Pusha T's 10 Favorite Movie Gangsters

King Push loves to root for the villain.

Oct 09, 2013
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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

                              This feature is a part of Complex's Pusha T Week.                                    

Pusha T takes gangsters seriously. And if a portrayal of a gangster, whether its on wax or on screen, falls flat, Pusha T will tell you about it. Discussing recent crime movies, the debacle that is Gangster Squad came up. "That title alone," Pusha said, on the verge of disgust. "What the fuck? I'm seeing a comic book already, bruh."

So, what's the worst gangster movie he's ever seen? Blue Hill Avenue. "It's set in Boston, and it's not put together well, as far as the look goes. They're dressed like church boys the whole movie. In the '80s. The '80s in the northeast is the rise of the golden age of hip-hop, with Rakim, Slick Rick, and Kane, and they're all dressed immaculately, every day. And these motherfuckers have on trench coats all the time? Fuck that. It annoyed me."

The look can do a lot, he explained. "The look of State Property makes up for the amateur acting," he said, to make his point. Which big-screen villains work best, then? Find out as Pusha T discusses his favorite movie bad guys.

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George Jung

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As seen in: Blow (2001)
Portrayed by: Johnny Depp
Pusha T says: "He was so true to form for me. That was one of the best interpretations I've seen. Not that I know him personally, but the story was the best thing ever. It reminds me of a Pusha T album. You get to see the high life, but also the things that fuck with him on an introspective level. His marriage falls apart, he lets his dad down—all of this is happening as he has all the money in the world. It's dope that they got all of those angles."

Frank Costello

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As seen in: The Departed (2006)
Portrayed by: Jack Nicholson
Pusha T says: "He's the devil. He's the puppet master. Nicholson is one of the greatest actors ever. I don't really know anything about the culture in Boston, but the movie conveys it so well. You believe him, every ounce."

Nino Brown

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As seen in: New Jack City (1991)
Portrayed by: Wesley Snipes
Pusha T says: "I love New Jack City. The crack epidemic was bad, but this movie takes it so far in portraying that, showing how the ghettos were being overtaken by drug lords. They go so far with it. But I like the music and the feel of the time period. I think the clothing was a bit off. It was a little too polished. But then you have Teddy Riley's Guy in the movie, so it's on point."

Tony Montana

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As seen in: Scarface (1983)
Portrayed by: Al Pacino
Pusha T says: "That's the rags-to-riches story. The fact that the movie goes so far back in his history, it takes you from the political unrest in Cuba to washing dishes to coming up to be a drug lord. True or false, it's a very thorough depiction of a character."

5. Rico

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As seen in: Paid in Full (2002)
Portrayed by: Cam'ron
Pusha T says: "You loved Cam, but you hated him. Loved and hated him. The look of this movie was great—the cars, the clothes. It didn't get any better than that. And then Cam as the bad guy? Fuck, man. His character sets the stage for dope boy culture."

Tommy DeVito

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As seen in: Goodfellas (1990)
Portrayed by: Joe Pesci
Pusha T says: "The fucking rogue. He's crazy. Pesci embodied the character with that Napoleon complex, this fucking lunatic."

Sam "Ace" Rothstein

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As seen in: Casino (1995)
Portrayed by: Robert De Niro
Pusha T says: "Casino is great. That movie is shot so incredibly. Pesci is great in it. But the level of luxury that comes with Vegas—it's just the cheesiest luxury ever. Watching De Niro's character get in over his head—he's amongst gangsters, he's in love with this lady who don't give a fuck, she ain't shit. And everybody sees it. You have Pesci not giving a fuck. It's just great."

Lil Ze

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As seen in: City of God (2002)
Portrayed by: Douglas Silva and Leandro Firmino da Hora
Pusha T says: "He's one of the scarier movie gangsters. If you think about that movie, the characters are too young to care. You're living in this poverty and squalor, and you take certain things for granted. Lil Ze, he's nuts. He was bred into this. His scariness comes from being too young to understand the consquences."

Frank Lucas

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As seen in: American Gangster (2007)
Portrayed by: Denzel Washington
Pusha T says: "Denzel is just an awesome actor. When he blacks out at the party at his crib, yelling, 'That's Alpaca!' Shit."

Carlito Brigante

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As seen in: Carlito's Way (1993)
Portrayed by: Al Pacino
Pusha T says: "You hated Benny Blanco, just fucking hated him. Carlito was the man. You see that now, these guys that come home from jail and they want to go the straight and narrow, yet their past won't let them. And you have young guys, Benny Blancos, that aren't receptive to them getting the repsect they deserve because of what they did back in the day. The Benny Blancos are like, 'Fuck that. I'm here now. You did your thing back in the day, but this is what's going on right now and I've got this.'"

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