Top 10 Mob Movies

As this was at one time my favorite movie genre, I've come to find out that I like my mob movies a little unconventional. This is why those like Goodfellas and Casino don't make the list. I know most people consider the former the greatest mob movie ever made, but I appreciate the more subtle efforts, in which the first two Godfathers really paved the way for and set the bar high for every mob/mafia movie that followed.

10. The Outsider (2018)
I'm not a Jared Leto fan, but he chose a really good one here - one that will unfortunately fly low under the radar. He stars as Nick Lowell, an American POW imprisoned in Japan. When he saves the life of stranger Kiyoshi, Kiyoshi then owes Nick his life in a culture driven by honor. Kiyoshi is an underboss in the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, and vouches for Nick to come in and work for the organization. He takes the culture to heart, tattooing his upper body in the Yakuza style, chopping off a finger and giving it to his boss when he fails, and falling for Kiyoshi's sister, Miyu. It's a shame that more people don't know about this Netflix original.

9. 10th & Wolf (2006)
I didn't know Giovanni Ribisi was such a good actor until I saw 10th & Wolf. It's about the Italian-American mob in Philadelphia, and the Italian-Americans' civil war with the Italians mafia from Italy, attempting to move in on their territory. Ribisi stars as Joey, a boss who's unpredictable and foul-tempered, especially toward the cliche expectations of the Italian mafia experience. Tommy (James Marsden) is really the star, though Ribisi steals the show. Brad Renfro and Piper Perabo chip is some solid performances, and Val Kilmer even has a cameo as a disgruntled veteran. The only complaint here is the Brooklyn accents for what is supposed to be Philly natives. The filmmakers and actors should have tried a little harder to obtain the local brogue.

8. Monument Ave (1998)
This a high drama with enough comedic flare to make you scratch your head. But, the drama is very thick, with Bobby (Denis Leary) losing one friend and cousin after another to Boston Irish-American crime boss Jackie O (Colm Meaney). Bobby steals cars for Jackie O, but he's also cozied up to his girl, Katy (Famke Janssen). Nobody talks to the cops, or so Jackie O maintains, and anyone even suspected of doing such meets with the proverbial gallows. Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli plays Jackie O's mob enforcer Shang, who soon gets his from an unlikely source. Monument Ave is funny and tragic and real, the violence gritty and unpredictable. The movie is so indie that it doesn't have a trailer.

7. The Untouchables (1987)
Roberto DeNiro was so good at playing Al Capone in The Untouchables, it really makes me want to see the new biopic starring Tom Hardy to compare the two. This movie is not the most historically accurate, but it's entertaining nonetheless, with the stoic Eliot Ness (Kevin Coster), the street tough beat cop-turned G-Man Jim Malone (Sean Connery), and Jewish-American sharpshooter George Stone (Andy Garcia) taking on the forces of old Scarface himself. I love the noirish score for this one too.

6. Road To Perdition (2002)
Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, an enforcer in the Depression-Era Chicago Irish-American mob. When his son, also Michael, witnesses a mob killing, Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig), orders the murders of Michael's wife and youngest son without the consent of his father, boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). This sets Sullivan on a road to vengeance, with death photographer and hitman Maguire (Jude Law) hot on his trail.

5. The Departed (2006)
The Departed is an American remake of the Chinese film Internal Affairs, an ultra-complicated take on Boston's Irish mob, the FBI suits attempting to take them down, and the few who fall in-between. Billy Costigan is fresh out of the academy when he volunteers to go undercover into the organization of Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), who later tells Billy that Frank Costello isn't his real name. Costello, and the movie in general, is based on Whitey Bulger and the FBI informant work proposed by John Connolly, a childhood friend of Bulger's. This is a grim story with a grim ending, but it does show that every rat eventually finds the trap.

4. Last Man Standing (1996)
If you don't know Irish surnames, you'd never know John Smith (Bruce Willis) was taking on the Irish mob in this one. Smith is a lowly drifter during the Great Depression, passing through the Texas dust town of Jericho when opportunity presents itself. He stumbles right into the middle of an Italian-Irish gang war for control of booze shipments from Mexico. Smith and the mob members are all from the big city, but in this noirish Depression-Era Western, they duke it out on the dusty streets of a tumbleweed nightmare. This is best movie, besides maybe Die Hard, that I've seen from Bruce Willis.

3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
We fell in love with antihero Vito Corleone in the first Godfather, so in the sequel, we get to see his rise to power, from orphaned little boy in Corleone, Sicily, to becoming the king of Little Italy, NYC. All of this while we get see his son, Michael, attempt to expand the organization to Tahoe and Miami in a unique way, ahead of its time in a prequel and sequel in one. If it had been up to me, Part II would have been the prequel, and Part III would have been the sequel, leaving the family's affairs with the Catholic Church out of the equation completely.

