Scarface: Ruling the Underworld
Paul Muni. Photo: United Artists The film begins with a stern warning, an indictment of gang rule in America and the government that does too little to stop it. The…
Underworld: In the Dead of Night
Clive Brook and Evelyn Brent. Photo: Paramount In the 1920s, the journalist and author Ben Hecht didn’t care all that much for the movies. Ironic, since his major achievements came…
The Many Saints of Newark
After the 1967 riots in Newark, the DiMeo crime family is challenged by a Black rival. This prequel to The Sopranos (1999-2007), set decades before the TV show and focusing…
Black Mass
In the late 1970s, the FBI makes a deal with up-and-coming Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp); in exchange for information on his rivals, the authorities turn a blind…
Bonnie and Clyde: Love on the Lam
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Photo: Warner The term most commonly used to describe Bonnie and Clyde (1967) is probably "landmark film". It may seem a little odd to begin…
The Godfather III: Mea Maxima Culpa
Andy García and Al Pacino. Photo: Paramount If you are a die-hard fan of the Godfather films you are supposed to hate the third one, but I find that very…
The Godfather II: From Rags to Riches
Al Pacino. Photo: Paramount The Godfather was an incredible achievement by Francis Ford Coppola. Making a sequel that meets at least some of the expectations is difficult enough, but actually…
The Godfather: Paying in Blood
Marlon Brando. Photo: Paramount There's a scene in You've Got Mail (1998) where Tom Hanks says, "The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to…
Casino
"Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) tries to run his Las Vegas casino as effectively as possible, but his doomed marriage to a hustler (Sharon Stone) and his friendship with a…
Scarface
Tony Montana (Al Pacino) claims asylum in Miami and instantly makes an impact on a wealthy cocaine dealer (Robert Loggia) who offers him work. Oliver Stone did an interesting thing.…