They Made Me A Fugitive (1947)

This is a British film noir that was released in America under the title "I Became A Criminal".

It stars Trevor Howard as Clem Morgan, a former RAF pilot who is basically a good guy but has become bitter. He ends up geting involved with Narcy (Griffith Jones), a gangster that deals in smuggling and the black market. Narcy sets up Morgan by leaving him to take the blame for the death of a policemen by their getaway car. Although Morgan is sentenced to 15 years in prison, he escapes and makes his way back to London to seek revenge and clear his name.

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Scarface (1932)

Known to be based on real-life criminal Al Capone, this is probably one of the best gangster films out there. It has the typical story of a young, ambitious hoodlum who quickly works his way up the ranks of his mob organization to, of course, end up being the head. He is so powerful that he doesn't even have to worry about rival gangs trying to snuff him out. But Crime Never Pays and it is the law that is hot on his trail.

What makes this film so exceptional is the cast lead by Paul Muni as Tony. Excellent performances are also given by George Raft as Tony's second in command, Boris Karloff as the rival gang leader, beautiful Ann Dvorak as his sister and Karen Morley as Tony's quirky girlfriend. 

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City Streets (1931)

Gary Cooper is an innocent country boy working the shooting gallery at the boardwalk amusement park. Unfortunately, his girlfriend Nan (Sylvia Sydney) is involved in the racketeering business through her family. She begs Coop to come in on the business since he's barely making a living at the carnival. And it's doesn't hurt that he's also quite handy with the gun. However, he refuses to be involved with such shady doings.

When Nan's Uncle uses her to get rid of a murder weapon, she gets caught. Sentenced to time in prison for not ratting out the gangsters, Nan is thankful that Coop never took up her offer to join the mob. Little does she know, her Uncle sought him out and did convince him to fall in with the racketeers for Nan's sake.

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