2. The Godfather (1972)
What I love about The Godfather movies, besides their being well ahead of their time, is that the word mafia or mob is never mentioned. It's only referred to as "the family business", which really works in this flick that probably should be at the tiptop of this list. This movie is critically-acclaimed for a reason, a sweeping family saga in the midst of an organized crime opus, one in which we see the head of the business switch to an unlikely source. The christening scene toward the end is one of the best in cinematic history.





1. State of Grace (1990)
State of Grace is my favorite mob movie, and it's mainly because of Gary Oldman's performance as Jackie Flannery. Sean Penn is also great as undercover Boston cop Terry Noonan, who agrees to return to his native Hell's Kitchen, New York City to infiltrate the Irish mob run by his childhood friends, brothers Jackie and Frankie (Ed Harris). He wants to do the right thing, but he's getting himself in too deep, betraying the best friend he's ever had in Jackie, and Jackie's sister Kathleen (Robin Wright), his old flame. The shootout at the end is the best I've ever seen in any movie, mixed into a montage with NYC's St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Top 10 Favorite Movie Moments

10. Apocalypto (2006) - "I am Jaguar Paw..."

After being chased through jungles and over waterfalls, Jaguar Paw is finally back in his home hunting grounds, where he feels comfortable, and where he dares his attackers to pursue him. They ransacked his village, they killed his friends, and they killed his father. They are his mortal enemies as a rival tribe. They oblige his challenge, but for a minute or so, Jaguar Paw feels ten feet tall, which makes this scene stand out over all the others.









9. Red Dawn (1984) - "Wolverines!"

When I was a kid, Robert was my favorite character from Red Dawn. The way he bowed out was tragic, but when he died, he died on his feet, which, coupled with the score playing during the scene, was enough to ignite goosebumps. Soviets and Cuban invade the US, and Colorado, where a ragtag group of high students fight back for their executed parents, and for their country.










8. Over the Top (1987) - "I'm Through Talking."

Lincoln Hawk has kept his cool throughout most of the movie, but when he's shoved for no reason at all in a moment that he's ready to win an arm wrestling tournament and reclaim his son, he finally lashes out. This moment is totally and completely badass. Linc has finally had enough. His son has been kept from him by a wealthy grandfather who has never approved of him, and all Linc wants is a chance to reconnect and raise his son, Michael, the right way.









7. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) - "All of Us."

I love this scene. The only thing standing between the used and abused children of a remote Indian village and freedom is Indiana Jones. His selfless act literally frees them from their shackles, and I love seeing the silhouette of Indy standing in defiance of the Thuggi cult holding them captive. This is the best Indiana Jones moment.










6. The Grey (2011) - "Live and Die on This Day."

Throughout this movie about Alaskan oil riggers stranded among a brood of feral wolves, Ottway (Liam Neeson) makes forlorn references to his wife, and to a poem his father had written when he was a child. Both come full circle as Ottway takes on the alpha wolf, mono e mono. This is a great scene with a great score chiming in behind it.











5. The 13th Warrior (1999) - "Lo, There."

Ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) never wanted to be a warrior, but through the guidance of his Viking brethren, he found it somewhere inside. When the group is led one more time into the fray, they recite a Viking prayer, and as the Islamic Arab Ibn has learned their ways and come to appreciate them, he joins right in.












4. Gladiator (2000) - "Go To Them."

Maximus' wife and child were murdered pretty early on, and now that he's finally taken revenge on Commodus for having had them killed, all he wants to do is go "home" and reunite with the family he's lost. Coupled with the music, this scene still gets me every time.













3. Red Dawn (1984) - "I'll Hold You As Long As I Can."

Talk about scenes that get me every time. Matt and Jed Eckert (Charlie Sheen and Patrick Swayze) are brothers, forced to defend their hometown when it's overrun by the Communist forces of the Soviet Union and Cuba. Their chemistry on the screen really makes you feel like they're brothers, which makes this scene so heartbreaking. It's a great one though.











2. Wicker Park (2004)

After Matthew (Josh Hartnett) has spent the entire movie trying to track down his lost love Lisa in a cat and mouse game from hell, he finally finds her in the end. The climax of the chase is serenaded by Coldplay, which makes it even better. This is one that gets me every single time, and likely always will.












1. Say Anything (1989) - "'In Your Eyes.'"

I consider this scene the most INFP moment in movie history. How do you remind an old flame that they should be with you and that they need to come back to you asap? Blast the song you shared with them from a boombox and hold it up outside their window at full blast. This is what Lloyd Dobler does for Diane Court, and eventually, the gesture works in one of the most iconic scenes in movie history, my personal favorite.

