Tomorrow, Gangster Squad hits theaters (click here for my review).  The crime flick takes place in 1949 Los Angeles during mobster Mickey Cohen’s rise to power in the City of Angels.  America has had a fascination with the gangster throughout cinema history.  They’ve been seen as folk heroes and the scourge of society.  In the era of the Production Code, Hollywood tried to have it both ways with mandated-warnings paired with exhilarating, charismatic characters.  Gangsters may always fall, but it’s a thrilling, infamous ride.

I’ve compiled a list of five gangster movies worth checking out.  To stay in line with Gangster Squad, all of these films were made before 1950, so they lived in the era of the glamorous underworld and all the seedy, ruthless behavior it entailed.  Hit the jump to check out the list.