30 Best Italian Mafia Movies Of All Time
The Mafia, also known as the Cosa Nostra, has been a prevalent force in Italian society for centuries, and its influence has been depicted in numerous films over the years. From classic films like “The Godfather” to more recent releases like “Gomorrah,” these movies showcase the complex world of the Italian Mafia and the characters who operate within it. Whether you’re a fan of gangster films or just interested in learning more about this infamous criminal organization, this list has something for everyone. So sit back, grab some popcorn, and get ready to dive into the dangerous and shadowy world of the Italian Mafia.
The Godfather (1972)
After returning from World War II, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) has two things on his mind: he wants to rest from the horrors of war and he absolutely does not want to enter the family business, which, of course, is not to the liking of his father, mafia don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). Don Vito is good and considerate to those who respect him, but violent and ruthless when something stands in the way of his family’s well-being.
Believing that the old codes of honor should continue to be respected and followed as the best guidelines for a successful business, don Vito confronts rivals who plan to start a profitable drug trafficking business. The conflict that this opposing view of mafia business and responsibility will cause will be very bloody, and Michael, or his dreams and desires, will pay a special price. After don Vito survives an assassination attempt, Michael knows he can no longer stand by.
The Godfather Part II (1974)
The second part of the most famous mafia saga of all time tells two parallel stories, in two different spatial-temporal settings. One takes place in 1958, when Don Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) continues to lead the family empire, which he wants to expand to new fields of human activity and to other locations, including Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Cuba.
Along with various business and political problems, Michael must also deal with the situation within the family, especially with his sister Connie (Talia Shire), who very quickly after the divorce plans to marry again, to a man who Michael does not like at all. When he becomes the target of an assassination attempt, which he does survive, Michael realizes that he cannot trust anyone, even those he thought were closest to him. Alongside this story, the childhood and youth of the founder of the Corleone clan, Vito (Robert De Niro), is told. After growing up in Sicily, in 1917 the 25-year-old Vito lives in New York where he works in a small shop, but gradually begins to enter the world of petty crime.
A few years later, the neighborhood protector Don Fanucci becomes aware of Vito’s group’s activities and demands that they pay him a certain percentage in exchange for peace. Vito apparently agrees, but during a neighborhood celebration, he kills Fanucci and takes his money back. This act earns him the favor of the entire neighborhood, marking the beginning of the first chapter of the rise of the Corleone family.
The Godfather Part III (1990)
The story begins in 1979 in New York, at a classic family gathering, twenty years after Michael Corleone (A. Pacino) ordered the murder of his brother. Michael’s two children – Mary (S. Coppola) and Anthony – are now grown up. Anthony wants to be an opera singer and stay out of the family “business,” while Mary is devoted to her father.
He opposes her relationship with cousin Vincent Mancini (A. Garcia), Sonny’s son, who is waiting for an opportunity to become the next don, with all the passion and enthusiasm that not only his father, but also Michael once possessed. In the meantime, Michael is trying to legalize some of his businesses, which meets resistance from some other “families” that want a piece of the pie.
Goodfellas (1990)
The 1950s in New York; if you’re a thirteen-year-old boy who dreams of fast cars and pretty girls, there’s only one real, fastest way to achieve your dreams, and it’s called – the mafia. Young Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) joins this notorious organization and soon gets everything he dreamed of; women, cars, money, and respect. His closest associates are the fiery Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and the calm Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro). This trio is fear and trembling in the neighborhood, and in addition to regular income from extortion and other mafia activities, they also make money selling drugs.
But when Henry gets into trouble for the first time and experiences life behind bars, he realizes that the prosperity of a mafia member is very unstable; former colleagues look at him with suspicion and the constant question in their eyes: “Did you rat us out,” and isolation drives him to find new ways to earn money. Day by day, Henry is under increasing stress and in greater trouble, and the only way out of the blind alley is to cooperate with the police…
Casino (1995)
The year is 1983. The manager of one of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas, Tangiers, Sam Rothstein, known as Ace (R. De Niro), gets into his car where a planted bomb explodes… Ten years earlier. Ace is a newcomer to Las Vegas from Chicago where he was noticed by the local mafia and offered a lucrative job in the casino because of his gift for numbers. Ace’s best childhood friend, the aggressive and volatile Nicky Santoro (J. Pesci), also arrives in Las Vegas, quick on the tongue and even quicker with a knife.