Top 10 Albums of the '90s

10. Lemonade and Brownies - Sugar Ray (1995)
Best Songs: "Iron Mic," "Mean Machine," "10 Seconds Down"

What Makes the Record Pop: Sugar Ray's debut was creative and unique, showcasing a jokester band with songs about muscle cars and boxing. They brandished searing guitar riffs, wildly-flung vocal work, and boxing sound clips, record scratches, and silly little skits between the tracks. They successfully merged hard rock with goofy punk with hip hop, produced by DJ Lethal of House of Pain fame.

9. House of Pain - House of Pain (1992)
Best Songs: "Jump Around," "Top O' the Morning To Ya," "Shamrocks and Shenanigans"

What Makes the Record Pop: House of Pain were completely original as a hip hop trio, the first to bring the hardcore Irish-American hooligan to the forefront. In the same vein of Cypress Hill and the Beastie Boys, who had been poking around the genre beforehand, House of Pain blew people around with their sick beats, their freestyle-like vocals, and their gritty video for "Jump Around." Having Cypress Hill guru DJ Muggs behind the production board is what really makes this record pop though.

8. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy - Sarah McLachlan (1993)
Best Songs: "Possession," "Hold On," "Fear"

What Makes the Record Pop: The thing that really sticks out here is just how well the songs are composed, a rustic, sweet, and pensive sort of precursor to one of my favorite albums of all time, Azure Ray's Hold On Love. Nearly every song here is high quality.

7. To Bring You My Love - PJ Harvey (1995)
Best Songs: "To Bring You My Love," "Long Snake Moan," "Down By the Water"

What Makes the Record Pop: Before there was Chelsea Wolfe, there was Polly Jean Harvey. The tracks on this record are ominous and eerie, heartfelt and well composed, and even a little theatrical at times. PJ was the first of her kind that I had ever heard in 1995, and the sounds on "Down By the Water" really stood out to me in the burgeoning alternative rock genre. This is a brooding album with a lot of attitude, and I consider it landmark in many ways.

6. Live Through This - Hole (1994)
Best Songs: "Violet," "Miss World," "Doll Parts"

What Makes the Record Pop: This record reminds me of the novel Frankenstein. There are some who believe that it was ghostwritten by Percy Shelley, not Mary Shelley. The same was said of this album with Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, and I can totally see it by listening to some of the chord progressions and the lyrical tendencies. But, that doesn't make it any less of a solid album all the way through. Mary Shelley totally wrote Frankenstein.

5. Dummy - Portishead (1994)
Best Songs: "Sour Times," "It's a Fire," "Biscuit," "Glory Box"

What Makes the Record Pop: Speaking of landmark albums, this is the first one I'd ever heard to mix the best elements of hip hop and alternative rock together as one. It's PJ Harvey meets Cypress Hill, a slash of brilliance that forced me to re-examine how I had previously viewed music.

4. Around the Fur - Deftones (1997)
Best Songs: "My Own Summer (Shove It)," "Mascara," "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)," "MX"

What Makes the Record Pop: Deftones were really the first band to mix heavy, brutal guitar chords with feedback-laden melodies. Chino Moreno's voice and lyrics are heartfelt but cynical, his scream feral and seething. This fashion-themed record is special, a mature step up from their debut.

3. Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
Best Songs: "Rocket," "Soma," "Mayonaise," "Spaceboy"

What Makes the Record Pop: This one is good all the way through, the last Pumpkins record before Billy Corgan and company dove into the experimental swimming pool. Siamese Dream features thick, searing, feedback-heavy guitars that challenges rock and roll music, challenges the establishment of melodic dissonance, and challenges tendencies of the age-old lullaby.

































2. Grace - Jeff Buckley (1994)
Best Songs: "Grace," "Last Goodbye," "So Real," "Lover, You Should've Come Over"

What Makes the Record Pop: This album is like a painting, or a series of paintings by the artist you've never heard of but now that you hsve, you can no longer go on without. It exudes bohemian brilliance, dreamscape-inspired lyrics, and a diverse array of original ballads, classic rock overtures, and covers that find a way to reinvent themselves completely (i.e. "Lilac Wine," "Corpus Christi Carol").

1. Without You I'm Nothing - Placebo (1998)
Best Songs: "You Don't Care About Us," "Ask For Answers," "Without You I'm Nothing," "My Sweet Prince"

What Makes the Record Pop: This record is post-punk brilliance, an androgynous effort that shatters images by way of creating them. The songs are well composed, the lyrics wax poetic, and every song flows on a record that works from beginning to end.