It started like any other night

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Barry Shabaka Henley, Javier Bardem, Jason Statham

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Well, tens of thousands killed before sundown. Nobody's killed people that fast since Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Did you bat an eye, Max?... Did you join Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Whales, Greenpeace, or something? No. I off one fat Angelino and you throw a hissy fit." - Vincent

Why watch this? It's a snappy, stylish race-against-the-clock thriller.

Plot Summary: Max, a meticulous but unassertive Los Angeles taxi driver, finds his night hijacked when his latest fare, a professional hitman named Vincent, forces him to act as a chauffeur for a series of five contract killings across the city. As the night progresses and the bodies accumulate, Max must find a way to stop Vincent's killing spree and save the final target while both the police and federal agents close in.

Paramount Pics, Parkes/MacDonald Prod.,
Edge City; DreamWorks Pics

American Hustle (2013), Director: David O. Russell, rated R for language and sexual content

Everyone Hustles To Survive

Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Peña, Shea Whigham, Alessandro Nivola, Robert De Niro

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"She was the Picasso of passive-aggressive karate. She was better than any con artist I ever met, including myself, and she had me like nobody had me." – Irving Rosenfeld, narrating

Why watch this? A great plot and an incredible cast doing their best.

Plot Summary: A con artist and his seductive partner are forced by an ambitious FBI agent to participate in a sprawling and dangerous sting operation to catch corrupt schemers and politicians. As the plan to expose the fraudsters, power brokers, and Mafia gets more complicated, the con artist's unpredictable wife threatens to unravel everything. The film details the volatile alliances and shifting loyalties that arise as everyone tries to hustle their way to the top.

Columbia Pics, Atlas Ent., Annapurna Pics;
Sony Pictures Releasing

You won't know the facts until you've seen the fiction.

Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I do believe Marsellus Wallace, my husband, your boss, told you to take ME out and do WHATEVER I WANTED. Now I wanna dance, I wanna win. I want that trophy, so dance good." - Mia

Why watch this? This odd, violent little film is one of QT's best. Plus it's nice to see Travolta dance again.

Plot Summary: This film intertwines the lives of two hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits in a series of interconnected, non-linear stories set in the Los Angeles criminal underworld. The film explores themes of crime, violence, dark humor, and redemption, as the characters face moral dilemmas and unpredictable situations.

A Band Apart, Jersey Films; Miramax Films

Four perfect killers. One perfect crime. Now all they have to fear is each other.

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Randy Brooks, Kirk Baltz, Edward Bunker, Quentin Tarantino, David Steen

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Yeah, that's easy for your to say, you're Mr. White. You have a cool-sounding name. Alright look, if it's no big deal to be Mr. Pink, do you wanna trade?" – Mr. Pink, on finding out that this code name , in fact, "Mr. Pink"

Why watch this? It's low-life shenanigans dressed up in Tuxedos by Tartantino.

Plot Summary: A group of criminals is brought together by a mob boss for a diamond heist which quickly goes wrong, leading the survivors to suspect one of them is an undercover police informant. As they gather at a warehouse rendezvous point, the escalating tension and distrust among the colorful cast of characters unravel the events that led to the job's disastrous outcome. The film culminates in a tense, violent standoff where loyalty is tested and allegiances shift rapidly.

Live Ent., Dog Eat Dog Prod.; Miramax Films

Five Criminals. One Line Up. No Coincidence.

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Pete Postlethwaite, Suzy Amis, Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Hedaya

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"After that, my guess is that you'll never hear from him again. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that... he's gone." - Roger "Verbal" Kint

Why watch this? The ending twist elevates this above-average heist film.

Plot Summary: Five criminals are arrested and thrown into jail. There, they hatch a revenge operation against the police, then get wrapped up into doing another job. When this drug pick-up goes awry, the gang starts to piece together a common enemy they have all betrayed. His name is Keyser Söze, a murderous mob legend, who many don't even believe exists. However, the five crooks are requested to a meeting with an associate of Mr. Söze's called Mr. Kobayashi. This kicks things into high-gear.

PolyGram Filmed Ent., Bad Hat Harry Films,
Blue Parrot Prod., Spelling Films Int'l;
Gramercy Pictures

Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything.

Starring: Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood, Powers Boothe, Alexis Bledel, Rutger Hauer, Michael Clarke Duncan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I'm not going to waste one minute wondering how I've gotten this lucky. She smells like angels ought to smell, the perfect woman... a Goddess. Goldie. She says her name is Goldie." – Marv

Why watch this? This engrossing film is really a work of art, albeit it's stylized violence.