Doing exceptionally well in the world of gambling and the mafia, Ace becomes one of the most important people in Las Vegas, falling in love with the expensive prostitute Ginger (S. Stone) whose business is run by her lover Lester (J. Woods). Not wanting to give up prostitution, Ginger eventually agrees to Ace’s proposal after initial refusal, attracted by unparalleled luxury…
The Untouchables (1987)
In Chicago in the 1930s, during Prohibition, the police, led by special agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner), raid a warehouse looking for a shipment of whiskey that has arrived from Canada, but they find only straw in the boxes. Ness begins collaborating with police officer Malone and Oscar Wallace, who works for the FBI, and George Stone.
This time, the police successfully carry out an operation, revealing one of Al Capone’s warehouses. Soon, the four of them go to the Canadian border where they intercept trucks carrying alcohol, and they also find records of the payment of bribes to the police and judges. Due to a lack of witnesses, the court dismissed the lawsuit brought against Al Capone…
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Young jeweler Donnie Brasco (Johnny Depp) comes to a New York café where mafia members gather. There, he attracts the attention of Lefty Ruggieri (Al Pacino), an elderly mafia killer who decides to recruit him for his dirty jobs. Ruggieri becomes Brasco’s mentor and includes him in the mafia gang led by Sonny Black (Michael Madsen).
None of them suspect that Brasco is actually just a pseudonym for Joe Pistone, an FBI agent who has been planted in the mafia to uncover its operations. Joe is entrusted with an important task in which he must reveal the Bonanno family, which has become very powerful and is at the head of all criminal operations. Because of this, Joe left his family and the life he had previously led, adopting a new identity.
Over time, Donnie Brasco’s dangerous game becomes increasingly difficult because he has become friends with Ruggieri and knows that he will suffer as soon as his mask as a government agent is revealed. On the other hand, due to his deep involvement in the violent world of the mafia and his long absence from home, Pistone’s relationship with his wife (Anne Heche) and his children also suffers.
The Irishman (2019)
Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran had a fulfilling life. A former high-ranking union official and hired killer, he learned to kill in Italy during World War II, and now he reflects on his life and the murders that marked his mafia career.
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One of the more important events was his alleged role in the disappearance of his long-time friend Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful but corrupt union leader.
A Bronx Tale (1993)
New York, 1960. A boy named Calogero (F. Capra, L. Brancato) grows up in a working-class Italian family. His father, Lorenzo (R. De Niro), works as a bus driver and proudly refuses to have any association with dishonest ways of making money. Although Calogero loves his father, he secretly admires the local mafia boss, Sonny (C. Palminteri), the main man in the neighborhood who is feared by everyone. When Sonny murders a man on the street, little Calogero – the only witness to the murder – does not reveal him to the police.
This earns Sonny’s gratitude and respect, and he takes Calogero under his wing. Lorenzo fights against this friendship, struggling to keep his son away from a mafia life. On the other hand, a special relationship develops between the boy and the mafia boss, as if they are father and son. Calogero has two fathers, each giving him different advice and hating each other. As a young man, Calogero falls in love with a black woman, but he keeps it a secret from his friends, who are planning a raid on the black neighborhood…
Black Souls (2014)
Luigi is a member of the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta and an international drug dealer. He has a brother, Rocco, who lives in Milan and disapproves of Luigi’s lifestyle but benefits from his illicit money. Their eldest brother, Luciano, lives in Calabria tending goats and wants to stay uninvolved in their illegal businesses. Leo, Luciano’s son, shoots up a bar owned by a rival ‘Ndrangheta clan after being insulted.
The clan demands drugs from Luigi, who decides to take them on and return to his hometown to strengthen his ties with other families. However, before he can do this, Luigi is murdered. Rocco arrives from Milan and wants revenge, but before he can act, he is killed by Luciano, who then contemplates suicide.
Gotti (1996)
In the 1960s, John Gotti is a small-time criminal working for the Gambino mafia family. His mentor and protector is Aniello John “Neil” Dellacroce, who entrusts him with an important task – killing the killers of the abducted and murdered cousin of big boss Carlo Gambino. Gotti performs the task without hesitation, but as a result goes to prison for four years.
Romanzo Criminale (2005)
The criminal known as “The Lebanese” is determined to take control of Rome’s underground world, which means taking control of the city’s criminal underworld. To do this, he assembles an ambitious, highly organized, and ruthless group of people who will operate on the harsh streets of Rome for more than a quarter of a century, from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Mean Streets (1973)
“Mean Streets” is a crime drama about two young men of Italian descent living in the “Little Italy” neighborhood of New York City. Charlie (Harvey Keitel) is a small-time criminal working for his uncle and collecting debts. His best friend and partner is Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), a volatile young man prone to random acts of violence.
