Some are loud and boisterous, others cold, calculating and unreadable. But getting to live vicariously through the ones we see on screen is one of cinema’s purest thrills.īut not all movie gangsters are built the same. Who hasn’t fantasised about living outside the law, of having money and influence, of being untouchable? In reality, life as a career criminal seems like a bum gig – always looking over your shoulder, never able to trust even your closest compatriots, and of course, all the immoral behaviour. As far back as anyone can remember, cinemagoers have loved gangsters.