More specifically, it’s the story of Al Capone, slightly amended for dramatic purposes. Although the setting and characters have changed, it’s still the same story of an immigrant tough guy rising to power by annihilating his enemies in the criminal underworld. It’s hard to watch Howard Hawks’ Scarface without being constantly reminded of the remake brought into the world by Brian De Palma half a century later. Here are five more movies that focus on the gangsters of history rather than fiction. Bulger was captured in June 2011, extradited at the age of 81 and eventually convicted of 31 counts of racketeering, money laundering, extortion and murder. With all the hallmarks of classic Westerns - from sweeping landscapes to climactic gunfights - bent through the show's unique lens, the women of Godless don't exist to service the needs of men, making the Western genre feel at once refreshed and yet still completely thrilling.Scott Cooper’s Black Mass hits theaters this month, following the exploits of infamous Massachusetts mobster Whitey Bulger, who led an empire of organized crime for two decades in New England before spending two more decades on the lam. Having taken over positions of authority after most of the men perished in a mining accident, the women are at the forefront of most of the action, with Merritt Wever a particular stand-out (what else is new?) as the fiercely competent and self-confident mayor of the town, and Michelle Dockery playing a ranch owner who's an excellent shot.
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And while the seven-episode Western is ostensibly about an orphan ( Jack O'Connell) on the run from the outlaw father figure ( Jeff Daniels) he's betrayed in the wake of the latter crossing a moral line, it's the women of the small frontier town of La Belle, New Mexico, who make the series worth watching. Netflix's limited series Godless hails from Scott Frank, who penned the screenplays for both Get Shorty and Out of Sight, as well as an episode of Karen Sisco - that is, he has a major thing for Elmore Leonard. Merritt Wever and Michelle Dockery, Godless James Minchin/Netflix But Banshee is not just a thrilling crime drama with excellent supporting performances from Ivana Milicevic, Hoon Lee, Frankie Faison, Trieste Kelly Dunn, and Matt Servitto, to name a few, Banshee also has plenty of emotional weight to throw around. The narrative is often driven by an antagonistic relationship between Hood and the local crime boss, Kai Proctor ( Ulrich Thomsen), who was raised in the local Amish community and who frequently butts heads with the local Native American population. Co-created by Johnathan Tropper and David Schickler, the pulpy drama is known for featuring some of television's best action and fight sequences as Hood walks the line between criminal and cop, doling out his own special brand of justice. For extra credit, there's also the Deadwood movie, which came out in 2019.Ĭriminal and lawman intersect in the great Cinemax action drama Banshee, which stars Antony Starr ( The Boys) as an ex-con who assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, the new sheriff of the small town of Banshee, Pennsylvania, after the real lawman dies in a bar fight the night before he's sworn in.
Earl Brown, Gerald McRaney, and Brent Sexton, among others, appeared on both shows. Also like Justified, the series featured some of the best dialogue on TV, and you'll likely even recognize a number of faces, as Jim Beaver, Garret Dillahunt, W. Much like Raylan, Bullock simmers with barely concealed rage and isn't necessarily above getting his hands a bit dirty, and his complicated relationship with the complex, foul-mouthed saloon owner Al Swearengen ( Ian McShane), one of TV's greatest antagonists (we're hesitant to call him a villain), will appeal to Justified fans who enjoyed the dynamic between Raylan and Boyd.
Here he plays Seth Bullock, the reluctant sheriff of Deadwood, which starts out as a lawless camp and evolves into a thriving town over the course of the narrative.
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Running for three seasons and recently receiving the follow-up movie treatment, the acclaimed drama also stars Olyphant as yet another complex lawman. If you're a Justified fan, there's a good chance you've already watched HBO's incredible Western Deadwood, but if not, this is the most obvious choice for your next binge. Timothy Olyphant and John Hawkes, Deadwood: The Movie Warrick Page/HBO