Top 10 movie gangsters

See the legends Johnny Depp has to live up to in ‘Public Enemies’

By S. James Snyder, Special to Metromix

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta. It’s a fun life—until you wind up either dead or behind bars—and has always been irresistible fodder for Hollywood thrillers.

So it is again with Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies,” opening July 1. The true life saga follows Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and his head-to-head battle royale with the FBI’s top agent, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). Like so many Mann movies, it’s a tale of egos and obsessions, of tit-for-tat maneuvering and strategizing. And at the center is one larger than life gangster.

In honor of Depp’s turn as Dillinger, we’re taking a look back at the most notable movie gangsters. And if you want to take us out for forgetting your favorite, let us know in the comments section.