Charlie treats Johnny with a paternal attitude, knowing that he is a psychopath who can cause trouble. Charlie is a sincere Catholic and hopes for divine salvation for both himself and Johnny. When they’re not on the streets, they can be found at a restaurant owned by their friends Tony (David Proval) and Michael (Richard Romanus). Charlie is in love with Teresa (Amy Robinson), Johnny’s cousin who suffers from epilepsy.
Charlie’s uncle, a seasoned mafia member, is not pleased that Charlie is seeing a sick girl and doesn’t like unpredictable Johnny either. Torn between his friends, his girlfriend, and the mafia, Charlie will try to find a way out of it all, but Johnny will lose control and everything will go wrong…
Gomorrah (2008)
Five people from Naples are deeply involved in organized crime. Don Ciro (G. Imparato) distributes money to the families of arrested criminals from his clan. One day, he is caught by two gangsters seeking revenge… Thirteen-year-old Toto (S. Abruzzese) is a delivery boy who accidentally receives a package of drugs and weapons from local dealers.
He returns the package and becomes a member of their group, but to truly become one, they put him to a serious test… High school graduate Roberto (C. Paternoster) works for a company that deals with the regulation of toxic waste. His boss decides to illegally dispose of the waste outside the designated landfill. An accident occurs during the operation and Roberto decides to quit his job…
Tailor Pasquale (S. Cantalupo) works for a well-known textile factory owner. At night, he trains Chinese people and tries to start an illegal business, but he won’t be able to keep it hidden so easily… Young thieves Marco (M. Macor) and Ciro (C. Petrone) are extortionists and work for a local clan. Admiring American gangsters, they dream of becoming like them.
The Traitor (2019)
“The Traitor” is a biographical crime drama about the life of Tommaso Buscetta, a Sicilian mafia member who was the first to cooperate with the police when several members of his family were killed in a mafia war in the 1980s.
Buscetta decides to tell his story about the mafia and incite a conflict between the two main mafia clans: the Corleonese and the Palermitana. His statements were used as evidence against many important mafia figures and led to the “Maxi Trial,” which resulted in the arrest of many top mafia leaders.
In the Name of the Law (1949)
In the countryside, a mule cart is traveling along its route. Suddenly, two bandits appear and violently push the driver off the cart. When he resists, they brutally murder him. The bandits then proceed to steal the mules and make their escape.
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Meanwhile, in the town of Capodarso, Sicily, the Baron is hesitant to accept the help of the local Mafia boss, Passalacqua, in recovering his stolen mules. As the situation becomes increasingly tense, news arrives that a new judge is on their way to town, potentially complicating matters even further.
Boss of Bosses (2001)
The movie follows Paul Gotti’s life from childhood to adulthood, exploring his disillusionment with his working class background and the people and events that shape him, including his cousin Carlo Gambino, his friendship with Joseph Armone and Tommy Bilotti, and his relationship with his maid Gloria.
The film delves into the tensions and conflicts within Paul’s inner circle, including his mentor Neil Dellacroce, and ultimately leads up to the infamous “meeting” at Sparks Steak House where Paul and Tommy are ambushed and killed by John Gotti. “Boss of Bosses” serves as a companion piece to the film “Gotti,” which focuses on the events leading up to and following Paul’s murder.
The Valachi Papers (1972)
“The Valachi Papers” is a prison drama set in Atlanta, where Joseph Valachi (Charles Bronson) is serving a sentence for heroin trafficking. Mafia boss Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura) is also behind bars in the same prison. Convinced that Valachi is a police informant, the mafia boss tells him that his days are numbered.
Valachi accidentally kills a prisoner whom he mistook for a mafia assassin and decides to tell agents his life story and everything about the infamous mafia organization, starting from his youth as a gangster and his collaboration with Salvatore Maranzano (Joseph Wiseman).
Dimenticare Palermo (1990)
Carmine Bonavia, a politician running for mayor of New York, proposes the legalization of drugs to gain popularity. He goes on a honeymoon with his wife to Palermo, where the mafia tries to frame him for murder to sabotage his campaign. An old prince advises him to meet with a mafia boss, who offers to clear his name in exchange for giving up his drug legalization plan. Carmine agrees but later confirms he will continue pursuing legalization and is killed.
The Consequences of Love (2004)
Titta Di Girolamo is a man of mystery, living a solitary existence in a small hotel room in Switzerland. Every day, he spends hours smoking and watching the comings and goings of the other guests, waiting for something to happen. But what is he waiting for, and what is the story behind the mysterious suitcases that are delivered to his door?
Is Titta hiding a dark secret, or is he just a man who has become disconnected from the world around him? Regardless of the answer, it is clear that Titta’s life is filled with intrigue and mystery, making him a captivating and enigmatic figure.
