Gangster film date back to near the beginning of cinema during the silent era, one of the earliest examples of a film in this genre is "The musketeers of Pig Alley", made in 1912 it is a film based on the organised crime which is a convention of the genre. Earlier films of the genre had been produced as early as 1904, however these films were single reel and had not survived. Probably the most significant moment in history for the gangster film genre was the 1920's prohibition era in which alcohol was outlawed, along with an influx of immigrants into the United states organised crime flourished and led to the significance of real life figures such as Al Capone being publicise to a great degree. Since the prohibition era there have been many film adaptations of the events surrounding that time period, many of them including the roles of historical figures like Al Capone.
Fast forward to the 1970's and 80's and the crime/gangster genre is at its peak releasing such classic films as The Godfather, The French Connection and Scarface. These years saw classic directors of the genre brought to the top of the filmmaking industry such as Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola.
The 1990's also had their fair share of memorable gangster films, this was the decade that saw Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie rise to the top of the gangster film genre with films like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Snatch. In terms of critical acclaim the gangster genre remains one of the most successful genres there is with films like The Godfather and Goodfellas, among many others, achieving academy recognition earning them oscars.
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