Criminology//AC1.4//How Media Represents
Crime//Films//American Gangster
American Gangster is an American, Hollywood film which is inspired about
1970s gang violence within New York.
The film follows a police officer who is charged with taking down a violent gang
within the city of New York.
The accuracy of the film is debatable. The producer even stated that several
new outcasts and reports were made up to increase the dramatic feel of the
movie and the excitement as well. As well as this, there are several aspects
which were also introduced in order to make a more dramatic effect, such as
the custody battle over a child, which he never had. It is stated that a lot of the
crimes are “1% reality and 99% Hollywood” with Hollywood over dramatizing a
lot of the crimes being committed.
In order for the producer to increase the accuracy of the film, they would
probably have to make a lot of the crimes committed more realistic to the
ones seen in today’s reality. However, if he were to implement this, it would
significantly decrease the entertainment value of the film as if everything was
like it is seen in reality, then it would not be a film, but a documentary and
have no fun action moment in it what so ever which could make some people
not want to watch it.