Audience Participation Day: Crime Movie Edition.

[theweaselking]

I want to watch a good crime/heist/mob movie. I'd rather more drama than suspense or comedy - Donnie Brasco more than The Drop or Ocean's Eleven or Crime Spree, that kind of thing - and the catch is, I want it to be a movie either that I haven't seen before, or that I haven't seen in so long that I've forgotten it.

So let's start by disqualifying, right off the bat, any Godfather movie, Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas, The Usual Suspects. I want movies JUST LIKE THOSE, that I haven't already seen.

What's your favourite *moderately obscure* (or blazingly obvious and I've just missed it) mob movie?

Comments

[bunnybutt.livejournal.com]

Once Upon a Time in America.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Oooh, Sergio Leone and Bobby De Niro. I'll have to check that out.

[lurkerwithout.livejournal.com]

It is really, reealy, reaaaaaaly long.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Do take care! You need to find the non-sequential version, not the original theater release. That version sucked to high heaven. I'm sure by now that should be no problem, but one never knows. It bit my friends in the ass when they saw it originally; I saw the actual version, and there was much confusion.

[bunnybutt.livejournal.com]

This is absolutely true and I'm sorry I didn't mention it. And it is really, really long, but it's also really, really fun to watch young James Woods.

[ashbet]

I love "Out of Sight" -- it's kind of a comedy, kind of not. But if you're looking for a dead-serious film, probably not your bag. "Shoot 'Em Up," also amazing.

I'll have to give it some thought -- I'm in a rush right now, but will come back to the question if I can :)

<3!

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Shoot 'Em Up is pretty much *entirely* not a mob/crime drama along the lines of The Godfather or Donnie Brasco. It's a set of excuses for absurd action setpieces and carrot-murder, because, as Paul Giamatti puts it, "Violence is one of the most fun things to watch".

I've seen it. It's very good at what it is. What it is is entirely NOT what I'm looking for. :)

[ashbet]

Sorry -- that's why I was classing it with "Out of Sight," as something that was enjoyable but not in your category.

Afraid "The Big Hit" is probably similar.

I tend to like caper movies more than super-realistic and grim films, which is why I'm wracking my brains at the moment. I'm assuming "Snatch," "The Transporter," and "Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" are also not in your genre.

Maybe "Oldboy" or "Unleashed"?

(Heh -- rushed to get ready, and now my appt is running late, so I'm back on LJ.)

-- A <3

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Nuns On the Run, perhaps?

-TG

[skington.livejournal.com]

Miller's Crossing? Road to Perdition?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Road To Perdition would be a perfect example of what I want, if I hadn't seen it already.

Miller's Crossing looks like a great choice - I've heard of it but either I haven't seen it at all or I haven't seen it in 20 years and don't remember it, so that makes it perfect. Thanks!

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

I still can't hear "Danny Boy" without thinking of a tommy gun blazing.

[ianhess.livejournal.com]

Casino?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

An excellent contribution. I think I've seen it, but not for at least a decade.

[cyprinella]

Original Thomas Crown Affair? I can't remember if it's drama-y enough to qualify.

[athenegenia.livejournal.com]

'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' (more comedy heist really, but truly excellent), 'Layer Cake' (less comedic, mob crime), 'Eastern Promise' (Russian mob)

[vwguy68.livejournal.com]

"Lawless"  not really a Mafia movie but it got elements of organized crime. .  Well worth the watch

[lurkerwithout.livejournal.com]

1st off I'll second the recommendation of "Miller's Crossing", which is one of my all time favorite Coen brothers' films. Also try their first movie "Blood Simple" if you haven't seen that...

My tastes tend to lean noir and heist over My Life as a Mobster crime movies. That said additional possibilitys:

"Winter's Bone"
"Killer Joe"
"The Long Good Friday" for Bob Hoskins' mob boss if nothing else
"The Devil's Double" if you look at the Husseins as being like a big crime family
"Kill the Irishman" which has Ray Stephenson AND Vinnie Jones in it
"M"
"Infernal Affairs"/"the Departed"
"The Friends of Eddie Coyle"

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Blood Simple is awesome, and now I need to see M again. Been meaning to catch Killer Joe for a bit, too.

