesser-known mob films that get swept under the rug. Redditors have a few suggestions.
Miller's Crossing (1990)
"Two words, Coen Brothers" exclaims Redditor AMA_requester when asked for a spoiler-free pitch of 1990's Miller's Crossing. True to form, the Coen Brothers utilize all of their tropes to create one of the most unique gangster films to ever be released.
A la Yojimbo or Fistful of Dollars, Miller's Crossing follows Gabriel Byrne's Tom Reagan as he plays the two sides of a gang war between Irish and Italian mobsters in a fictional U.S. city during Prohibition. For those who love the looney antics that the Coen Brothers displayed in their early careers, and would like to witness a wonderful John Turturro performance, Miller's Crossing is a mob film to behold.
Road To Perdition (2002)
Redditor Tom Hanks stars in a role that is atypical of his usual catalog as a violent Irish mob enforcer, Michael Sullivan, under the tutelage and leadership of his father figure, Paul Newman's John Rooney.
Another Redditor commented on the same post that Road to Perdition "has the best cinematography of any movie" that they have seen. And they would be correct in that assessment, as the film did win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2003.
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
Sergio Leone is considered to be one of the most celebrated filmmakers to come out of Italy. His spaghetti-westerns of the '60s and early '70s received the most attention. But he would eventually take a ten-year hiatus to develop a ion project of his to complete his "Once Upon a Time..." trilogy that he began back in 1968.
1984's Once Upon a Time in America follows Robert De Niro and James Woods as childhood friends growing up in New York City as they rise in the ranks of Jewish organized crime in the early 20th Century. One Redditor praises the film's high points from the cast to the film's composer Ennio Morricone and ends it with "need I say more?" Many suggest avoiding the theatrical cut at all costs.
The General (1998)
For those looking "for something away from the usual Hollywood stuff," Redditor HacksawJimDGN points to John Boorman's 1998 film, The General. It stars Brendan Gleeson as the real-life Martin Cahill, an Irish bank robber who managed to attract the attention of the Dublin police and the IRA.
Filmed in black and white, this film almost feels like it's the Irish answer to what Little Caesar opened up for American mob films back in 1931. Brendan Gleeson turns in a fantastic performance as he navigates the Irish underground and the infamous troubles as Jon Voight's Inspector Kenny is hot on his trailer.
Killing Them Softly (2012)
Leather jacket-clad and goatee'd Brad Pitt, check. James Gandolfini is a hedonistic gangster who's past his prime, check. Based on a George V. Higgins novel of '70s Boston gangsters, check. 2012's under-appreciated Killing Them Softly is more than worthy of a watch.
One Redditor praises the film for utilizing the housing crisis and the "2008 election as a backdrop," much like how the original novel, Cogan's Trade, used stagflation and post-Nixon politics as its backdrop. The movie is considered a slow-burn that doesn't make this film any less entertaining or to be swept under for any means.
Sonatine (1993)
The aging gunslinger/criminal who is given the reprieve to contemplate and find distaste with the direction that their actions had led them is a tried and true staple in the world of films. And one to use it to the fullest extent is the lesser known to American audiences, 1993's Sonatine, a Japanese Yakuza film written and directed by the film's lead Takeshi Kitano.
One fans of Hayao Miyazaki films will notice that the film's composer is none other than Joe Hisaishi, a frequent collaborator on Ghibli films.
Eastern Promises (2007)
David Cronenberg is mostly known for his body horror flicks of the '80s, from Scanners to Videodrome. Cronenberg would eventually become a somewhat more restrained filmmaker during the naughts by moving from body horror to mob violence. His most frequent collaborator in this venture would be Viggo Mortensen.
Together in 2007, the two would collaborate on Eastern Promises, a violent thriller that deals with the Russian Mafia in the streets of London. Redditor shalala1234 states that for those interested in the gangster film genre that Eastern Promises "does not disappoint." The film manages to be a competent thriller while simultaneously being brutally violent. One case to best compliment this is the infamous bathhouse scene.
Thief (1981)
A compiled list of mob films organized by country of origin is brought forth by Redditor ramblerandgambler. 1981's Thief is included as one of their suggestions. In one of Michael Mann's earliest works, Thief follows professional safecracker, Frank, played by the late great James Caan as he attempts to break ties with his mafia employers and settle down with his wife and start a family.
This is the ultimate role for James Caan, as he channels his outward tough guy who's looking to just get away from his criminal enterprises and start anew. It's a straightforward performance to head this dazzling thriller and Michael Mann shot it to capture the Chicago nightlife. To make this more than just an average mob-flick is the accompaniment of Tangerine Dream's electrifying score as it brilliantly plays along Frank's heists throughout.
Get Carter (1971)
"When a professional killer hates, he turns animal" is a direct narratorial quote from the original 1971 trailer to Michael Caine's Get Carter. Not the terrible remake Sylvester Stallone would do a couple of decades later, this is the original that Redditor wile_e_canuck cites as being an "excellent movie that's not talked about enough."
Get Carter follows the eponymous gangster Jack Carter as he returns to his "crap-house" of a hometown to visit family only to discover his younger brother has been murdered. An engaging thriller that has a pulp feel to it of early '70s underground cinema but is still, nonetheless, entertaining as a gangster vehicle headed by the honorable Sir Michael Caine.
The Friends Of Eddie Coyle (1973)
Another entry on ramblerandgambler's long list of suggestions is also another George V. Higgins adaptation, The Friends of Eddie Coyle is another slow burn and a cautionary tale for the average Joe leading a life of crime. Eddie Coyle (Robert Mitchum) is a low-level gunrunner for the Irish mob in Boston who is in the midst of possibly facing a prison sentence for illegally smuggling in New Hampshire. To escape a life behind bars, he's forced to cooperate with a local DEA agent for a lighter sentence if he fingers someone responsible for a recent string of bank robberies.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle is the perfect analogy for the age-old saying, "there's no honor amongst thieves." And that is no better than exemplified in the character of Dillion, brilliantly played by Peter Boyle. The Friends of Eddie Coyle only came out a year after The Godfather and it works just as well as an amazing crime drama, if only they did away with its cheap '70s synth score.
