The phrases “gangster movie” are all however certain to conjure up pictures of powerful guys in pressed fits, intimidating officers, reducing off physique elements, and dumping our bodies in a haze of cocaine mud and cigar smoke. But because the style has advanced, the world of gangster motion pictures has turn out to be a veritable tapestry of tales, starting from essentially the most absurd comedies to essentially the most severe dramas. Appropriately, Netflix has a fairly various choice of mobsters, mafiosos, and kingpins to your perusal. They vary from senseless motion flicks and darkly comedic thrillers to dry character dramas and cinematic masterpieces by legendary filmmakers. Below, we have put collectively a curated listing of the very best gangster motion pictures you possibly can stream on Netflix proper now.

For extra suggestions, take a look at our listing of the very best motion pictures on Netflix or the very best Netflix exhibits you possibly can binge-watch.

Disclaimer: These titles can be found on US Netflix.

Editor’s notice: This article was up to date August 2024 to incorporate Bad Boys.

‘Bad Boys’ (1995)

Rotten Tomatoes: 43% | IMDb: 6.8/10

The film that started all of it. Now a billion-dollar franchise, this primary installment of Bad Boys stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Mike and Marcus, two Miami policemen on a mission. That mission entails reclaiming stolen medication on a 72-hour time restrict — and in addition entails the 2 swapping identities regardless of their clear variations. Smith and Lawrence are two of the very best buddy cop leads within the twenty first century, with their unadulterated chemistry and penchant for biting gags making for limitless leisure. Plenty of thrills and spills are intercut with comedian genius as director Michael Bay combines the perfect of his well-known belongings to kickstart a brand-new motion model. – Jake Hodges

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‘The Irishman’ (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% | IMDb: 7.8/10

The Irishman

Release Date

November 27, 2019

Director

Martin Scorsese

Runtime

209 minutes

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is an epic crime drama that stars Robert De Niro as Teamster and hitman Frank Sheeran. The movie was directed and produced by Scorsese from a screenplay by Steven Zaillian, and it’s based mostly on Charles Brandt’s 2004 e book I Heard You Paint Houses. In the film, Sheeran narrates how he went from truck driver to mafia hitman, changing into buddies with mobster Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and Teamster chief Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). When Hoffa butts heads with the mob, Frank finds himself in a troublesome place. The movie’s ensemble supporting solid consists of Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Harvey Keitel, and extra. A critically acclaimed movie, The Irishman is greater than a gangster film. Sure, it’s acquired mobsters doing mobster issues, however in contrast to movies like Goodfellas or Casino, The Irishman appears at a gangster in his twilight years reflecting on the alternatives he’s made with remorse. Powerfully acted and fantastically composed, the movie has obtained quite a few accolades, together with 10 Academy Award nominations. At three-and-a-half hours lengthy, the film takes you on fairly the journey, however it’s completely cinematic from begin to end.

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‘The Gentlemen’ (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 75% | IMDb: 7.8/10

An motion comedy movie written, directed, and produced by Guy Ritchie, The Gentlemen stars Matthew McConaughey as an American hashish don in England who needs to money out of the Underworld, a want that units off a series response as rival gangsters swoop in, hoping to steal his empire. The film additionally stars Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant. With a story that’s Guy Ritchie at his greatest, The Gentlemen is thrilling, slick, and darkly humorous. The movie is a rollercoaster experience filled with eccentric characters, as advised by a singularly unreliable narrator (Hugh Grant, not Guy Ritchie). The film’s largest energy is its ensemble solid, and regardless that McConaughey is the undisputed star, it’s the characters performed by Grant, Charlie Hunnam, and Colin Farrell that basically steal the present. Since its premiere in 2019, The Gentlemen has turn out to be each critically acclaimed and an viewers favourite, grossing $115 million worldwide and spawning a spin-off Netflix sequence that has (largely) nothing to do with the film.

