Are you looking to watch a movie with big crimes, lots of guns, and an unhealthy dose of profanity? Fuhgeddaboutit! We’re here to tell you about the best gangster movies on Netflix right now. If you haven’t ditched the streamer for one of its alternatives, you’ll know there are tons of new shows and movies to check out every week, including plenty of crime titles.
Netflix’s selection of gangster movies is robust, but many of the heavy hitters are missing. For example, the series of Godfather films and Goodfellas are nowhere to be found on the service. However, there are some bonafide classics available, as well as a few off-the-beaten-path gems you should check out. Don’t have Netflix? You can sign up at the link below.
Netflix
Netflix is still the leading premium streaming service, with over 200 million worldwide subscribers. It offers thousands of movies and TV shows to binge watch, including its always growing list of original films and series, including Stranger Things, The Witcher, Bridgerton, and many more.
The best gangster movies on Netflix
Editor’s note: We will regularly update this list of the best gangster movies on Netflix as films come and go from the service.
The Raid 2 (2014)
What you need to know:
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 150 minutes
- Director: Gareth Evans
- Main cast: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Julie Estelle
- Genre: Action/crime/martial arts
- Ratings: 7.9 – IMDB / 82% – Rotten Tomatoes
A sequel to 2011’s Indonesian action-thriller The Raid, The Raid 2 sees Jakarta cop Rama dealing with the fallout of his actions in the first film. Wanted by dangerous criminals, he goes deep undercover to protect his family from retaliation. Befriending the son of a crime boss, Rama gets deeper and deeper with plans to take down the criminal empire from the inside.
Featuring more stunning fight choreography, The Raid 2 is a terrific compliment to the first film and a knockout standalone actioner. If you’re a fan of high-octane martial arts, and movies like Headshot and The Night Comes for Us, you’re likely to love The Raid 2.
The Irishman (2019)
What you need to know:
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 209 minutes
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Main cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Ray Romano
- Genre: Drama/crime/mobster
- Ratings: 7.8 – IMDB / 95% – Rotten Tomatoes
Nearly 20 years after Goodfellas, Scorsese and De Niro teamed up again for this 2019 Netflix original movie. The epic gangster film is based loosely on the real-life story of Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a World War II veteran and truck driver who eventually became a hitman for the mob and was involved with the late head of the Teamsters Union, Jimmy Hoffa.
When this movie was first released, many reviewers wrote about how advanced technology was used to “de-age” De Niro and other cast members to tell a story across decades. Thankfully, the technology takes a backseat to a gorgeous, heartbreaking story about cycles of violence. A spiritual sequel to Scorsese’s Goodfellas, The Irishman is a mob movie masterpiece.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
What you need to know:
- Rating: TV-MA
- Runtime: 122 minutes
- Director: Vince Gilligan
- Main cast: Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Robert Forster, Krysten Ritter
- Genre: Crime/drama
- Ratings: 7.3 – IMDB / 92% – Rotten Tomatoes
A sequel film to AMC’s popular Breaking Bad, El Camino follows Jesse after the events of the series. A fugitive from the law, newly freed from the drug cartel that imprisoned him for years, Jesse tries to put his life back together, meeting numerous familiar faces from his past.
El Camino was a welcome addition following the Breaking Bad finale. Jesse was always a fan favorite, and the film proves he can easily carry a title of his own. It provides closure for the character while offering one last ride through familiar terrain.
Lawless (2012)
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 115 minutes
- Director: John Hillcoat
- Main cast: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska
- Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
- Ratings: 7.2 – IMDB / 67% – Rotten Tomatoes
The Bondurant brothers are successful bootleggers in 1930s Virginia. The three have their specific strengths, and by bribing local police, they’ve been able to thrive without intervention from the law. That all changes when a sadistic lawman from Chicago comes looking to stop the Bondurants, setting off a violent chain of events.
With a sharp screenplay by musician Nick Cave and some stellar acting from an A-list cast, Lawless never quite got the love it deserved, but it’s a knockout gangster movie on Netflix, in the vein of Bonnie and Clyde and The Untouchables.
