Gangster Epics

[Leone Admirer]

Choosing out of the list at the top I would go for OUATIA. Incidentally, those who agree with me should check out the WB released boxsets called The WB Presents Gangsters Vol.1 and The WB Presents Tough Guys (Gangsters Vol.2) These incredible collections featuring Cagney, Robinson, Bogart and more are a real delight to watch and are the basis of certain choices Leone made style and story wise for OUATIA.

[dave jenkins]

Could you give us some examples?

[Leone Admirer]

Films Incuded in Gangsters Boxset

Little Caeser
The Public Enemy
The Petrified Forest
Angels With Dirty Faces
The Roaring Twenties
White Heat

Films Included In Tough Guy Boxset

G-Men
Bullets Or Ballots
San Quentin
A Slight Case Of Murder
Each Dawn I Die
City For Conquest

I believe Fraylings books cite Caeser and Enemy as two main elements found in OUATIA. 

[dave jenkins]

Yeah, but I was hoping you could point out citations you yourself had noticed (Frayling is not always reliable in this regard).

[Leone Admirer]

The quote about the young falling under the sword that is above the prison that Young Noodles is sent to rears it's head in Public Enemy if I remember correctly. I'll have a look again later to definatly pinpoint it in The Public Enemy. I've mentioned it on these forums before. 

[cigar joe]

What no Scarface with Paul Muni & George Raft? 

[Silenzio]

Recently, I've been thinking that OUATIA is better than Godfather, part II. I should watch them both again and make my FINAL decision.

[Leone Admirer]

One could also say that the Dead End Kids, both in the movie of the same name and the excellent James Cagney Gangster epic Angels With Dirty Faces could be seen as a heavy influence on the portrayal of Young Noodles, Max and the gang.

[Jon0]

The Godfather all the way.

[cigar joe]

One could also say that the Dead End Kids, both in the movie of the same name and the excellent James Cagney Gangster epic Angels With Dirty Faces could be seen as a heavy influence on the portrayal of Young Noodles, Max and the gang.

Yea LA very similar, Leo Gorcey,Gabriel Dell, et al, never put them together but its true.

[cigar joe]

I think I'd include  Al Pacino's "Scarface" and "Gangs of New York" in this catagory.

[Tuco the ugly]

OUATIA

-the other movies(godfather,scarface,...) are excellent gangster epics/movies,but they just can't compare with The Master

[Banjo]

I was thinking about going a OUATIA vs Godfather vs Goodfella's poll but its probably too close to this poll.What do you think?

Anyway,i'm not a huge gangster film fan,but i'd plump for Goodfella's as the very best.Joe Pesci's performance as (Tommy?) is easily the strongest wiseguy performance.The storyline is exciting,gripping,and not confusing throughout, and the movie only falls down on its soundtrack when compared to the other two.

[Jill]

For me it's The Godfather I and II - I voted II because it's the best sequel (with TESB). OUTIA is very good, but Godfather movies are the best mafia films. OUTIA - a film by an italian, and jewish heroes... nothing to do with the Family and omerta. In  GF organised crime is very important theme - in OUTIA we had a drama of three persons, organised crime i only the historical context. It could be happen anywhere, but GF would not work without mafia.
And OUTIA is a little too long. Forther Leone films temporality is excellent - OUTIA too long. You need a little pause in the middle... Hungarian tvs play it in two parts, sometimes on two each other following days.

[moviesceleton]

I think GFs and OUATIA are so different kind of films that I don't like comparing them. OK, they are all set in the mob world but that's about it. GF is Michael's personal tragedy of how he becomes what he never wanted to be. GF II is about a mob family braking a real family, which used to be loving and caring. OUATIA an ode to America that never really existed. All have very twisted plots and they deal with trust and betrayal, but those are what these movies in the very end are about, IMO. Goodfellas is a great gangster film, maybe the best portrait of the grass roots of the mob, and it should be in this poll.

Eventually, I gave my vote to OUATIA.