MovieWeb’s Philip Etemesi argues several '90s gangster films rival Goodfellas

On Jan. 29, 2026, MovieWeb senior writer Philip Etemesi published a list arguing that several 1990s gangster films deserve reconsideration as potentially better than Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, a movie long regarded as one of the best in the genre. Etemesi points to Robert De Niro’s 1993 directorial debut A Bronx Tale as a leaner, more precise mob tale with greater character depth and a twist ending, and highlights Carlito’s Way (1993) for Al Pacino’s performance and its moral focus on a gangster trying to escape his past.

He also singles out Bugsy (1991), starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, noting its ten Oscar nominations, its depiction of the business side of the mob and Old Hollywood glamour — and repeats the anecdote that Beatty reportedly phoned director Barry Levinson saying, "She's terrific.

I love her. I'm going to marry her." Boyz n the Hood (1991) is praised for its social realism and its depiction of crime as survival rather than glamour. Donnie Brasco (1997) is highlighted for dramatizing undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone’s infiltration of the Bonanno family — a case that, the piece notes, led to more than 200 indictments and over 100 convictions — and for its performances by Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.

New Jack City (1991) earns mention for Wesley Snipes’s magnetic turn as Nino Brown and for its courtroom scene and tense set pieces.

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