I just recently watched these three flicks recently. And, if any of you have never seen them, I highly recommend them
3. Mean Streets
2. Layer Cake
1. A History of Violence
3. Mean Streets
2. Layer Cake
1. A History of Violence
UNDER THE RADAR Gangster movies of all time.....
- Thread starter Michael.Felli
- Start date
"Miller's Crossing."
Not exactly under the radar, but an enduring film, the Coen Brothers' finest. A History of Violence is real violent, very hard to watch. Mean Streets, very good. Nice call for Once Upon a Time in America, very good with DeNiro and James Woods.
Not exactly under the radar, but an enduring film, the Coen Brothers' finest. A History of Violence is real violent, very hard to watch. Mean Streets, very good. Nice call for Once Upon a Time in America, very good with DeNiro and James Woods.
History of Violence is excellent, Viggo is the man in that. And you get to see Mario Bello in a cheerleader outfit.
Layer Cake put Daniel Craig on the map to play Bond, a great non-Ritchie "Guy Ritchie" film
Mean Streets is a classic
my all time favorite under the radar gangster film is Sexy Beast. Ben Kingsley is absolutely terrifying, should have won the Oscar for that role
Layer Cake put Daniel Craig on the map to play Bond, a great non-Ritchie "Guy Ritchie" film
Mean Streets is a classic
my all time favorite under the radar gangster film is Sexy Beast. Ben Kingsley is absolutely terrifying, should have won the Oscar for that role
Re: Gotta be
Agree wholeheartedly and now there's another edit underway that will take it past 4 hrs
Agree wholeheartedly and now there's another edit underway that will take it past 4 hrs
All nice additions, here's one more that I forgot..........
Suicide Kings
Another must-see gangster movie that flew UNDER THE RADAR for many movie goers.
Suicide Kings
Another must-see gangster movie that flew UNDER THE RADAR for many movie goers.
A
anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Re: All nice additions, here's one more that I forgot..........
The Road To Perdition. Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig, Jude Law. Fantastic film. If you haven't seen it, do so. For lighter fare, can't beat Snatch with Jason Statham, Benicio Del Toro, & Brad Pitt as the mumbling pikey. The DVDs has a translation feature that translates Brad Pitt's pikey lingo into English!
The Road To Perdition. Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig, Jude Law. Fantastic film. If you haven't seen it, do so. For lighter fare, can't beat Snatch with Jason Statham, Benicio Del Toro, & Brad Pitt as the mumbling pikey. The DVDs has a translation feature that translates Brad Pitt's pikey lingo into English!
A
anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Re: Road to Perdition - excellent addition.*
Two that may not be so under the radar but may not be mentioned with the top ones: The Pope of Greenwich Village & Carlito's Way.
This post was edited on 3/8 10:08 PM by rudedude
Two that may not be so under the radar but may not be mentioned with the top ones: The Pope of Greenwich Village & Carlito's Way.
This post was edited on 3/8 10:08 PM by rudedude
1. Kill the Irshman
Without a doubt the best under radar gangster movie. Nothing else comes close.
Without a doubt the best under radar gangster movie. Nothing else comes close.
How About "Mad Dog Time"....
featuring Jeff Goldblum, Richard Dreyfuss, and other luminaries? Strange parody that has its moments.
featuring Jeff Goldblum, Richard Dreyfuss, and other luminaries? Strange parody that has its moments.
I need to see it again. Only saw it once awhile back
Kingsley is a revelation. Absolutely amazing transformation.
Kingsley is a revelation. Absolutely amazing transformation.
Mean Streets is one of my favorite films.
My sleeper is: Bulletproof Heart aka Killer - Mimi Rogers, Anthony LaPaglia, Peter Boyle, Matt Craven. A deep look into the souls of men and a woman. Mimi Rogers is outstanding in this one.
This post was edited on 3/9 12:59 PM by mn78psu83
My sleeper is: Bulletproof Heart aka Killer - Mimi Rogers, Anthony LaPaglia, Peter Boyle, Matt Craven. A deep look into the souls of men and a woman. Mimi Rogers is outstanding in this one.
This post was edited on 3/9 12:59 PM by mn78psu83
Mesrine
Vincent Cassel in "Mesrine Part 1 Killer Instinct" and "Mesrine Part 2 Public Enemy #1". Once you see Vincent Cassel in this true story you will never forget him. Brutal, funny with a good amount of action and tension. Your first reaction is to think who would do this?
Also Sean Penn in "State of Grace".
Tom
Lands successfully between crime thriller, gangster saga and character study
*REVIEW OF BOTH PARTS*
There is a short paragraph that opens both "Mesrine" films; the exact wording escapes me, but it says something like "no film can accurately portray the complexities of a human life". This seems to be a pre-emptive defense, as if Richet anticipates criticism for a lack of depth or some glaring omissions. After all, Jacques Mesrine is apparently still a famous name in France, and his public persona lives on. If even half his supposed exploits were true, the story would still be crying out for a definitive dramatisation. As such, Richet has wisely avoided making any real ethical judgements of Mesrine's character, focusing instead on the sex, violence and publicity that he thrived upon. But it's Vincent Cassel's committed and exuberant performance that develops this meat-and-potatoes content into an unbiased character study of excess and, over all, a very fine pair of movies.
