Sure, it's practically impossible to top Scorsese's masterpiece, but still: there are plenty of other movies out there that come pretty darn close.
30. The Drop (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%
In Brooklyn, a bartender at a mob-owned bar finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and a subsequent investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past.
29. The Yakuza (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 58%
An American private investigator returns to Japan to rescue his friend's kidnapped daughter, rekindling a past romance and confronting the Japanese mafia.
28. Blood In, Blood Out (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 62%
Three Chicano relatives in East Los Angeles enter into a life of street gangs and crime, with their paths diverging dramatically over time.
27. Public Enemies (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%
The true story of the FBI's relentless pursuit during the Great Depression of notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd.
26. King of New York (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 70%
A former drug lord, released from prison, seeks to reclaim his power in New York City through ruthless violence, challenging both the criminal underworld and the police.
25. Killing Them Softly (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
After a mob poker game is robbed, a professional enforcer is hired to restore order and deal with the culprits in a decaying American society.
24. Snatch (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
In London's underworld, a convoluted series of events unfolds involving a stolen diamond, boxing promoters, Russian gangsters, and incompetent robbers.
23. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 75%
Four London friends find themselves deep in debt to a local crime lord after a rigged card game, leading to a series of bizarre and violent events.
22. Thief (1981)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
A professional safecracker, planning his final heist to secure a future with his new love, finds himself trapped in a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal.
21. The Funeral (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
Set in 1930s New York, three brothers in the criminal underworld face a crisis and revenge cycle following the murder of one of their own.
20. Road to Perdition (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
A mob enforcer and his son embark on a vengeful journey against the mobster who betrayed him, discovering redemption and father-son bonds along the way.
19. American Gangster (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
The rise and fall of Frank Lucas, a Harlem drug lord who built his empire by smuggling heroin in American soldiers' coffins during the Vietnam War.
18. Layer Cake (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
A successful cocaine dealer planning his early retirement is pulled into a complex web of deceit, double-crosses, and power struggles within the British underworld.
17. The Untouchables (1987)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
In Prohibition-era Chicago, Federal Agent Eliot Ness forms a special team to take down the untouchable crime lord Al Capone.
16. Carlito's Way (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
A Puerto Rican ex-con vows to go straight and retire in paradise but is pulled back into the criminal world by loyalty and the inevitability of his past.
15. State of Grace (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%
In New York's Hell's Kitchen, an undercover cop infiltrates his childhood gang, now involved in mob activities, leading to a tragic clash of loyalty and betrayal.
14. Sexy Beast (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
A retired safecracker living in Spain is coerced back into crime by a psychotic former associate, leading to a dangerous heist and a tense showdown.
13. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Italian mobster epic follows childhood friends as they rise from petty crime to powerful gangsters in 1920s New York City, with Robert De Niro and James Woods leading the cast.
12. A History of Violence (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
A small-town man with a mysterious past becomes a hero but is soon thrust into violent confrontations that reveal his hidden, violent nature.
11. Donnie Brasco (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Based on a true story, an FBI agent infiltrates the mob and forms a complex bond with a hitman, leading to dangerous consequences for both.
10. Eastern Promises (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
A Russian-British midwife becomes entangled in the dangerous world of the Russian Mafia in London after discovering a diary of a teenage sex trafficking victim.
9. Gomorrah (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
This gritty, realistic portrayal of the Camorra crime syndicate in Naples shows the devastating impact of organized crime on the local population.
8. City of God (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
In the slums of Rio de Janeiro, two boys take different paths: one becomes a photographer; the other, a drug dealer.
7. Miller's Crossing (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
In this Prohibition-era drama, a crime boss's right-hand man finds himself caught in a power struggle between rival gangs.
6. Mean Streets (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
In New York's Little Italy, a small-time gangster struggles with the conflicts of loyalty, religion, and the debts of his volatile, violent friend.
5. Animal Kingdom (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
A teenage boy navigates survival within a violent criminal family and a detective who thinks he can save him in Melbourne's underworld.
4. The Irishman (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
This film chronicles the life of truck driver Frank Sheeran as he gets involved with a powerful crime family and plays a key role in the disappearance of union leader Jimmy Hoffa.
3. A Bronx Tale (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
A young boy from the Bronx faces a moral dilemma between his hardworking father's values and the allure of a local mob boss.
2. The Long Good Friday (1980)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
A British gangster faces a series of unexpected challenges that threaten both his criminal empire and his life during the Good Friday weekend.
1. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
An aging Boston gunrunner faces the dilemma of possibly betraying his criminal associates to avoid a long prison sentence.