Since the initial publication of the first three groundbreaking volumes -- horror, science fiction, and the western -- the overlook film encyclopedia series has been deemed the most authoritative, stylish, and compulsive...Since the initial publication of the first three groundbreaking volumes -- horror, science fiction, and the western -- the overlook film encyclopedia series has been deemed the most authoritative, stylish, and compulsively readable film reference series ever. In the gangster film, series editor Phil Hardy has created yet again a landmark in film reference.included in this lavish volume are critical entries on more than 1,500 gangster films, complete with plot synapses and credits, and 650 black and white photographs to capture the look of this exciting genre.