There aren’t many movies like The Godfather that have ascended to similarly legendary status, which is hardly a shame when Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece is one of the best ever made.
A coming-of-age story wrapped in a crime drama, the narrative spans ten years and sees Michael Corleone preparing to assume the reins of the family from respected and feared patriarch Vito.
The writing, directing, acting and sense of atmosphere are all superb, and we’ve curated ten titles just like it for those looking for sprawling crime tales dripping with guns, glamour and cool.
10 Epic Mafia Movies Like The Godfather
1. The Godfather Part II (1974)
You can’t start a list of movies like The Godfather with anything else other than the sequel, which many people feel is even better than the first, which is quite the achievement.
Francis Ford Coppola splits the story between Robert De Niro’s young Vito and Al Pacino’s Michael, with the latter now firmly in control of the Corleone crime family.
Using a unique narrative framing device to draw parallels between father and son, The Godfather Part II followed the lead set by its predecessor and became an instant classic.
2. The Godfather Part III (1990)
Obviously the trilogy-closing chapter is going to be up next on our list of movies like The Godfather, drawing the saga to a suitably epic and sweeping conclusion.
This time, an ageing Michael wants the Corleone family out of the crime business for good, but he faces resistance from other families and an ambitious and power hungry nephew.
The Godfather Part III has something of an unfair reputation, and as an epilogue to Michael Corleone’s story it stands as a fitting end to one of the all-time great cinematic sagas.
3. Goodfellas (1990)
The first of several Martin Scorsese’s works on our list of movies like The Godfather, Goodfellas might very well be his best, and shows a master firing on all cylinders.
Henry Hill spends years working his way up the ranks of the mob, but fails to see that all of the money and riches that it brings aren’t enough to hold everything else in his life together.
Stylish, smart, violent and often laugh out loud funny, Goodfellas radiates excellence from every frame, and marks one of the undoubted high points of the entire gangster genre.
4. Casino (1995)
A low level mobster is recruited to head up a casino, but the longer he works there the more danger he finds himself in, as Martin Scorsese once again delivers a masterclass of the crime genre.
Robert De Niro takes the lead, with Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone on fine form as a notorious enforcer and his hustler wife, and events continue to escalate once organized crime and politics become a factor.
Few movies like The Godfather have ever been as entertaining as Casino, which tackles familiar tropes and puts them through the Las Vegas wringer to brilliant effect.
5. Donnie Brasco (1997)
Mike Newell’s breezy crime drama stars Johnny Depp as the title character, although that’s only his assumed name as FBI agent Joseph Pistone has been undercover infiltrating a New York crime family.
His forges a close bond with Al Pacino’s Lefty Ruggiero to get in even deeper, but his professional and personal interests collide when the two genuinely develop a strong friendship.
The plot is something that many movies like The Godfather have tackled before, but Donnie Brasco treats the complexities of organized crime with a sense of nuance and realism like few others have.
6. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Told through flashback, the generation-spanning Once Upon a Time in America is a moving portrait of friendship, love, loss and the long lasting effects of chasing the American Dream.
Robert De Niro’s Noodles and James Woods’ Max are lifelong friends, starting out on the streets together and rising through the ranks of organized crime to gain power they’d never dreamed of.
Director Sergio Leone paints an often harrowing picture of the cost of success, one that can stand comfortably among the very best movies like The Godfather that have ever been made.
7. The Departed (2006)
A remake of Hong Kong classic Infernal Affairs, Martin Scorsese puts his decades of experience in the crime genre to masterful use in one of the genre’s finest 21st Century efforts.
A cop infiltrates the mob, a mobster infiltrates the cops, and they both travel in many of the same circles. The basic premise is genius in its simplicity, and is brought to life in stunning fashion.
Mob stories than can be mentioned in the same breath as The Godfather are few and far between these days, but The Departed is definitely one of hem.
8. Carlito’s Way (1993)
A recently released criminal vows to change his ways, but is inevitably drawn back into his old life in what was Scarface and The Untouchables director Brian De Palma’s return to the crime genre.
Carlito reconnects with a friend who also happens to be his lawyer, but they soon find themselves crossing a ruthless mob boss and being drawn in deeper than ever before.
Some of the best movies like The Godfather focus on the emotional aspect of the story rather than the machinations of organized crime itself, and Carlito’s Way is one of the best examples.
9. Black Mass (2015)
Scott Cooper tackles the story of infamous mobster Whitey Bulger, with Johnny Depp giving one of his best performances in years as one of the most feared figures in Boston’s criminal underworld.
After initially agreeing to work with the FBI, Whitey uses the informal alliance for his own personal gain to increase his empire before becoming a most wanted fugitive.
Movies like The Godfather aren’t usually too concerned with historical accuracy, and despite being a true story, Black Mass takes several creative liberties that greatly enhance the final product.
10. American Gangster (2007)
Ridley Scott’s crime story focuses on the semi-fictionalized rise to power of Harlem crime kingpin Frank Lucas, and an honest cop’s dogged efforts to bring him to justice.
Stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe radiate charisma as the polar opposites that nonetheless form a mutual respect for each other, even when lives are at stake.
A deliberately old school effort designed to mimic the genre’s heyday when movies like The Godfather were everywhere, American Gangster is a layered, complex and totally engrossing epic.