Dammit. It might be a that-kind-of-night.

(Have you seen The Ice Harvest and A Simple Plan? Both solid, although I prefer the first, and both more noir/heist.)

[lurkerwithout.livejournal.com]

I've seen both and even own the second...

[jazzfish]

From obvious to obscure:

Heat, with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro along with an awful lot of other fine actors. Cops and robbers in mid-90s LA. The opening armored-car heist is a thing of beauty, and it gets better from there.

Ronin, with De Niro and Jean Reno (and a rare Sean Bean non-dying appearance). Ex-secret agents are hired to steal a briefcase; complications and car chases ensue.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, with Clive Owen and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. London gangster who's gotten out is drawn back in when his younger brother is killed. Slow-paced and probably not exactly what you're looking for, but well done.

[andrewducker]

Brick. Which is a mob movie set in a high school. Ish.

I don't think that "Heat" quite qualifies as what you're looking for, but I seem to remember enjoying it, and it's certainly in the right kind of area.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Brick is a noir favourite around our house.

Heat isn't exactly what I want but it is an excellent movie regardless.

[skington.livejournal.com]

Things to do in Denver when you're dead.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

In Bruges. For certain definitions of "crime movie".

[springheel-jack.livejournal.com]

"Get Carter" (1971)

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Classic Michael Caine! A great choice.

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

ETA: Jim Jarmusch. Forest Whitaker. And a brief cameo that is really funny for anyone who's seen Dead Man.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I liked Ghost Dog. I wouldn't have counted it for this but you're right, it's a good candidate.

[jack-ryder.livejournal.com]

The Split (1968) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063636/) based on a Richard Stark novel, with Jim Brown ostensibly playing Parker, is an undeservedly obscure heist movie.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Anything with Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine gets a second look, and I've never seen it, so that's a great start.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Gene Hackman? How about _Heist_?

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

The Sting? Maybe a bit quaint (and "con" is not quite the same as "heist"). The original Italian Job?

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

RocknRolla. Guy Ritchie, IMNSHO, just keeps getting better. Revolver was also good, with Ray Liotta.

[thornae.livejournal.com]

I think I should fly the flag for the peculiarly robust genre of Australian Crime films. These are a little different to their American kin - in particular, there's a vein of larrikin humour that runs through many of them, but it's more a part of their Australian character than a deliberate choice. We're not talking Guy Ritchie here, but you're not always going to get Miller's Crossing* levels of deadpan, either.

The archetypal choice here is Chopper. It's neither the first nor the best Aussie Crime flick, but it's surely the most widely recognised, and has a good amount of what tends to be typical for these films.
Some other suggestions:

Two Hands was Heath Ledger's breakout role in Aus, and deservedly so. It's probably not what you're after here, but if you're ever in the mood for a slightly less dour heist film with some great character performances, give it a try.

Gettin' Square has some comedic moments, but generally is a solid character driven crime film, with a sense of authenticity lent by the writer's career as a criminal lawyer.

Little Fish is more about drug addiction than crime, but it's possibly one of the best depictions of the grimy Australian underworld and herion scene you'll find.

I haven't yet seen The Boys, but I'm told it's quite full on - more about small time crooks, but pretty intense stuff.

Moving further afield, Lantana is not a film about criminals, but feels like it belongs here, and certainly a film that has stayed in my mind for a long time.

Finally, due to geographical circumstances, I've not yet seen either The Square or Animal Kingdom, but have heard very good things about both.


*and yes, you should watch Miller's Crossing right now.

[xengar.livejournal.com]

I don't have anything that is an exact fit which hasn't already been mentioned, but a couple of possible near misses are:

Lucky # Slevin, Which is less a drama and more . . . I'm not sure how to categorize it. It's got Bruce Willis and isn't either a comedy or an action film.

