The Godfather has been voted the UK’s favourite gangster movie of all time
The Godfather has been voted the UK’s favourite gangster movie of all time, according to new national research published today1.
The study saw the Francis Ford Coppola film take top spot (22%), beating Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (20%) and Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (18%), according to research carried out by Showcase Cinemas.
The cinema group commissioned the study to celebrate its flashback screenings of all three movies from The Godfather franchise, the first of which hit the big screen 50 years ago.
The UK’s favourite actor in a gangster movie went to big screen legend Robert De Niro. De Niro’s gritty portrayal of mafia man Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas earned him top honours (25%), while Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone in The Godfather (23%) and Samuel L. Jackson’s darkly comical Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction (17%) rounded off the top three.
The Godfather (26%), Scarface (19%) and Ocean’s Thirteen (13%), were named Pacino’s best gangster movies, while Goodfellas (23%), The Godfather Part II (21%) and The Untouchables (18%) were voted as De Niro’s top three.
Elsewhere, the iconic line from The Godfather Part II, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”, was named the nation’s favourite quote from a gangster film with a quarter of the votes (25%), while “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse” (23%) from the first film in the trilogy and “Say hello to my little friend” from Scarface (17%) followed closely behind.
In a surprising result, the iconic dance-off between John Travolta and Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction was voted the best scene from a gangster movie (18%), with Michael Corleone shooting Captain McCluskey and Virgil “The Turk” Sollozo in The Godfather (16%) coming second and the climactic Mexican standoff in Reservoir Dogs (14%) coming third.
But which decade produced the best gangster movies?
The poll revealed that the 1980s took top spot with almost one in four votes (23%). Meanwhile, the 1970s (21%) and the 1990s (20%) were both selected by around one in five people.
Elsewhere, almost half of Brits (49%) believe that The Godfather is one of the best film franchises of all time, with fewer than one in ten (9%) disagreeing with the claim.
Mark Barlow, UK General Manager for Showcase Cinemas, said: “The big screen has provided us with so many iconic gangster movies over the years, so it’s really hard to pick just one as a favourite.
“However, it’s fitting that on the 50th anniversary of its original release, The Godfather has been named the UK’s favourite.
“The movie, and entire trilogy, is etched into the cinematic history books and, even half a century later, still remains an incredible watch. That’s why we are so excited that the franchise will be screened in a series of special showings at Showcase Cinemas up and down the country.
“If you’re an older fan of the film, then come down and roll back the years, and if you’re younger and have never seen it, then you’re in for a treat.”
There was a significant generational divide in the vote though. When it came to over 65s, more than a quarter (26%) voted Bonnie and Clyde as their number one gangster movie. Meanwhile, Brits aged 45-54 went for Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas (26%).
There was also a gender divide, with over a third of women (35%) saying that they do not watch gangster movies at all, compared to a vast minority of men (15%).
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, The Godfather is now being screened at select Showcase Cinemas nationwide, with tickets available now: https://www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/film-info/the-godfather-50th-anniversary
Tickets are also available for sequels, with Part 2 screening on 6 and 7 March: https://www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/film-info/the-godfather-part-ii
and Part 3 showing on 13 and 14 March: https://www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/film-info/_the-godfather-coda-the-death-of-michael-corleone
UK’S TOP TEN GANGSTER MOVIES
1. THE GODFATHER (22%)
2. PULP FICTION (20%)
3. GOODFELLAS (18%)
4. RESERVOIR DOGS (16%)
5. BONNIE AND CLYDE (15%)
6. THE UNTOUCHABLES (14%)
7. SCARFACE (13%)
8. GANGS OF NEW YORK (13%)
9. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (13%)
10. BUGSY MALONE (12%)
UK’S TOP TEN ACTORS IN A GANGSTER MOVIE
1. ROBERT DE NIRO (25%)
2. AL PACINO (23%)
3. SAMUEL L. JACKSON (17%)
4. MARLON BRANDO (14%)
5. LIAM NEESON (14%)
6. TOM HARDY (14%)
7. DENZEL WASHINGTON (14%)
8. JOE PESCI (13%)
9. MICHAEL CAINE (13%)
10. SEAN CONNERY (13%)