Crime Genre
By Rebecca Logan
Lloyd Hughes (Rough Guide to Gangster
Film 2005)
Crime film started off from the silent era (1920’s) till this very day, it originated from no
other than Hollywood. Originally, it replicated the prohibition era which was the 1920’s
which then lead on to criminal ganglands. Each of these eras reflect societies crime fears
or waves.
Generic Iconography:
•
Themes: ‘Ascension’ killing/Rival killings/The Heist,
•
Characters: Alienated Hero/Buddies/Hitmen/ Henchmen/Bent Cops/Good
Cops/Canaries/Femme Fatales,
•
Mise en scene: Tuxedos/Suits/Dark lighting/ Dark rundown sets/High status cars,
•
Sound: Moody Scores/ ‘Wise guy’ language.
American Crime
1930s - Original Gangster Films: imitated the era
of the 1920s when real life Mobsters, such as Al
Capone, took control of bootlegging through their
speakeasies.
For example:
• City Streets: City Streets is a 1931 American
crime film noir directed by Rouben Mamoulian
and starring Gary Cooper And Sylvia Sydney.
• Scarface: Scarface, is a 1932 American
gangster film starring Paul Muni and Ann
Dvorak.
American Crime
Film Noir – 1940/50’s: Studios started to copy the 1930’s
use of dark lighting, minimal sets and used themes that were
more sinister; wartime turmoil. This included confused roles
for genders such as: Alienated heroes and femme fatales.
For example:
• The Chase: is a 1946 American black and white film noir.
Starring Robert Cummings and Michele Morgan
• Ministry of Fear: is a 1944 film noir directed by Fritz
Lang. Based on a novel by Graham Greene, the film tells the
story of a man just released from a mental asylum who finds
himself caught up in an international spy ring and pursued
by foreign agents after inadvertently receiving something
they want.
British Crime
o British Noir – 1940/50’s: Reflecting post war
anxieties, British Crime followed Film Noir
conventions charting the darker side of civilian life.
For example:
• Dear Murderer is a 1947 British thriller, directed
by Arthur Crabtree for Gainsborough Pictures, and
starring Eric Portman and Greta Gynt.
• Brighton Rock: is a 1947 British film noir directed
by John Boulting and starring Richard
Attenborough as Pinkie (reprising his breakthrough
West End creation of the character some three
years earlier ).
American Crime
•
1960s – Crime Capers: Reflected the economic and social
optimism of the ‘swinging 60s’, with light hearted narratives
and ‘loveable rogues’. E.g. Oceans 11 (1960) and Gangster
Story.
For Example:
•
Oceans 11: is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis
Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Peter Lawford, Frank
Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joey Bishop.
•
Gangster Story: is a 1960 American film directed by, and
starring, Walter Matthau. A mobster is hiding from the law in a
small town and running out of money, he robs a bank and
rakes in some big bucks. However, now, not only are the cops
after him, but so is the local mob boss who is jealous that an
outsider pulled such a job in his territory.
British Crime
•
1960s - British Crime Caper: Mixes comedy with the
heist movie using ‘cheeky cockney’ characters of the
Ealing Comedy era, romantic European settings and
the original ‘cliff-hanger’ ending.
For Example:
•
The Italian Job: is a 1969 British caper film, written
by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and
directed by Peter Collinson.
•
Man of Violence: is a 1969 British crime film directed
by Pete Walker and starring Michael Latimer, Hammer
girls Virginia Wetherell (Dr. Jekyll and Sister
Hyde, Demons of the Mind) and Luan Peters (Lust for a
Vampire, Twins of Evil), and Derek Aylward.
American Crime
1970/80s – Gritty Gangster Epic: Reflected the economic depression
of 1970s with hard hitting Dons and drug pushing.
For Example:
•
Mean Streets: is a 1973 crime film directed by Martin
Scorsese and written by Scorsese and Mardik Martin. The film
stars Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro.
Blaxploitation Films: Reflecting Civil Rights issues with mainly all
black casts and Directors dealing with issues of racism, drugs and
prostitution. Often using stereotypes.
•
Foxy Brown: is a 1974 blaxploitation film written and directed
by Jack Hill. It stars Pam Grier as the title character, described by
one character as "a whole lot of woman" who showcases
unrelenting sexiness while battling the villains.
British Crime
1970/1980s - Gritty British Crime: Emerged from
the harsh downturn from the late 60s and early
70s, reflecting the notoriety of gangland figures
such as the ‘well-groomed’ Kray twins.
For Example:
•
The Long Good Friday: is a British gangster
film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was
completed in 1979 but, because of release delays,
it is generally credited as a 1980 film.
•
Bugsy Malone: is a 1976 British musical gangster
film, directed by Alan Parker. Set in 1929 New York
City, the film is very loosely based on events in
New York City from the early 1920s to 1931 in
the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of
gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran.
American Crime
•
1990 onwards Postmodern Crime: Reflects the
Postmodern age where society today is overloaded with
ideas so borrows references the past with new and
challenging narratives (Hybrid genres, heavily stylised
and blurred representations).
For Example:
•
Pulp Fiction: is a 1994 American crime film directed
by Quentin Tarantino, who also co-wrote the screenplay
along with Roger Avary.
•
American Strays: is a 1996 American ComedyDrama film which follows three interwoven stories of
desert travelers as they converge on a small diner.
British Crime
• 1990s - British Postmodern Gangster: Borrowing
ideas from past British Crime iconography, often
reflecting the ‘New Laddism’ of the 1990s,
Postmodern hybrids offer mixed representations
and heavily stylised production.
For Example:
• Sexy Beast: is a 2000 AngloSpanish crime drama film written by Louis Mellis
and David Scinto, directed by Jonathan
Glazer and starring Ray Winstone, Ben
Kingsley and Ian McShane.
• London to Brighton: is a 2006 award-winning
British film. The film was written and directed
by Paul Andrew Williams.