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‘Avengement’ (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 84% | IMDb: 6.6/10

Avengement

Run Time

1 hr 28 min

Director

Jesse V. Johnson

Release Date

May 24, 2019

Actors

Scott Adkins, Craig Fairbrass, Thomas Turgoose

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An motion movie directed by Jesse V. Johnson, Avengement stars Scott Adkins as a felony who breaks out of a infamous jail to get revenge on the individuals who made him a killer. The movie marks the sixth collaboration between Adkins and Johnson, who additionally co-wrote the movie with Stu Small. The film’s script was reportedly impressed by Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 samurai movie known as Harakiri. Besides Adkins, the film’s solid additionally consists of Craig Fairbrass, Thomas Turgoose, Nick Moran, and extra. An old-school actioner that’s nearly grindhouse in its gratuitous violence but maintains an emotional core, Avengement obtained typically favorable critiques from critics. The film might not precisely break the mould of revenge flicks, however it’s an exhilarating experience all the identical, with good cinematography and motion sequences. Anchored by Adkins’ intense efficiency within the lead position, Avengment is an under-appreciated revenge story that by no means holds again. If you’re in search of a brutal, fast-paced gangster film, then that is the movie for you.

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‘The Equalizer’ (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes: 61% | IMDb: 7.2/10

The Equalizer stars Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a former Marine and Defense Intelligence Agency Paramilitary Operations Officer who returns to motion to guard a teenage lady from human traffickers. Based on the Eighties TV sequence of the identical identify, the motion thriller movie was directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk. Besides Washington within the lead position, the film’s solid additionally consists of Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, and Bill Pullman. The Equalizer was a box-office success when it premiered in 2014 regardless of combined critiques from critics, and it’s advanced right into a franchise now with the discharge of The Equalizer 2 in 2018 and The Equalizer 3 in 2023. Criticism of the film has been largely centered on the weak plot, however you don’t watch an Equalizer movie for the story. The film has some fantastically trendy motion sequences and loads of gratuitous violence, with Denzel Washington performing on the prime of his recreation.

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‘The Highwaymen’ (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes: 59% | IMDb: 6.9/10

The Highwaymen

Release Date

March 15, 2019

Director

John Lee Hancock

Runtime

132

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A interval thriller film directed by John Lee Hancock, The Highwaymen stars Kevin Costner and WoodyHarrelson as two former Texas Rangers within the Thirties who’re making an attempt to catch Bonnie and Clyde. Written by John Fusco, the movie additionally stars Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch, Kim Dickens, Thomas Mann, and William Sadler. The story of the Bonnie and Clyde manhunt is a really acquainted one, however The Highwaymen shifts the attitude to the opposite facet of the road, focusing on two males who come out of retirement to affix the chase. Though the film obtained combined critiques, the performances of its ensemble solid greater than make up for the considerably dry materials. Costner and Harrelson ship robust performances within the lead roles, they usually share a simple chemistry that kinds the primary engine of the movie’s narrative. Everything else is simply the background for his or her story, together with Bonnie and Clyde.

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‘The Outsider’ (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes: 17% | IMDb: 6.3/10

The Outsider

Release Date

March 9, 2018

Director

Martin Zandvliet

Runtime

120

Directed by Martin Zandvliet and written by Andrew Baldwin, The Outsider is a Japanese-American movie set in post-WWII Japan that stars Jared Leto as Nick, a Marine imprisoned in a Japanese jail who saves the lifetime of a yakuza. In return, the person’s clan arranges for Nick’s launch, and he subsequently finally ends up becoming a member of the gang. Besides Leto, the film additionally stars Tadanobu Asano, Kippei Shiina, Shioli Kutsuna, and Emile Hirsch. Largely panned by critics however considerably higher obtained by audiences, The Outsider is a flawed however entertaining film. The script is hardly contemporary materials, and its characters simply devolve into stereotypes. However, the interval setting, with its applicable costumes and aesthetics, provides a sure enchantment to the movie, with spectacular, well-composed cinematography that creates a darkish and moody ambiance. It doesn’t fairly attain the heights of the Japanese yakuza movies it emulates, however The Outsider is finally an pleasurable film that doesn’t deserve the hate it will get.

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