you think you're a tough guy what are
you going to strong-arm me we'll see
about that
you know I think that you got the wrong
impression about me I think in all
fairness I should explain to you exactly
what it is that I do welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we're counting
down our picks for the top 10 movie
portrayals of real-life gangsters for
this list we've chosen movie depictions
of real-life criminals who were part of
a gang which means those baddies who
acted alone or as part of a twosome need
not apply
for instance tomorrow morning I'll get
up nice and early take a walk down over
to the bank and walk in and see and if
you don't have my money for me I'll
crack your head wide open in front of
everybody in the bank number 10 Sean
Penn as Mickey Cohen gangster squad this
is my destiny
Los Angeles while the stylized film
itself was only so-so Penn embodied the
spirit of the ex-boxer turned gangster
that wasn't murder
it's practice I in progress
as the main antagonist of the movie
every time he's on screen
he's a powder keg of emotion often
erupting at the slightest provocation
find these bastards he's loud brash and
unwilling to back down even as the cops
are closing in on him
pen strikes a perfect balance between
cocky and calculating when portraying
this Jewish mafia member and king of the
Sunset Strip these guys are a special
brand the hardcase is not interested in
money cop is not for sales like a dog
with rabies there's no medicine for it
you just got it
put him down number 9 Robert De Niro as
Al Capone The Untouchables
some people say reform is here safe put
that man in jail what does he think he
is doing what I hope I'm doing in his
when your English papers got a point is
I'm responding to the will of the people
rod steiger's depiction in the 1959
biopic was a complex unglamorous
portrayal of Capone but leave it to De
Niro to blow anyone else out of the
water I get nowhere unless the team wins
standing out in a film like this isn't a
cakewalk
with billy drago also giving a great
performance as the real-life Frank Nitti
but Nero is truly terrifying as this
Prohibition era criminal mastermind I
want that son of a [ __ ] thing I wanted
dead which I wanted that I'll change
what am I alone in this world did I ask
you want your trial is over did I ask
what you don't believe using rough
dialogue and a commanding nature to
intimidate agent Eliot Ness but also
standing tall as a high profile member
of society
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[Applause]
number eight Tim Roth as Dutch Schultz
hoodlum Oh feel nothing there's a toss
up in this film between Roth's
performance and Laurence Fishburne's
portrayal of Ellsworth bumpy Johnson now
you know I'm the bag but Roth edges them
out even though Schultz is the associate
of mob boss Lucky Luciano it's hard to
believe this guy is taking orders from
anyone
big boss no brains
he's wild on screen and there's
something about his character that's
slightly unhinged
it seems the Dutch is the one calling
all the shots as he orders hits and
tries to double-cross his boss
you'll move Hoffa will be acquitted
because Hoffa is innocent officious and
unsubstantiated charges that face me
here number seven
Jack Nicholson as Jimmy Hoffa Hoffa even
though the movie only met with fair
reviews Nicholson perfectly embodies
this larger-than-life Teamsters boss I
heard that mostly told in flashbacks it
tells the story of how Hoffa came to be
such a powerful political figure and
enemy to JFK among others Nicholson is
quietly menacing and it's easy to tell
he's not someone to be messed with
someone to give you a piece of advice
don't ask for something but it's a
burden to you if you get it he brings
his trademark poker face to the role
making it impossible to guess what he's
thinking hey you know what they used to
say any old days tell me now because I'm
gonna find out about it anyway number
six
Al Pacino as Benjamin lefty Ruggiero
Donnie Brasco well let me just say go
ahead try and sell it you want to be a
dumpy give it a shot don't ski
you call me donkey ruiji arrow would
strictly be the bad guy in any other
film but in this portrayal his character
is much more complex
you're gonna walk out on me
you walk out on me I walked out on you
his friendship with undercover agent
Donnie Brasco shows that he's more than
a killer he's a low on the totem pole
mafia man who's been passed over for
promotions and has a son at home who's
struggling with drug addiction Pacino's
Ruggiero is a man with everyday problems
so it's almost easy to understand why he
does what he does disgusting
yeah you just said it yeah just are you
not number 5
Warren Beatty as Benjamin Bugsy Siegel
Bugsy Benjamin is in the Bible and
second I'll see all of you at the
opening of the Flamingo it's Christmas
Day okay when you've also portrayed the
iconic Clyde Barrow playing the tough
guy starts to come naturally I owe you
my life then I'd say that's a fair
assessment god bless you Ben at least
