The Camorra are the Neapolitan mafia; a ruthless, murderous group driven by greed and stupidity, as far removed from the concept of ‘honour' as it is possible to imagine. This is a world of contemporary poverty and slum living where the only hope of escape is via a world of crime and killing. Dark, seedy, and hopeless, 'Gomorra' plays like a documentary; the largely deluded characters dogged by a grim inevitability. Thought provoking, powerful but also depressing and brutally mundane; a rather l find out more...

Irish Sicilian Henry Hill always wanted to be a gangster and from running errands as a small boy, he graduates to becoming a trusted member of the "family". A stunning, violent and essential portrait of the Mafia's intimate details. An award winning film, superbly crafted by Scorsese. find out more...

Two London based Irish hitmen await orders in Ye Olde Bruges of picturesque canals, churches and towers in this clever tragicomedy. Ken does the tourist bit while Ray chases skirt and rues the accidental killing of a child on his first and last job. Then Ken gets the word, and it's not what he expected. Meanwhile back in Blighty their gangland boss, Harry, has problems with his anger, his language and keeping his honour. A dark unpredictable tale, original and savvy. find out more...

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Eight months after a disastrous job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, ex-soldier turned contract killer, Jay, is pressured by his partner, Gal, into taking a new assignment. As they descend into the dark and disturbing world of the contract, Jay begins to unravel once again, his fear and paranoia sending him deep into the heart of darkness. An find out more...

A crackingly realised biog of a man who relentlessly dodged death with a cocky ambivalence that frankly defies credulity. 'Mesrine' is stylishly shot, smoothly directed and perfectly, charmingly, sociopathically performed by Cassell. A tight, pacey thriller considerably enhanced by the fact that it's based in, well…fact. This first film takes us from his brutal initiation as a soldier during the horrors of Algeria's fight for liberation to the end of the 1960s via France and French Canada. find out more...

The definitive gangster-epic; violent? Yes, but never mindless. The Jewish Mafia's coming of age on the Lower East Side in 1923, their rise to wealth during Prohibition, and their fall in 1933, provide the background to a story of friendship and betrayal, love and death. Leone's masterful cinematography evokes both the harshness of the vice-ridden decades before and after Prohibition, but also the philosophy behind it. Splendid performances by De Niro and Woods and a stupendous score by Ennio Mo find out more...

Guillermo Del Toro's blockbusting tale of a young girl struggling to make sense of the violent world around her was a big 2006 arthouse hit. Continuing his exploration of the impact of the Spanish Civil War on his generation (it was also the backdrop for his excellent ghost story, The Devil's Backbone) Del Toro's fantasy mixes strong horror with fairytale-style aesthetics to great effect, making Ofelia's escape into an imaginary realm a poignant response to the cruel realities of her existence. find out more...

An unusual departure (if you exclude the violence) for Peckinpah, though the key elements of mans' inhumanity to man and his ultimate emotional expression through aggression are very much present. An American mathematician and his English wife escape the hostility of New York for the apparent tranquillity of Cornwall, only to find themselves in great peril and finally discovering the overwhelming desire for retribution. Straw Dogs was banned due to its explicit violence, but bar the uneasy feeli find out more...

Bryan is an ex-government operative whose job title, whilst slightly unclear, had involved being able to kill anyone with just about anything. When Bryan's teenage daughter is kidnapped by slave traders he launches into a one-man mission to make them realise what a huge mistake they've made. 'Taken' is a balls out action thriller with a smattering of schmaltz (paternal love), some pretty reactionary viewpoints and some awesomely two dimensional baddies, just in case you were thinking of doubting find out more...