Michael Corleone: My father is no different than any powerful man, any man who's responsible for a lot of people, like a senator or a president.
Kay Adams: Do you know how naïve you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed!
Michael Corleone: Oh. Who's being naïve, Kay?
Kay Adams: Do you know how naïve you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don't have men killed!
Michael Corleone: Oh. Who's being naïve, Kay?
Nice wiki you got here, it'd be a real shame if something bad happened to it.
We represent all sorts of legitimate businesses, from youth clubs to international interests, if you know what I mean.
What? You want in on The Con? How do you know about that? Have you been comparing with Terrorism Tropes or contrasting with Cops and Detectives?
Tropes:
Criminal groups (by ethnic/national origin)- The Cartel: Latin American gangsters and mobsters, who are usually specialized in drug trafficking.
- Gangbangers: At least in the United States, these guys are often (though not always) depicted as being black or (mestizo) Hispanicnote . Unless they're white (see below).
- Generic Ethnic Crime Gang: Criminal groups tend to be mostly or entirely composed of people from the same ethnic background.
- The Irish Mob: Irish gangsters and mobsters.
- Kosher Nostra: Jewish gangsters and mobsters.
- London Gangster: British gangsters and mobsters.
- The Mafia: Italian gangsters and mobsters.
- The Mafiya: Gangsters and mobsters from Russia (or other nations of the former Soviet Union).
- Metro-Specific Underworld: Certain types of gangs tend to dominate the local underworld in particular geographic regions.
- Ruthless Foreign Gangsters: Newcomer immigrant criminals who are more fearsome than the preestablished local crooks.
- Those Wacky Nazis: Neo-Nazi skinheads and other white supremacist prison/street gangs.
- The Triads and the Tongs: Chinese gangsters and mobsters.
- White Gangbangers: Street gangsters of (non-Hispanic) white European descent, often depicted in contrast to gangbangers of color.
- Yakuza: Japanese gangsters and mobsters.
- The Yardies: English gangsters and mobsters.
Criminal groups (other types)
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: Biker gangs (or outlaw motorcycle clubs) are criminal groups whose preferred mode of transportation are motorcycles.
- Bandit Clan: A rural outlaw gang which specializes in robbing people traveling through remote areas of the countryside.
- Caper Crew: A gang of thieves who plan complicated heists and robberies.
- Criminal Found Family: When a gang of thugs and outlaws treat each other like brothers.
- The Family for the Whole Family: Humorously incompetent mobsters.
- Gangbangers: Street gangs from poor urban neighborhoods, usually smaller than fully-fledged crime syndicates.
- Gang of Hats: A criminal gang which has a gimmicky motif (like matching uniforms).
- Human Traffickers: These criminals illegally smuggle live human beings (especially undocumented migrants); often selling them into forced labor or even involuntary prostitution.
- Murder, Inc.: An entire gang of hitmen.
- Nebulous Criminal Conspiracy: An evil secret society that rules over the criminal underworld.
- Neighbourhood-Friendly Gangsters: Mobsters who at least try to come off as being charmingly genial towards (non-criminal) people in their local communities.
- Ruthless Modern Pirates: A gang of marauders who rob people traveling by sea, just like historical pirates of the distant past. But as they live in modern times, they also tend to have connections to a more contemporary criminal underworld.
- The Syndicate: A large and powerful criminal organization, definitely bigger and badder than any of the minor street gangs.
- Thieves' Guild: When all illegal activity in a particular area is strictly controlled and regulated by a local criminal organization.
- Totally Not a Criminal Front: A criminal organization hides behind a paper-thin business front.
Individual criminals (and other characters)
- Arms Dealer: A black market merchant who sells illegally smuggled weapons to the criminal underworld.
- Bantering Baddie Buddies: A pair of hired guns engaging in witty banter while committing crimes.
- The Consigliere: The Don's closest advisor and second-in-command.
- The Don: A crime lord, gang leader, or mob boss. This man is the head honcho of any particular criminal organization.
- Friend in the Black Market: Someone who has direct connections to the black market, whether as a merchant or deliveryman of illegal goods.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: An ex-military veteran who became a professional criminal. Their combat training or wartime experiences tend to make them very deadly and effective for gang warfare.
- Gayngster: LGBT gangsters and mobsters.
- The Informant: A criminal who feeds confidential information about his accomplices' activities to the authorities.
