Characteristics of Mafia Films

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26/10/2020

Eastern Promises (2007)
Eastern Promises is the definitive film about the Russian Mafia. It takes place in London, but most of the film is shot in a Russian restaurant in the city. The primary illicit trade for the Russians in this film is s*x trafficking. It’s a dark, twisted, perspective on the world of gangster crime, anchored by Viggo Mortensen’s excellent performance.

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Sonatine (1993)
Sonatine is a stylish and captivating film about the Japanese Mafia, the Yakuza. The infectious synth beat and one of the best soundtracks was made by the incomparable Joe Hisaishi.

Writer, director, and lead actor Takeshi Kitano envisioned Sonatine as a film version of a Sonata; a story told in distinct parts. The ending of Sonatine is one of all-time greats and offers a harrowing glimpse into the fate of a mobster.

26/10/2020

Mafioso (1962)
The comedy-turns-tragedy Mafioso is one of the most subtly influential gangster crime movies ever made. The Mafia began in Sicily, which created a strong cultural divide between the North and the South. The North developed into a commercially global enterprise, while the South embraced traditional roots and a more isolationist view of the world.

Mafioso is a film that’s very much about this struggle between the North and the South of Italy. It’s about who controls power, where they control it, and what they do to spread it. In Mafioso, the main character played by Alberto Sordi falls victim to the Mafia and becomes a pawn for their power game.

16/10/2020

Drunken Angel (1948)

Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. And his early mobster movie Drunken Angel is one of his best.

The film follows an alcoholic doctor who becomes involved with the criminal world after treating a young Yakuza. Drunken Angel is not only a foundational film for Japanese mob movies, but also for mob movies around the globe.

16/10/2020

The Irishman (2019)

Scorsese returns to the world of Mafia movies with a stunner. Starring his old pals Robert De Niro, in one of his all-time performances, and Joe Pesci (along with first-timer Al Pacino). Scorsese crafts one of his best films that is absolutely worth 3.5 hours of your time. By covering decades of Frank Sheeran's life, we a more expansive and layered portrait that we rarely get in Mafia Movies.

16/10/2020

Election 1 and Election 2 (2005-2007)

Many Mafia movies are about the pursuit of something material; whether that be money, drugs, weapons, or something else. Johnnie To’s Election movies​ are about the immaterial hunt for control, symbolized by the dragon baton.

The first film is centered around a “democratic” election of a new Triad boss. The second film continues the story and offers a resolution as to the way of Mafia-Triad operations.

The nature of organized crime is the ethical crux of the Election and watching it unravel is both fun and haunting.

16/10/2020

Sexy Beast (2000)

"No Smoking" Scene • Sexy Beast
This ultra-wild mob movie is a commentary on mob movies as much as it is a mob movie. Sir Ben Kingsley plays a British gangster, ironically named Don who recruits the help of a retired associate for the classic “one last job.”

The film is set up on these tired conventions. But it’s the outlandish exaggeration of these conventions that make Sexy Beast one of the all-time great mafia movies.

08/10/2020

Road to Perdition (2002)
Mob movies typically follow the following story formula:

There’s a Mafia presence.
A protagonist or other major character tries to shield their family from their crimes.
The character dies after being forced to embrace the criminal life in exchange for the safety of their family.
This causes their family to seek revenge and thus creates an endless chain of violence and retribution.
In our Road to Perdition breakdown, we show how it's being different by bucking the trend with the last stage of Mafia movies. Rather than continuing with a life of crime, the protagonists’ son is immobilized by the thought of it, which ultimately makes his father the proudest he could be.

08/10/2020

Bugsy (1990)
Look no further for the quintessential American mob movie than Bugsy. This a mafia movie about America. After about ten years with the mob in New York City, Bugsy Siegel was sent to California to develop business relations on the West Coast.

While there, he falls in love with Hollywood and Virginia Hill. The themes of Bugsy are chasing west coast dreams and trying to go legitimate, away from the criminal life. Ultimately, as with many great mafia movies, these hopes dry up in desert heat.

08/10/2020

Black Souls (2014)
Black Souls is a quiet film and the story traces back to the origins of Southern Italian crime. It follows a family of three brothers who each represent a unique relationship with the Mafia.

Luigi is a mafioso who wants to expand his criminal business.
Rocco is a professional businessman who reaps the benefits of the mafia without getting his hands dirty.
Luciano is a goat farmer who wants nothing to do with the Mafia.
Luciano’s son falls victim to the glamorized view of the Mafia and goes to stay with Luigi. This upsets the dynamic of the brothers and eventually leads to catastrophic results.

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