"Mesrine" may not seem to be particularly even-handed at first because of the glamour, the wisecracks, and the endless charisma, all of which are drawn from the rich stylistic tradition of the Gangster Movie, and used very skilfully in its favour. The fast pace of the story ensures we are either seduced or repulsed by the central character, and rarely anywhere in between. Sympathy or pity is irrelevant, and he is too brutal and trigger-happy to be rooted for as a regular protagonist. The first film is the slicker of the two, and the more visually satisfying due to the wonderfully stylish recreation of early 60s Paris (and elsewhere). Cassel plays Mesrine with youthful vigour here. He's all style and brash confidence, as endearing a wiseguy as any of Scorcese's characters. It's "Goodfellas", in fact, that "Killer Instinct" is most reminiscent of, with its sharp-suited mobsters (including a brilliantly grizzled Gerard Depardieu) and episodic year-hopping narrative.
By the half-way point, Mesrine is still something of an enigma. It's only in "Public Enemy No. 1" that the pace slows down and we can see, through a few intimate and contemplative scenes, what he has sacrificed to live as a superlative criminal. "I wasn't much of a son, I'm not much of a father either." he says, while in disguise visiting his own ailing father in hospital. He gradually alienates his closest friends and accomplices by trying to maintain the outlandish public profile he cultivated, rambling pseudo-revolutionary politics to journalists and threatening to kill judges and destroy all maximum security prisons. The "Goodfellas" ensemble of the first part becomes the isolated, ego-driven "Scarface" of the second as Cassel skilfully matures his character into a man resigned to the fate he knows must be coming.
The over all impression left by "Mesrine" is that it manages to land successfully between crime thriller, gangster saga and character study. This is achieved by the virtue of a standout central performance, as well as Richet's shrewd application of an American film-making style to a very French story. It ought to go down among the top crime dramas of the decade, or at the very least raise the (already decent) international profile of its impressive leading man.
Mesrine
Vincent Cassel in "Mesrine Part 1 Killer Instinct" and "Mesrine Part 2 Public Enemy #1". Once you see Vincent Cassel in this true story you will never forget him. Brutal, funny with a good amount of action and tension. Your first reaction is to think who would do this?
Also Sean Penn in "State of Grace".
Tom
Lands successfully between crime thriller, gangster saga and character study
*REVIEW OF BOTH PARTS*
There is a short paragraph that opens both "Mesrine" films; the exact wording escapes me, but it says something like "no film can accurately portray the complexities of a human life". This seems to be a pre-emptive defense, as if Richet anticipates criticism for a lack of depth or some glaring omissions. After all, Jacques Mesrine is apparently still a famous name in France, and his public persona lives on. If even half his supposed exploits were true, the story would still be crying out for a definitive dramatisation. As such, Richet has wisely avoided making any real ethical judgements of Mesrine's character, focusing instead on the sex, violence and publicity that he thrived upon. But it's Vincent Cassel's committed and exuberant performance that develops this meat-and-potatoes content into an unbiased character study of excess and, over all, a very fine pair of movies.
"Mesrine" may not seem to be particularly even-handed at first because of the glamour, the wisecracks, and the endless charisma, all of which are drawn from the rich stylistic tradition of the Gangster Movie, and used very skilfully in its favour. The fast pace of the story ensures we are either seduced or repulsed by the central character, and rarely anywhere in between. Sympathy or pity is irrelevant, and he is too brutal and trigger-happy to be rooted for as a regular protagonist. The first film is the slicker of the two, and the more visually satisfying due to the wonderfully stylish recreation of early 60s Paris (and elsewhere). Cassel plays Mesrine with youthful vigour here. He's all style and brash confidence, as endearing a wiseguy as any of Scorcese's characters. It's "Goodfellas", in fact, that "Killer Instinct" is most reminiscent of, with its sharp-suited mobsters (including a brilliantly grizzled Gerard Depardieu) and episodic year-hopping narrative.
By the half-way point, Mesrine is still something of an enigma. It's only in "Public Enemy No. 1" that the pace slows down and we can see, through a few intimate and contemplative scenes, what he has sacrificed to live as a superlative criminal. "I wasn't much of a son, I'm not much of a father either." he says, while in disguise visiting his own ailing father in hospital. He gradually alienates his closest friends and accomplices by trying to maintain the outlandish public profile he cultivated, rambling pseudo-revolutionary politics to journalists and threatening to kill judges and destroy all maximum security prisons. The "Goodfellas" ensemble of the first part becomes the isolated, ego-driven "Scarface" of the second as Cassel skilfully matures his character into a man resigned to the fate he knows must be coming.
The over all impression left by "Mesrine" is that it manages to land successfully between crime thriller, gangster saga and character study. This is achieved by the virtue of a standout central performance, as well as Richet's shrewd application of an American film-making style to a very French story. It ought to go down among the top crime dramas of the decade, or at the very least raise the (already decent) international profile of its impressive leading man.
Mesrine
