'The Irishman': Five movies you should catch up with ahead of Robert De Niro's upcoming crime drama
'The Irishman' adds to the extensive list of gangster films. Directed by Martin Scorcese, the film follows Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a truck driver who becomes a hitman and gets involved with mobster Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and his crime family, including his time working for the powerful Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Ahead of the release, we take a look at five from the best gangster movies ever-made list to catch up while you wait.
Scarface
The 1983 drama was about a convict who arrives in Miami as a refugee and climbs the rungs of the crime ladder to become a near damn powerful drug lord. Al Pacino immortalized the character, Tony Montana. Known for its brutal violence and some intriguing cast performances, the film thrust Pacino in the limelight. The movie is a perfect depiction of a character's persona when he treads to deep in the world of criminals and mobsters.
Once Upon a Time in America
With Robert De Niro and James Woods, the 200-minute spanning saga has multiple themes embedded in it — family, friends, betrayal and the loss of character and personality that comes with crime. The 1984 film was co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone. It chronicles the lives of best friends, David "Noodles" Aaronson and Maximilian "Max" Bercovicz, as they lead a group of Jewish ghetto youths who rise to prominence as gangsters in New York City's world of organized crime.
Donnie Brasco
Al Pacino cemented his name as the go-to man when it came to crime dramas. He plays a hitman who is part brutal, part sympathetic and has ample support in Johnny Depp. Directed by Mike Newell, the film is loosely based on the true story of Joseph D Pistone (Depp), an FBI undercover agent who infiltrated the Mafia Bonanno crime family in New York City during the 1970s, under the alias Donnie Brasco. Brasco maneuvers his way into the confidence of an aging Mafia hitman, Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino), who vouches for him.
Goodfellas
Martin Scorcese's masterpiece was an adaptation of the 1985 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980. 'Goodfellas' is widely regarded as one of the greatest films in the gangster genre.
In 2000, it was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress. Its content and style have been emulated in numerous other films and television series. Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta star in this epic.
The Godfather series
Who hasn't seen this? The films follow the trials of the Italian American mafia Corleone family whose patriarch, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), rises to be a major figure in American organized crime. His youngest son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), becomes his successor. The series achieved success at the box office, with the films earning over $429 million worldwide. The Godfather is seen by many as one of the greatest films of all time, while The Godfather Part II is viewed by many as the best sequel in cinematic history. The series is heavily awarded, winning 9 out of 28 total Academy Award nominations.
What are the five movies you would love to watch while you wait for 'The Irishman'?
'The Irishman' releases on Netflix on November 27.