The Ruthless (2019)
What you need to know:
- Rating: TV-MA
- Runtime: 111 minutes
- Director: Renato De Maria
- Main cast: Riccardo Scamarcio, Sara Serraiocco, Alessio Praticò
- Genre: Crime/drama
- Ratings: 6.2 – IMDB / N/A – Rotten Tomatoes
This Netflix original movie from 2019 comes from Italy. It shows how a young man in Milan, Santo Russo, started out in small-time crime while he was a teenager. He eventually became a major figure in organized crime in Milan during the 1980s.
Following a similar structure as Goodfellas, with several fresh and updated touches, The Ruthless is one of the best gangster movies on Netflix.
Heat (1995)
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 170 minutes
- Director: Michael Mann
- Main cast: Val Kilmer, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman
- Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
- IMDB rating: 8.3
A Los Angeles master thief and a determined detective are equally skilled and driven, and they respect each other, though they’re increasingly aware that their game of cat and mouse can only end in violence and death.
The first film to see Al Pacino and Robert De Niro share the screen, Heat’s reputation has only grown since its release, and it’s often listed among the best crime films of all time. If you like Michael Mann’s Collateral, Black Hat, and Miami Vice, then Heat is essential viewing.
Emily the Criminal (2022)
What you need to know:
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 96 minutes
- Director: John Patton Ford
- Main cast: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Gina Gershon
- Genre: Crime/drama/thriller
- Ratings: 6.7 – IMDB / 94% – Rotten Tomatoes
One of the best films of 2022, Emily the Criminal follows a young woman, buried in student debt, as she tries to get her life together. A criminal record stands in the way of high-earning jobs, despite her best efforts, so she turns to crime, taking part in credit card scams and working with criminals who show her the ropes.
Emily the Criminal is a searing indictment of America’s cutthroat job market and the treatment of millennials, saddled with debt with few prospects at gainful employment. It features a stunning performance by Aubrey Plaza and is easily among the best gangster movies on Netflix.
The Departed (2006)
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 151 minutes
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Main cast: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
- IMDB rating: 8.5
A Boston cop is sent deep undercover to infiltrate a powerful mob family. What he doesn’t know is that the mob has simultaneously sent one of their own into law enforcement to act as an informant and get the family out of tight jams. The two operate in secret, hurtling towards an inevitable, bloody confrontation.
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, Martin Scorsese’s epic crime drama, a remake of the Chinese thriller Infernal Affairs, is easily among the best gangster movies on Netflix.
Last Seen Alive (2022)
What you need to know:
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- Director: Brian Goodman
- Main cast: Gerard Butler, Jaimie Alexander, Russell Hornsby, Ethan Embry, Michael Irby, Bruce Altman, Jordan Salloum
- Genre: Action/mystery/thriller
- Ratings: 5.6 – IMDB / 13% – Rotten Tomatoes
A man falls under suspicion when his wife mysteriously vanishes at a gas station. Now, he has to figure out what happened to her as the authorities close in on him, and before it’s too late to keep her safe.
Despite some pretty unremarkable reviews, Last Seen Alive is a solid little thriller that packs a punch. If you’re a fan of movies like Breakdown or The Vanishing, or if you simply enjoy Gerard Butler’s action oeuvre, you should definitely check out Last Seen Alive on Netflix.
Kate (2021)
What you need to know:
- Rating: 17
- Runtime: 106 minutes
- Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
- Main cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau, Woody Harrelson, Tadanobu Asano, Jun Kunimura, MIYAVI, Michiel Huisman
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
- IMDB rating: 6.2
Trained by her guardian Varrick, Kate is a deadly assassin, always precise, always in control. But when a mission in Osaka forces her to kill in front of a child, her moral code is shattered. A chance encounter with a charming stranger leaves her poisoned, with only hours to live. As she races against time in the shadowy world of the yakuza, she finds herself torn between revenge, redemption, and the unexpected bond she forms with the child from her past mission.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
What you need to know:
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 98 minutes
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Main cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buschemi
- Genre: Crime
- Ratings: 8.3 – IMDB / 90% – Rotten Tomatoes
A group of strangers are brought together to carry out a robbery. The plan is simple, and code names will protect everyone. They’ll grab the cash, split it up, and go their own ways. But when the cops are tipped off and several of the men are killed, the remaining robbers have to scramble to survive and to figure out who double-crossed them.