Scarface (1932)
Tony Camote, an Italian immigrant, kills the main criminal boss of the south side of Chicago on the orders of Italian mafia boss Johnny LoVoi. Johnny takes control of the south side and makes Tony his right-hand man, taking over the sale of large amounts of illegal beer to bootleggers and putting pressure on rival bars.
However, Johnny constantly warns Tony not to get involved with the Irish gang led by O’Hara. Ignoring these warnings, Tony starts breaking up O’Hara’s bars, attracting the attention of the police and rival gangsters. Johnny realizes that Tony has lost control and wants to take over his position, but it is not easy.
Mafioso (1962)
Antonio, a Sicilian man living and working in Milan, takes a trip with his family to his childhood village in Sicily and introduces his northern-Italian wife, Marta, to his relatives.
While there, he reconnects with old friends and visits a local crime boss, Don Vincenzo, who asks him to carry out a hit for the mob in exchange for helping with a property deal. Antonio agrees and is smuggled into the US to complete the task, but is plagued by guilt afterward and returns to his job at a car factory.
Bugsy (1991)
“Bugsy” Siegel (Warren Beatty) was one of the most well-known gangsters who put a lot of passion into his work and plans, which ultimately turned against him. The first problems began when his partners sent him to take control of the businesses on the West Coast, where he was introduced to Hollywood and became enchanted by it.
He wanted to create something similar. He got the idea for Las Vegas and convinced his partners to invest in the first hotel in the desert, and his revolutionary idea will lead him to his death…
Illustrious Corpses (1976)
The title of the film refers to the Surrealist game Cadavre Exquis, in which players draw consecutive sections of a figure without seeing what the previous person has drawn, resulting in unexpected and unpredictable outcomes.
This concept is meant to reflect the unpredictable and wandering nature of the film, which delves into the world of political manipulations and the deaths of murdered judges.
The Sicilian (1987)
After World War II, life was very difficult in Sicily. Farmers were without work or were working for a small wage for rich landowners. One day, young farmer Salvatore Giuliano and his best friend Pisciotta tried to smuggle some wheat in a coffin, but were stopped by carabinieri. A shootout occurs on both sides. Giuliano and his friend escape, run into the courtyard of the palace of the wealthiest landowner, Prince Borse, steal horses and escape into the hills. The seriously injured Giuliano is treated by monks in a monastery.
The head of the mafia, old don Masino Croce, who rules the entire area, tells Giuliano through university professor Hector Adonis to return and he will not be judged. But he is a romantic individualist who does not want to have anything to do with either the landlords who pay the mafia for protection or the church. He rebels in the hills and gains the trust of bandits who have already rebelled. His plan is to rob the rich and give to the poor. One day he breaks into the palace of Prince Borse and there, while his bandits are plundering, he seduces the prince’s wife, American Camilla.
Little Caesar (1931)
Rico, an ambitious criminal, leaves his rural home and moves to the city, where he joins Sam Vettori’s gang with his friend Joe Massara. He quickly rises through the ranks, becoming the leader of the gangsters and earning the nickname “Little Caesar”.
He also becomes close with the powerful mobster Pete Montana. During a robbery at a nightclub, Rico kills Crime Commissioner Alvin McClure, and Joe witnesses the murder. When Rico orders Joe to leave his mistress Olga Strassoff, she makes a significant decision.
Suburra (2015)
Samurai, a gangster, wants to turn a small port town near Rome into a new Las Vegas. A corrupt politician, who is fond of young prostitutes and cocaine, offers him protection with the help of a powerful cardinal. All local mafia bosses have agreed to work towards this common goal. However, peace will not last long and a brutal war between criminal groups will soon destroy Samurai’s dream.
The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
In the role of the young Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini in the series, his son Michael Gandolfini appears. The plot of film is set in Newark, New Jersey, in the early 1970s.
These years were marked by numerous protests and large migrations of whites from racially diverse areas, and mafia families ruled the streets of Newark at the time. Young Tony Soprano struggles in high school, where, although he is told he has an above average IQ and has qualities possessed by good leaders, he tends more towards “family business.”
Capone (2020)
After serving 11 years in prison for tax evasion, notorious mafia boss Alphonse “Al” Capone (Tom Hardy) – known to friends and relatives as Fonzo – returns to a luxurious life with his wife Mae (Linda Cardellini) and his extended family on his lavish Florida estate.
He begins suffering from dementia and is haunted by his violent past. As he spends his final year surrounded by family, with the FBI waiting, this sickly patriarch tries to remember where he hid millions on his property.