Formula 51, or The 51st State, depending on whether it's the american release or the british one. This one IS an action movie, but it does hit some of the same notes you might be looking for. And Samuel L. Jackson in a kilt for the whole movie.

[xengar.livejournal.com]

Well, IMDB calls Lucky Number Slevin a drama, and I can't think of any other category it fits in, so I guess it IS one.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

"Why do you call him The Rabbi?"
"Because he's a rabbi."
"Oh."

(Seriously, you talk about Lucky Number Slevin and don't mention Morgan Freeman or Ben Fucking Kingsley? It was an okay movie and they were great in it.)

[xengar.livejournal.com]

If an actor is doing a good job, I don't tend to store them in my brain under their name, they get stored \under the character name instead. I have trouble remembering that the main character in The Fugitive is played by Harrison ford, for instance. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, however, are usually cast as roughly the same character and the specific name for a given movie is slapped on top like a sticker. And the there's Meatloaf. I don't even remember the name of his character in Formula 51.


But yes, the Rabbi and the Boss are the main characters of the movie. Slevin is merely the viewpoint.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I forgot Sexy Beast. I should rewatch that. Not exactly what I was looking for but really kind of sort of what I wanted.

[badger.livejournal.com]

Miller's Crossing is either my favorite or second favorite Coen Brothers movie, depending on what day I'm asked. I also second the mention of Once Upon a Time in America, as long as it's not the theatrical release that was chopped. Also seconding The Long Good Friday, Kill the Irishman, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Layer Cake, and Heist.

To contribute new titles to the discussion:

* I like Mad Dog Time, but it may be too stylized and unrealistic for what you're looking for.
* How about Michael Mann's Thief, if you haven't seen it in long enough?
* In Australian crime, consider The Hard Word (Guy Pearce, 2002).

[lurkerwithout.livejournal.com]

"Thief" does not get enough love. Caan, the late Dennis Farrina and even some good work from Jim Belushi of all people...

[thornae.livejournal.com]

Damn, I knew there was one I was missing. Yeah, The Hard Word should have been on my list. It's a solid little crime film with a real mean streak. I liked it, although I preferred Gettin' Square.

[torrain.livejournal.com]

State of Grace? Or, you know, Romeo Is Bleeding. (Back when Gary Oldman wasn't getting stuck in bad movies...)

[thornae.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, this is exactly the sort of thing that Google Sets was quite good at. Unfortunately, it never made it out of Labs, and was killed off with the rest of those nifty features in Google's ongoing drift away from doing neat geeky stuff.

Nonetheless, a quick search reminded me of some other non-Aussie candidates:
- Eastern Promises (and maybe A History of Violence if you want more Viggoodness).
- Le Cercle Rouge is in French and quite long (in its original cut), but has a killer heist sequence.
- L.A. Confidential isn't quite in the spirit of the list, but is a hell of a good noir crime film.

- Finally, Scarface, Casino, Mean Streets, Carlito's Way and The Departed all tend to crop up regularly in discussions of American Crime Dramas, along with the films you mentioned - so if there's any of those you haven't seen yet, you could round out the list with them.

[chrisrw109.livejournal.com]

Late to the party but:

The Spanish Prisoner - It's heistish, noirish, not mob per say but really quite good and environmental.
Suicide Kings - It's mobbish, Heistish, Dramaish, with a touch of suspense. Think Usual Suspects with a younger set of folks.
Heist - Gene Hackman, Delroy Lindo, Danny DeVito
House of Games - David Mamet film, starring Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, with Ricky Jay

[chrisrw109.livejournal.com]

Oh and Suicide Kings features Christopher Walken and Denis Leary too.

There's also 'The Score' which is another heist film, but with Deniro, Brando and Ed Norton.

[chrisrw109.livejournal.com]

And there's the original 'Taking of Pelham 1 - 2 - 3' which is very much better than the remake with Denzel.