Plot Summary: This story follows a dark, crime-ridden metropolis where several tough, interconnected characters seek their own form of justice and redemption. Stories intertwine, focusing on a detective's efforts to protect a young woman, a brute's quest for revenge after the murder of his beloved, and a private investigator caught in a conflict involving powerful forces.

Dimension Films, Troublemaker Studios;
Miramax Films

They had it all, they ran the show, and it was paradise...while it lasted.

Starring: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Don Rickles, Alan King, Kevin Pollak, L. Q. Jones, Dick Smothers

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Listen to me very carefully. There are three ways of doing things around here: the right way, the wrong way, and the way that I do it. You understand?" - Ace Rothstein

Why watch this? The mob ran Vegas. Scorsese, De Niro and Pesci show us how.

Plot Summary: Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a mob-connected expert handicapper, is sent to run the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas during the 1970s. He faces challenges not only from law enforcement, but also from his increasingly violent friend Nicky Santoro and his troubled wife Ginger. Ultimately, as tensions escalate and relationships deteriorate, the mob's grip on the casino and the city begins to loosen, leading to significant consequences.

Syalis D.A.; Universal Pictures

Put on a happy face.

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham, Bill Camp, Glenn Fleshler

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"For my whole life, I didn't know if I even really existed. But I do, and people are starting to notice." – Arthur Fleck

Why watch this? Could Joaquin Phoenix possibly top Heath Ledger? Well, it's pretty darn close.

Plot Summary: This film tells the story of Arthur Fleck, a struggling comedian and clown-for-hire living in a gritty Gotham City during the early 1980s. Battling mental illness, poverty, and isolation, Arthur's grip on reality slowly unravels as society continuously rejects and demeans him. His descent into madness culminates in a series of violent acts, transforming him into a notorious figure who unwittingly ignites an uprising against the city's corrupt and indifferent elite.

DC Films, Village Roadshow Pictures,
Bron Creative, Joint Effort; Warner Bros.

Every sin leaves a mark.

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vincent Cassel, Sinéad Cusack, Jerzy Skolimowski, Donald Sumpter, Josepf Altin

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Forget any of this happened. Stay away from people like me." - Nikolai Luzhin

Why watch this? This is a rock solid, A+ Russian gangster film - a tense crime thriller.

Plot Summary: Anna, a London midwife, discovers a diary belonging to a pregnant teenage girl who dies in childbirth. Her efforts to translate the Russian-language diary and find the baby's family embroil her with a powerful Russian crime family that is involved in human trafficking. Anna finds herself increasingly drawn into a dangerous world of secrets, violence, and shifting loyalties as she tries to protect the baby and uncover the truth.

Focus Features, BBC Films, Astral Media,
Corus Ent., Telefilm Canada, Kudos Pics,
Serendipity Point Films, Scion Films; Pathé Distribution

His father taught him to hate. His friends taught him rage. His enemies gave him hope.

Starring: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Fairuza Balk, Stacy Keach, Elliott Gould, Avery Brooks, Beverly D'Angelo

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I killed two guys, Danny, I killed them. And it didn't make me feel any different. It just got me more lost and I'm tired of being pissed off, Danny. I'm just tired of it." - Derek Vinyard

Why watch this? This brutal film takes on the rancid underbelly of hate and white supremacy.

Plot Summary: Derek Vinyard, a former neo-Nazi who served time in prison for murder. There he gains clarity. He is released and wants to prevent his younger brother Danny from following the same path of hate and violence. Danny, influenced by Derek's past actions and ideologies, is already involved with a white supremacist group.

The Turman-Morissey Co.; New Line Cinema

Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Corrigan, James Badge Dale

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You sit there with a mass murderer. A mass murderer. Your heart rate is jacked, and your hand... steady. That's one thing I figured out about myself in prison. My hand does not shake... ever." - Billy Costigan

Why watch this? Four reasons: Scorsese, DiCaprio, Damon and Nicholson.

Plot Summary: In Boston, an undercover police officer infiltrates a ruthless Irish mob crew, while simultaneously, a mole planted by that same mob boss infiltrates the Massachusetts State Police department. Both men rise within their respective organizations, living under immense pressure as they work to identify the "rat" in their midst without having their own cover blown. The tension escalates into a dangerous game of cat and mouse where each must outmaneuver the other to survive in a world filled with corruption and betrayal.
 

