Martin Scorsese’s 1990 classic Goodfellas is widely regarded as one of the greatest gangster films ever made. The gritty, realistic portrayal of life in the mafia, incredible performances from Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci, and Scorsese’s masterful directing have made it an enduring favorite.
If you love Goodfellas and are looking for more movies that capture a similar vibe and explore the violent, treacherous world of organized crime, here are 15 must-see films:
1. Casino (1995)
Scorsese teamed up again with De Niro and Pesci a few years after Goodfellas for this epic crime drama about the rise and fall of mob-run casinos in 1970s Las Vegas. De Niro stars as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a gambling handicapper sent by the Chicago mafia to oversee the Tangiers casino. Pesci plays his hot-headed enforcer Nicky Santoro.
Casino shares many similarities with Goodfellas – the true crime source material, the decades-spanning narrative, the voiceover narration, the glitzy but seedy criminal underworld, and the inevitable downfall of the protagonists. It’s a little longer and more expansive than the earlier film, but the two make a perfect double feature. The cast also includes Sharon Stone in a Oscar-nominated role as Rothstein’s troubled wife.
2. The Departed (2006)
Scorsese finally won a long-overdue Best Director Oscar for this twisty Boston crime thriller. The Departed stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan, a cop who goes undercover to infiltrate the organization of mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). At the same time, criminal Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) has infiltrated the police department as a mole for Costello. As Billy and Colin try to uncover each other, a deadly game of cat-and-mouse ensues.
While the plot is more intricate and suspenseful than Goodfellas, The Departed has a similar gritty intensity and features memorable performances from both veterans like Nicholson and up-and-comers like DiCaprio and Damon. It’s a little less realistic than Goodfellas, with more overt symbolism and dramatic irony, but it’s a gripping crime story with style to spare.
3. Donnie Brasco (1997)
This true crime drama stars Johnny Depp as the title character, an FBI agent who goes undercover as a jewel thief to infiltrate the Bonanno crime family in 1970s New York City. Donnie befriends Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a low-level hit man who takes him under his wing. As Donnie gets deeper into the mafia, his loyalties become divided between his job and his genuine affection for Lefty.
Like Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco is based on a true story and features a protagonist who gets seduced by the criminal lifestyle before things inevitably unravel. Pacino gives one of his best late-career performances as the world-weary Lefty, and Depp is equally good as the conflicted Donnie. It’s a little more low-key and character-driven than Goodfellas, but it’s a gripping, emotionally complex crime drama.
4. A Bronx Tale (1993)
This coming-of-age crime drama marks the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, who also co-stars as Lorenzo, the hard-working father of a teenage boy named Calogero growing up in 1960s The Bronx. Calogero becomes enamored with the local mob boss Sonny (Chazz Palminteri) and must choose between following in his father’s footsteps or being seduced by the glamorous but dangerous criminal lifestyle.
Like Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale is based on a true story (Palminteri’s own childhood) and features a compelling lead performance from the young Lillo Brancato as Calogero. It also shares themes of the allure and pitfalls of the mafia lifestyle, the importance of family and loyalty, and the moral compromises required to succeed in an unforgiving world. De Niro directs with a sure hand and gives a restrained, effective performance as Calogero’s stern but loving father.
5. American Gangster (2007)
Denzel Washington stars in this true crime epic as Frank Lucas, a Harlem drug kingpin who smuggled heroin into the US inside the coffins of American soldiers returning from Vietnam in the late 1960s and early 70s. Russell Crowe co-stars as Richie Roberts, the honest New Jersey cop determined to bring Lucas down.
Directed by Ridley Scott, American Gangster is a little slicker and more Hollywood than Goodfellas, but it shares a fascination with the ins and outs of life in a criminal empire. Washington is magnetic as the soft-spoken but ruthless Lucas, and the film does a good job exploring the complex dynamics of race and power in 1970s NYC. The period detail is impeccable and the supporting cast uniformly excellent.
6. Road to Perdition (2002)
Set in 1931 Illinois, this gorgeous-looking gangster drama stars Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan, a mob enforcer whose young son witnesses a murder committed by Sullivan’s boss and surrogate father John Rooney (Paul Newman). Sullivan and his son go on the run, seeking both survival and revenge.
Directed by Sam Mendes and shot by legendary cinematographer Conrad Hall, Road to Perdition is one of the most visually stunning crime dramas ever made, with impeccable period detail and Oscar-winning cinematography. Hanks and Newman both give subtle, powerful performances, and Daniel Craig makes a chilling villain as a rival assassin. While not as viscerally intense as Goodfellas, it’s a moving, masterfully crafted film that explores similar themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the cost of violence.
7. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Sergio Leone’s epic crime drama spans five decades in the lives of a group of Jewish friends who rise from poverty in 1920s New York City to become powerful gangsters. Robert De Niro stars as David “Noodles” Aaronson, who returns to his old neighborhood in the 1960s to confront the ghosts of his past.
At nearly four hours long, Once Upon a Time in America is a sprawling, operatic film that jumps back and forth in time to tell a haunting story of friendship, love, betrayal, and regret. De Niro gives one of his best performances as the complex, tragic Noodles, and the supporting cast includes James Woods, Joe Pesci, Jennifer Connelly, and Elizabeth McGovern. Like Goodfellas, it’s a masterful portrait of life in the mob, but it’s a slower, sadder, more elegiac film.
8. Carlito’s Way (1993)
Al Pacino stars in this stylish crime thriller as Carlito Brigante, a Puerto Rican ex-con trying to go straight in 1970s New York City. But his loyalty to his ne’er-do-well lawyer friend (Sean Penn) and his rekindled romance with a former flame (Penelope Ann Miller) threaten to pull him back into the underworld.