Quentin Tarantino’s feature directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs remains one of the director’s most celebrated films, and it’s easily a top pick among the best gangster movies on Netflix. If you enjoy Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, or movies like Deep Cover, The Usual Suspects, and The Departed, you should give Reservoir Dogs a try.
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
What you need to know:
- Rating: 18
- Runtime: 121 minutes
- Director: Timo Tjahjanto
- Main cast: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Sunny Pang, Asha Kenyeri Bermudez, Abimana Aryasatya, Zack Lee
- Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
- IMDB rating: 6.9
Haunted by a violent act, Ito, a top Triad enforcer, goes rogue to protect a young orphan named Reina in Jakarta’s gritty underworld. As he’s hunted by former allies and lethal assassins, loyalty is tested, and betrayal lurks at every corner. Will Ito escape the shadows of his past, or will he become its next victim?
Toro (2016)
What you need to know:
- Rating: 16
- Runtime: 105 minutes
- Director: Kike Maíllo
- Main cast: Mario Casas, Luis Tosar, José Sacristán, Ingrid García Jonsson, Claudia Vega, Nya de la Rubia, Manuel Salas
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
- IMDB rating: 5.9
Toro, a young con man and key player for mob boss Romano, attempts to walk away from a life of crime. Tragedy begins, landing him in jail. Five years on, as Toro yearns for freedom and a simple life with his girlfriend, his past knocks on his door.
Triple Frontier (2019)
What you need to know:
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 125 minutes
- Director: J.C. Chandor
- Main cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal
- Genre: Crime/thriller/heist
- Ratings: 6.4 – IMDB / 70% – Rotten Tomatoes
A former Special Forces unit reunites for an off-the-books job. This one’s just for them after years of thankless service to their country. Using their skillset and knowledge, they’ll undertake a massive heist at a drug lord’s compound in South America, making their escape through a multi-border zone. But when things go south, they have to use their skills to make it out alive.
From the director of A Most Violent Year and Margin Call, Triple Frontier is a tight thriller about comraderie, loyalty, and desparation. It offers a sobering view of American military intervention and the War on Drugs, all wrapped up in a gripping heist.
The Stranger (2022)
What you need to know:
- Rating: TV-MA
- Runtime: 117 minutes
- Director: Tom Wright
- Main cast: Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Jada Alberts
- Genre: Crime/drama/thriller
- Ratings: 6.6 – IMDB / 91% – Rotten Tomatoes
In Australia, an undercover cop works to get close to a man suspected of horrific crimes. The two develop a friendship as the cop is forced deeper and deeper undercover, earning trust from the man until a fateful confrontation.
This Netflix original, based on a true story, is a simmering thriller with killer performances by stars Joel Edgerton and Sean Harries. A smart entry in a long line of crime films about undercover operations, including Deep Cover and Reservoir Dogs.
Headshot (2016)
- Rating: TV-MA
- Runtime: 117
- Director: Timo Tjahjanto
- Main cast: Iko Uwais, Chelsea Islan, Sunny Pang, Julie Estelle, David Hendrawan, Very Tri Yulisman, Zack Lee
- Genre: Action, Thriller
- IMDB rating: 6.3
When a man washes ashore and wakes from a coma, with only vague memories of violence and no knowledge of his own identity, he finds himself in a conflict with a powerful drug lord, and his phenomenal and mysterious killing abilities suddenly come in handy.
If you’re looking for high-octane action, look no further than Headshot. The film features unbelievable martial arts from some of the world’s best, including The Raid’s Iko Uwais.
The Highwaymen (2019)
What you need to know:
- Rating: R
- Runtime: 132 minutes
- Director: John Lee Hancock
- Main cast: Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch
- Genre: Crime/drama
- Ratings: 6.9 – IMDB / 58% – Rotten Tomatoes
Notorious celebrity outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are on the run in this 2019 Netflix crime movie. As they continue their crime spree, former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault come out of retirement to help with the manhunt.
Sadly, Bonnie and Clyde, one of the best gangster films of all time, isn’t on Netflix, but this Netflix original offers an interesting perspective, showing how the iconic true-life crooks evaded capture for so long. If you enjoyed the 1967 film, check this one out next.
Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.
That’s our collection of the best gangster movies on Netflix right now! We will update this list as new movies arrive — or, unfortunately, some of the films on this list leave the streaming service.