Dad's Preview: What a dream match-up: The director, Martin Scorsese, who made mob movies a household name, and the best upcoming Hollywood talent in decades. This film is a mixture of vintage gangster plot lines, sexy young talent, and Jack F'ing Nicholson, who deliciously portrays a Boston crime lord, based on actual mob boss Whitey Bolger. This film wonderfully delivers - it checks all the boxes: Complicated, conflicted characters - check. Awkward love triangle - check. Bloody shootouts - check. It's hard to find anything not to like. It took home four Oscars including Best Picture and Director. We will glance back to this one and say, "Why didn't this amazing cast and crew make more films like this?"

Plan B Ent., Initial Ent. Group, Vertigo Ent.,
Media Asia Films; Warner Bros. Pictures

A showdown like Los Angeles has never seen before!

Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"A guy told me one time, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."" - Neil McCauley

Why watch this? A first class crime action film with a first class cast.

Plot Summary: Master thief Neil McCauley and his crew plan and execute high-stakes heists across Los Angeles. Meanwhile, obsessed LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna relentlessly pursues them, driven by a personal commitment to his job that mirrors McCauley's own dedication to crime. This cat-and-mouse game escalates as their worlds collide, exploring the blurred lines between their professional lives and the impact their obsessions have on their personal relationships.

Regency Enterprises, Forward Pass;
Warner Bros.

The strangest damned gang you ever heard of. They're young. They're in love. They rob banks.

Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Gene Wilder

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"This here's Miss Bonnie Parker. I'm Clyde Barrow. We rob banks." - Clyde Barrow

Why watch this? To many Southwestern poor folks, the Barrow gangsters were heroes. Texas lawmen saw it differently.

Plot Summary: During the Great Depression, a bored waitress named Bonnie Parker meets ex-con Clyde Barrow and they begin a crime spree across America. As they rob banks and evade law enforcement, their exploits become more violent. The film follows their love story and growing notoriety as they become infamous criminals.

Warner Bros. Pics; Warner Bros.-Seven Arts

"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster."
-- Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955.

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, Frank Sivero, Tony Darrow, Mike Starr, Frank Vincent, Chuck Low

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You took your first pinch like a man, and you learned the two most important things in life. You listenin'? Never rat on your friends, and ALWAYS keep your mouth shut." - Jimmy "The Gent" Conway

Why watch this? A superb mobster film with great performances from the film's stars.

Plot Summary: This epic chronicles the rise and fall of Henry Hill, an Irish-Italian American who, from a young age, became involved with the Mafia in a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins working for local gangsters and climbs the ranks, eventually becoming a trusted associate, alongside Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito. The film explores the allure and brutality of their lifestyle, showing how the trio navigate the world of organized crime through robberies, extortion and violence.

Irwin Winkler Productions; Warner Bros.

The Master of Suspense presents a 2000-mile chase across America!

Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Martin Landau, Leo G. Carroll, Edward Platt

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself slightly killed." - Roger Thornhill

Why watch this? Cary Grant is superb as a mistaken man forced to survive a nasty situation.

Plot Summary: Manhattan advertising executive Roger Thornhill is mistakenly identified as a government agent named George Kaplan by foreign spies. He is thrust into a dangerous world of intrigue, pursued across the country by the spies and the police who believe him to be a murderer. As he tries to unravel the mystery and clear his name, he encounters a beautiful, enigmatic woman whose allegiances are unclear.

Alfred Hitchcock; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

America was born in the streets

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly, Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"When you kill a king, you don't stab him in the dark. You kill him where the entire court can watch him die." - Amsterdam Vallon

Why watch this? Bill the Butcher - damn, what a character.

Plot Summary: In 1862, young Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points district of New York City, seeking revenge against Bill "the Butcher" Cutting, who murdered his father years ago. Amsterdam infiltrates Bill's powerful gang, navigating the volatile and corrupt streets ruled by rival factions and politicians like William "Boss" Tweed. Amidst this simmering tension and personal vendetta, the city itself teeters on the brink of erupting into the historic Civil War Draft Riots.
 

Dad's Preview: I'll put this Martin Scorsese film up against all his others, including Taxi Driver (1976) and Goodfellas (1990). This has a story that is rich and so historically well performed. It takes place in 1863 New York City, in the slums of the Five Points. There two rival gangs (one Catholic, the other Protestant) have been at each other's throats for years. There are stellar performances from Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cameron Diaz, but it's Scorsese rich direction that stars in this historical gem.

Touchstone Pictures, Alberto Grimaldi
Productions; Miramax Films

Hunted by men...Sought by WOMEN!