- King of Thieves: A crime lord who's so influential and powerful, that all other local crooks in the area are expected to submit to him.
- Loan Shark: Mob-affiliated moneylenders who charge predatory loans to their clients. Failure to repay one's debts to them will likely result in a very painful punishment.
- Mafia Princess: A mobster's daughter, niece, sister, wife or girlfriend; who's spoiled and pampered thanks to all the ill-gotten wealth she's been gifted with.
- The Mob Boss Is Scarier: A crime lord who's very well-feared by other criminals.
- Mumbling Brando: A lot of mob bosses are parodies of Marlon Brando's portrayal of Vito Corleone from The Godfather.
- Professional Killer: Hired assassins, contract killers, or hitmen. These guys are often paid by the mob to eliminate specific people whom they really want dead.
- The Queenpin: A female mob boss.
- The Rat: A character whose criminal dealings make them a valuable source of information... for the right price.
- Shady Lady of the Night: A prostitute who is hired to be an informant, a hitman, or to do criminal activites other than sex.
- The Stool Pigeon: A character who sells out their associates to the authorities.
- Super Mob Boss: A crime lord who's (physically) powerful enough to also be described as a supervillain.
- Tattooed Crook: Many criminals have skin tattoos, which often display their membership in a particular gang.
- Venturous Smuggler: Someone who makes a living by covertly transporting various illegal goods for sale on the black market, such as drugs or weapons.
Other tropes
- Assassination Attempt: A specific individual (such as a high-ranking mobster) gets targeted for murder.
- Black Market: A term referring to various types of illegitimate underground businesses, in which criminals engage in the sale and trade of illegal products or services.
- Cement Shoes: A method of murder/body-disposal occasionally used by gangsters, in which a (live or dead) victim gets tied up with concrete so that they'll sink down to the bottom of water.
- Criminal Convention: A social gathering for gangsters or other criminals.
- Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!: Organized crime is fun and exciting!
- External Combustion: Car bombs are occasionally used by gangsters to try and blow up their enemies into smithereens.
- Fell Off the Back of a Truck: A common excuse for explaining possession of illicit goods.
- Gang Initiation Fight: A gang requires its new recruits to prove themselves through physical combat.
- Gangland Drive-By: Gunmen riding in a motor vehicle pull up in front of their target to spray bullets at them.
- Gangsterland: Many major cities in the United States are stereotyped as crime-ridden, gang-infested hellholes.
- Honor Among Thieves: Gangsters tend to expect loyalty from fellow members of their organization and are always ready to kill those suspected of being snitches or traitors.
- Illegal Gambling Den: An underground casino that is owned and operated by the mob.
- In Love with the Gangster's Girl: Falling in love with someone who's already dating a dangerous criminal.
- Just a Gangster: A gangster or member of a criminal organization who resists attempts to go legit or have their organization do so.
- Mob-Boss Suit Fitting: An important person (e.g., a mob boss) continues conducting his business while being fitted for a suit.
- Mob Debt: A sympathetic person(s) owes money to a criminal entity.
- Mob War: When violent armed conflict erupts between two or more rival criminal factions.
- No Honor Among Thieves: On the other hand, being a gangster is an inherently dishonest profession, so you can't really expect their claims of honor and loyalty to really mean much.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: When the consequences of refusing are worse than just giving the villain what they want.
- Prison Riot: Many (though not all) prison riots manifest in the form of rival inmate gangs fighting with each other.
- Protection Racket: A classic extortion method, in which gangsters force local businesses to pay money to "protect" them from thieves (i.e., the racketeers themselves).
- Real Stitches for Fake Snitches: When a criminal gets attacked after being falsely accused of being a dirty little tattletale.
- "Rise and Fall" Gangster Arc: A story arc that depicts a gangster rising to, and then falling from, power.
- Robbing the Mob Bank: A thief doesn't realize that the person they robbed is part of a criminal syndicate.
- Shame If Something Happened: A villain subtly threatens a victim's loved ones or livelihood to get what they want.
- Thieves' Cant: Code words used by criminals whenever they discuss their business with each other.
- Totalitarian Gangsterism: Life in a gang-controlled neighborhood is harsh and oppressive for law-abiding people who reside there.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: If you bet too much money here, then expect bad consequences if you fail to give back however much is owed.
- Yubitsume: Yakuza members who dishonor themselves and/or their superiors are expected to cut off one of their own fingers as punishment.
