While gangster films are one of America's most popular genres, gangster movies appear in every film industry across the world. With contributions from an international panel of experts, A Companion to the Gangster Film explores the popularity of gangster films across three major continents: the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The authors acknowledge the gangster genre's popularity and examine the reasons supporting its appeal to twenty-first century audiences across the globe. This important guide to the gangster film genre: - Reveals how the gangster film engages in complex and contradictory themes - Examines the changing face of the gangster film in America - Explores the ideas of gangsterism and migration in the Hispanic USA, Latin America, and the Caribbean - Discusses the wide variety of gangster types to appear in European cinema - Contains a review of a wide-range of gangster films from the Americans, Europe, and Asia Written for academics and students of film, A Companion to the Gangster Film offers a scholarly and authoritative guide exploring the various aspects and international appeal of the gangster film genre.