Starring: Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Orson Welles, Paul Hörbiger, Ernst Deutsch, Erich Ponto, Siegfried Breuer, Hedwig Bleibtreu, Bernard Lee, Wilfrid Hyde-White

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"If you want to sell your services, I'm not willing to be the price. I loved him. You loved him. What good have we done him? Love. Look at yourself. They have a name for faces like that." – Anna Schmidt

Why watch this? The cinematography alone... and its impact on the noir, seedy films that followed.

Plot Summary: Pulp fiction writer Holly Martins travels to post-war Vienna at the invitation of his old friend, Harry Lime, only to discover upon arrival that Lime has died under mysterious circumstances. Martins becomes obsessed with investigating his friend's purported death and uncovers a conspiracy involving a dangerous black market ring, all while navigating the shadowy streets and sectors of occupied Vienna. As he delves deeper into the investigation, Martins finds himself entangled with Lime's enigmatic lover, Anna, secrets about his friend's life.

London Films; Selznick Releasing Org.

Why So Serious?

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #20 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Dark Knight

"Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." – Alfred

Why watch this? This Nolan effort set a new, grittier standard for comic book films.

Plot Summary: Following the events of Batman Begins (2005), the emergence of a criminal mastermind known as the Joker throws Gotham City into a state of chaos and anarchy. Batman, along with Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, try to combat the escalating threat, but the Joker's unpredictable nature challenges their methods and forces Batman to confront his own beliefs. The film explores the fine line between hero and vigilante as Batman faces his most personal and challenging struggle yet.

Legendary Pictures, Syncopy;
Warner Bros. Pictures

Never stop fighting till the fight is done

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe, Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way!" – Jim Malone

Why watch this? A great, if romanticized, account of the Elliott Ness story.

Plot Summary: Federal Agent Eliot Ness arrives in Prohibition-era Chicago, determined to bring down the notoriously powerful and corrupt gangster Al Capone. Facing widespread corruption within the city's police force, Ness realizes that traditional methods are insufficient to tackle Capone's illegal empire. He assembles a small team of trustworthy lawmen who are unburdened by fear or bribes to confront the ruthless crime boss and his network of organized crime.

Art Linson; Paramount Pictures

There Are No Clean Getaways

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Beth Grant

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #16 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of No Country For Old Men

"If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?" - Anton Chigurh

Why watch this? This tour de force examines the dangers surrounding the Mexican drug world.

Plot Summary: While hunting in the West Texas desert, Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and finds a briefcase containing millions of dollars, which he takes. His decision sets in motion a violent chase with a ruthless and enigmatic killer, Anton Chigurh, pursuing Moss and the money across the landscape. Meanwhile, a jaded, tired Sheriff Ed Tom Bell investigates the mounting casualties, grappling with the escalating violence and the unsettling nature of the criminals involved.

Paramount Vantage, Scott Rudin Prod.,
Mike Zoss Prod.; Miramax Films
 

Genres Action-Crime, Action-Thriller, Crime-Cops, Crime-Crooks, Crime-Drama, Crime-Thriller, Crime-Thriller-NeoNoir, Mystery-Thriller; Neo-Western, Western-Drama

An offer you can't refuse.

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse. Okay? I want you to leave it all to me." - Don Corleone

Why watch this? This is ground-zero for the films about the Italian mobsters.

Plot Summary: The story follows the powerful Corleone crime family in the post-WWII era, led by the aging patriarch, Don Vito Corleone. His youngest son, Michael, initially seeks to avoid the family business and live a legitimate life after serving in the war. However, a series of challenging events and shifting alliances force Michael to confront his family's legacy and his own destiny within the criminal underworld.

Alfran Productions; Paramount Pictures

Sicily 1912. Little Italy, New York 1915. Las Vegas 1958. Cuba 1959. Washington 1962.
Miami 1972. The rise and fall of the Corleone empire.

Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, G. D. Spradlin, Richard Bright

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"My father taught me many things here - he taught me in this room. He taught me: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." – Michael Corleone

Why watch this? This film gives us Don's origin story, and Michael's bloody rise to power.

Plot Summary: There are two interwoven narratives: one follows Michael Corleone in the late 1950s as he expands his family's criminal enterprise, and the other depicts his father Vito's youth and rise to power in New York City in the early 20th century. The film explores the themes of power, loyalty, and betrayal within the context of organized crime and the Corleone family. Both Vito and Michael navigate a dangerous world where they are forced to make difficult decisions that impact their families and the people around them.

The Coppola Company; Paramount Pictures