Directed by Brian De Palma, Carlito’s Way is a visually dazzling film with a propulsive narrative drive and a magnetic lead performance from Pacino. Like Goodfellas, it’s a movie that glamorizes the criminal lifestyle while also showing its ultimate futility and destructiveness. Penn is terrific as the sleazy lawyer, and the supporting cast includes John Leguizamo, Viggo Mortensen, and Luis Guzman.
9. Scarface (1983)
Pacino stars in another iconic gangster role in this remake of the 1932 classic, this time as Cuban refugee Tony Montana, who rises from dishwasher to cocaine kingpin in 1980s Miami. Michelle Pfeiffer co-stars as his trophy wife, with Steven Bauer as his volatile best friend and partner in crime.
Directed by De Palma and written by Oliver Stone, Scarface is a baroque, wildly stylized crime epic that revels in excess and vulgarity. Pacino’s Tony Montana is one of the most unforgettable movie gangsters of all time, a swaggering, paranoid monster consumed by greed and hubris. Like Goodfellas, it’s a cautionary tale about the perils of unchecked ambition and the hollowness of the American Dream.
10. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Quentin Tarantino’s debut feature is a stylish, brutally violent heist thriller about a group of thieves whose planned jewelry store robbery goes horribly wrong. Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, and Michael Madsen star as the color-coded crooks who gradually unravel under pressure and turn on each other.
While not a traditional mafia movie like Goodfellas, Reservoir Dogs shares a fascination with the codes and rituals of criminal life, the macho posturing and verbal pyrotechnics of tough guys, and the sudden, shocking bursts of violence. Tarantino’s dialogue crackles and pops, and the nonlinear structure keeps the audience on their toes. It’s a leaner, meaner film than Goodfellas, but it’s just as memorable.
11. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Tarantino’s follow-up to Reservoir Dogs is a sprawling, multi-part crime epic that weaves together three interconnected stories set in modern-day Los Angeles. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson star as two hitmen working for a fearsome mob boss (Ving Rhames), with Uma Thurman as his coke-addicted wife and Bruce Willis as a washed-up boxer.
Like Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction is a movie that revels in the seedy glamour of the criminal underworld, with unforgettable dialogue, indelible characters, and shocking bursts of violence. But it’s also a sly, postmodern commentary on the crime genre itself, full of knowing references and subversive twists. It’s a wild, exhilarating ride that stands alongside Goodfellas as one of the defining crime movies of the 1990s.
12. Miller’s Crossing (1990)
The Coen Brothers put their unique spin on the gangster genre with this stylish, darkly comic thriller set in 1920s Chicago. Gabriel Byrne stars as Tom Reagan, the right-hand man of Irish mob boss Leo O’Bannon (Albert Finney), who gets caught in the middle of a war between his boss and a rival Italian gangster (Jon Polito).
Like Goodfellas, Miller’s Crossing immerses the viewer in the day-to-day details of life in the mob, from the power struggles and shifting alliances to the colorful language and gallows humor. But the Coens bring their trademark wit and visual flair to the material, crafting a film that’s both a loving homage to classic gangster movies and a sly subversion of the genre. Byrne is terrific as the conflicted antihero, and John Turturro steals scenes as a weaselly bookie.
13. The Untouchables (1987)
Brian De Palma’s stylish crime epic tells the true story of Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner), the incorruptible Treasury agent who led a team of “untouchable” lawmen to take down Al Capone (Robert De Niro) in 1930s Chicago. Sean Connery won an Oscar for his supporting turn as Ness’s veteran cop mentor.
Like Goodfellas, The Untouchables is a grand, operatic crime saga with a keen eye for period detail and a flair for bravura set pieces. De Palma directs with his usual visual panache, crafting memorable sequences like the Union Station shootout and the bloody climax on the courthouse steps. Costner is a little stiff as Ness, but Connery and De Niro are both excellent, and the supporting cast includes Andy Garcia and Patricia Clarkson.
14. Mean Streets (1973)
Scorsese’s breakthrough feature is a gritty, low-budget crime drama set in New York City’s Little Italy. Harvey Keitel stars as Charlie, a small-time hood trying to reconcile his Catholic guilt with his life of crime, with Robert De Niro as his hotheaded best friend Johnny Boy.
While not as polished or epic in scope as Goodfellas, Mean Streets is a raw, urgent film that established many of Scorsese’s recurring themes and stylistic trademarks: the use of pop music, the fluid camera work, the fascination with machismo and male bonding. Keitel and De Niro are both electrifying in their early roles, and the supporting cast includes future stars like Richard Romanus and David Proval. It’s a must-see for any fan of Scorsese or the crime genre.
15. City of God (2002)
This Brazilian crime epic tells the sprawling, decades-spanning story of life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, where a young boy named Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) navigates the violent world of drug dealers and petty thieves while dreaming of becoming a photographer.
Directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, City of God is a dazzling, hyperkinetic film that shares Goodfellas‘ fascination with the allure and destructiveness of the criminal lifestyle. Like Scorsese’s film, it uses voiceover narration, freeze frames, and pop music to create a vivid, immersive world, and it doesn’t flinch from depicting the brutal realities of poverty and violence. It’s a powerful, unforgettable film that stands as one of the great crime dramas of the 21st century.
These 15 movies are just a sampling of the many great crime films that have followed in the footsteps of Goodfellas. From gritty true-life tales to stylized genre exercises, they all share a fascination with the codes, rituals, and consequences of life in the underworld. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the genre or just appreciate great storytelling and filmmaking craft, these movies are essential viewing for anyone who loves Goodfellas.
