Movie Reviews
Film and television reviewed the way I’d want to read them — with a rating that means something, an honest accounting of what works and what doesn’t, and craft notes for writers who want to understand how the machinery operates.
Each review includes a craft notes section for writers — specific observations about structure, character, world-building, and what the film does that you can actually use. Not theory. Technique you can steal.
Gangster (12)
May 19, 2026A Bronx Tale (1993)
Robert De Niro's 1993 directorial debut. Father versus neighborhood gangster for boy's loyalty. Chazz Palminteri play adaptation.
May 19, 2026Donnie Brasco (1997)
Mike Newell's 1997 undercover FBI drama. Depp as agent infiltrating Mafia, Pacino as the made man who befriends him. Forget about it.
May 17, 2026Little Caesar (1931)
LeRoy's 1931 pre-Code gangster film. Edward G. Robinson as Rico. The film that established the rise-and-fall gangster template. Scarface 1932 came right after.
May 19, 2026Mean Streets (1973)
Scorsese's 1973 breakthrough. Harvey Keitel and De Niro as Little Italy hustlers. Catholic guilt, street violence, jukebox soundtrack.
May 17, 2026Mesrine (2008)
Richet's 2008 two-part French gangster epic. Vincent Cassel as Jacques Mesrine. Killer Instinct and Public Enemy Number One. Four hours total, earned.
May 17, 2026Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Coens' 1990 Prohibition-era gangster film. Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan. The film the Coens made between their two most-praised early works and the underrated one.
May 19, 2026Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Sergio Leone's 1984 final film. De Niro, James Woods. New York Jewish gangsters across five decades. Three hours forty-five minutes uncut.
May 16, 2026Scarface (1932)
Howard Hawks's 1932 pre-Code Chicago gangster classic. Paul Muni as the Capone-adjacent Tony Camonte. Foundational gangster cinema.
May 17, 2026The Godfather Part II (1974)
Coppola's 1974 sequel-and-prequel. De Niro as young Vito, Pacino as Michael. The film that proved sequels could exceed originals.
May 19, 2026The Public Enemy (1931)
William Wellman's 1931 pre-code gangster classic. James Cagney as Tom Powers. Grapefruit in the face. Foundation of the genre.
May 19, 2026The Untouchables (1987)
Brian De Palma's 1987 Eliot Ness biopic. Costner, Connery, De Niro as Capone. Mamet screenplay. Connery's Oscar.
May 19, 2026White Heat (1949)
Raoul Walsh's 1949 noir gangster. Cagney as psychopathic mama's boy Cody Jarrett. Made it Ma, top of the world. Genre climax.