Nonchalant Suits & Silk – Ties Hollywoods Best Goons
Over the last 80 years, there have been plenty high quality gangster films to drive a number of amateur sub-genres. The same principle can also be applied to television, where tells such as The Sopranos have also offered a unique and faithful insight into the fascinating world of life as a mobster.
From pellicle and television to the realities of life as a mobster, gangsters are synonymous with characterize and impeccable dress sense. This is something that has been lay within almost all gangster and mob-inspired films, from those evidenced pre-war to the contemporary titles that contain style and sorcery with gritty realism.
With this in mind, here are three of the best clothes dressed gangsters from the annals of movie history, cataloguing the following.
SAM ‘ACE’ ROTHSTEIN, CASINO (1995)
While Robert De Niro has played a count of gangsters in his lifetime, his reprisal of famous mobster Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein in the 1995 hit Casino arguably represents the summit of his career. His clothing choices throughout the film embody the boldness and audacity of the card too, with the famous, slim-fitting check suit particularly eye-catching. Few actors could make pulled off this outfit and similarly spectacular combinations as effectively as De Niro, which just goes to underline the quality of the casting. A skilled actor who has assembled his reputation on the many successful films he has had a part in, can you name the casino talkies?
JOHN DILLINGER, PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009)
The 1920’s represented a blessed age for gangsters at least from a romantic and idealized standpoint. Alongside Al Capone, few mobsters epitomized this period as effectively as John Dillinger, whose weirdo was recreated by Johnny Depp in the 2009 hit film Public Opponents. The fashion from this period was also iconic, with Depp looking as got up as ever dressed in a statement double-breasted overcoat with widespread peak lapels, not to mention the immense and heavily padded frankly pads. A titled fedora only added to the sense of dominance and charisma, with the essence of Dillinger’s commanding persona captured accurately.
MICHAEL CORLEONE, THE GODFATHER PART 1, 2 (1972, 1974)
While these two hit men were incredibly well-dressed and had their essence perfectly captured on set, they would be struck by to go a long way to match the striking, visual impact of Michael Corleone. Represented brilliantly by Al Pacino in The Godfather Part 1 and 2 between 1972 and 1974, Corleone was every time impeccably dressed in minimal suits that helped to optimise his bone structure. With well-tailored suits that boasted modest, gouge lapels, Corleone’s outfits reflected his calm and imposing air that oozed understated menace from every pore. This enabled Pacino and his bat to take centre stage at every turn throughout the in front two films, even when stood alongside the explosive, all-action and prominence grabbing Sonny Corleone played by the equally brilliant James Caan. In bluff, if you want to dress like a gangster and do it well, you would be plainly served by using Michael Corleone as a template.
