by Adrian Webb
While Italian mafia films often take the spotlight, Irish gangster films bring something colder to the screen. For us, the Irish gangster movies nail that reality aspect, which makes them more compelling.
In this article, we’ve selected the six best Irish mob movies that span nearly a century of cinema. From James Cagney’s star-making 1930s performance to Johnny Depp’s chilling portrayal of Whitey Bulger, these movies represent the genre’s evolution, and here’s all of them.
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Angels with Dirty Faces is the foundation stone of the entire Irish mafia genre with James Cagney’s performance as the cherry on top.
In this movie, two childhood friends from New York’s Hell’s Kitchen take opposite paths. One becomes a priest, the other a gangster. When Rocky Sullivan returns from prison, he finds neighbourhood kids caught between these two influences, leading to one of cinema’s most debated endings.
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Miller’s Crossing infuses the Irish mob cinema with an eerie folk magic rarely seen in American crime films. When mob boss Leo O’Bannion risks everything for a love affair with a bookie’s sister, his trusted advisor Tom Reagan must play all sides against each other to prevent a gang war.
Throughout the movie, Gabriel Byrne delivers a soulful performance, and the movie is filled with legendary sequences that have lived on through countless clips and short-form videos online.
State of Grace (1990)
State of Grace gives us one of the only major fictional portrayals of the Westies, a gang that controlled Hell’s Kitchen through the 1970s and ’80s with a reputation for dismembering their victims.
Sean Penn plays Terry Noonan, an undercover cop who returns to his old neighbourhood after a decade away. Gary Oldman and Ed Harris both deliver career-defining performances in the movie too.
This one got a bit overshadowed at its time because it was released in the same year as Goodfellas, bad timing, like placing a bet right when the odds shift. Even Irish free bets wouldn’t have saved its box office luck.
The Road to Perdition (2002)
The Road to Perdition is a visually stunning adaptation of Max Allan Collins’ graphic novel. Tom Hanks plays a prolific Depression-era hit man and Paul Newman earned an Oscar nomination for his final non-voice performance as Rooney.
Michael Sullivan works as an enforcer for Irish crime boss John Rooney, who treats him like a son. When Sullivan’s 12-year-old boy witnesses his father at work, Rooney’s jealous biological son puts a hit on the entire family, killing Sullivan’s wife and younger child. Father and surviving son go on the run, pursued by a sociopathic assassin played by Jude Law.
The Departed (2006)
The Departed is the movie that finally got Martin Scorsese his Oscar. In this movie, two men find themselves on opposite sides of an impossible situation. Billy Costigan goes undercover to infiltrate Frank Costello’s Irish mob in South Boston, while career criminal Colin Sullivan infiltrates the Massachusetts State Police.
Both organisations discover that they have moles, and the race becomes about survival and identity rather than loyalty. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon deliver intense performances throughout the movie as well.
Black Mass (2015)
Black Mass sees Johnny Depp transform into James “Whitey” Bulger, one of the most dangerous gangsters in U.S. history. The movie is set in 1970s Boston and it chronicles Bulger’s unholy alliance with FBI agent John Connolly, who convinces the Irish mobster to provide information against the Italian mafia.
Black Mass works because it doesn’t ask you to like Bulger the way some mob movies seduce you into rooting for criminals. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Bulger’s brother Bill, a powerful Massachusetts State Senator, and the Depp-Cumberbatch duo just works.
It’s safe to say that the Irish mob movie genre runs deeper than these six films. From The Boondock Saints to Gangs of New York, from Kill the Irishman to Run All Night, there are dozens more worth exploring. Each of these movies serves as an entry point into Irish mafia cinema, and once you watch a few in a row, your favourite streaming platforms will likely handle the rest with their recommendations.
