The gangster movie genre is as old as cinema itself, with silent era masterpieces like Intolerance and early efforts like Scarface setting the template for future crime dramas. With such a rich history, there are still modern-day gangster movies trying to keep the genre alive, but few of them match the brilliance of the classics.

While there have been great gangster movies in the 21st century , with names like Martin Scorsese ( The Irishman ) and Ridley Scott ( American Gangster ) keeping the crime drama alive, even these masters struggle to match the brilliance of classic gangster flicks . Looking at movies made before the 1980s , there were movies of a level of quality that remains unmatched by modern cinema.

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

James Cagney and Gladys George

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