that's the case with Beatty when he
depicts mobster turned hotelier turned
Vegas big shot Bugsy Siegel baby plays
Bugsy as a man with vision others can't
see who decides to start a hotel casino
in the desolate terrain of Las Vegas
he's a complicated man trying to keep
the love of his woman while gambling on
their future but that doesn't make him
soft but you know something that's for
summer and Jerry I don't think you have
to worry about summer
number four Daniel day-lewis as bill the
butcher cutting Gangs of New York
Amsterdam I'm New York Dave Lewis is one
of those actors that completely
transforms himself on screen and he's
almost unrecognizable as the butcher on
my challenge by the ancient laws of
combat
we have met at this chosen ground to
settle for good know who holds sway over
the five points his demeanor is
completely changed and he comes across
as a caged animal ready to attack at any
moment and his best scenes are when he's
doing his worst apologies my dear pick
it up though the character is not
exactly a true to history portrayal of
the real bill the butcher whose family
name was Poole not cutting the roll
still earned day-lewis the third Oscar
nod of his career number three
Robert De Niro as Sam ace Rothstein
Casino this is not the way to treat
people listen if you didn't know you'd
be a scam you too dumb to keep this job
if you did know you were in on either
way you're out get out go on let's go in
his second spot on our list De Niro
displays again that he and his
Goodfellas co-star Joe Pesci have great
chemistry as they portray business
partners in the Las Vegas casino
industry I just got to tell you it's no
joke guys it's no joke you gotta you
gotta keep a low profile
it's not like back home right off the
bat they don't like guys like this and
the sheriff's a real cowboy even the cop
is aren't afraid to bury people on the
desert here as a gambling handicapper De
Niro depicts Rothstein as someone
calculating methodical and more
conservative than his partner go on I
want you to put an equal
blueberries in each month an equal
amount of blueberries in each muffin I
don't care how long it takes Sam doesn't
let anything slide past him though and
his attention to detail needs him as the
only one unscathed
they had other ideas for me see you are
what you are in this world number two
Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas
American Gangster he is somebody as
Harlem heroin dealer turned kingpin
Frank Lucas Washington gives one of the
strongest performances of his career
everybody
he takes Lucas's Scarface like tail and
paints it as the classic American
success story of working hard to achieve
your dreams but in this case working
hard means hiding heroin underneath the
coffins of soldiers on their way back
from Vietnam you think you're going to
take a hundred kilos of heroin into the
US and you don't work for anyone someone
is good too about that that's right the
movie may have fictionalized some
aspects of Lucas's life but every bit of
this performance is believable I took
care home so how long's gonna take care
of me you can believe that before we let
our number one pick out of the slammer
here are a few honorable mentions these
complications with Diego the stolen cars
getting him released from the cops this
causes me much inconvenience if 50 kilos
could have been a big problem huh I
don't like problems you bullshitting me
first thing my father ever taught me was
you never [ __ ] a West Indian
[ __ ] out his areas worse than you my
mom she from Grenada
you're gonna tell me who robbed me
[Music]
because if you don't if you don't I'm
gonna kill every person in that book
starting with your mother your sister
your girlfriend that niece of yours
Gabrielle just $2,000
once my commission number one ray liotta
as Henry Hill Goodfellas he's the man
who became an FBI informant and helped
take down 50 of his mob pals and it's
Liotta's depiction of Hill as an
outsider that makes this performance so
memorable Jimmy and I could never be
made because we had Irish blood didn't
even matter that my mother was Sicilian
to become a member of a crew you've got
to be 100% Italian so they can trace all
your relatives back to the old country
you are sympathized with a man who grew
up in mafia culture and proudly
proclaims at the beginning of the film
as far back as I can remember I always
wanted to be a gangster
even the real life he'll praise Liotta's
performance often appearing in the media
in support of the film we don't want to
know what he would have done had he not
liked it do you agree with our list
which gangster seemed real to you I was
raised on a farm in Mooresville Indiana
my mama died when I was 3 my daddy beat
the hell out of me because he didn't
know no better way to raise me a more
tough guy top 10s published every day be
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you're warned don't ever go over my head
again you motherf ker you
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