The gangster film genre has long been a popular one in Hollywood and around the world. These films often depict the lives of organized crime syndicates, focusing on their rise to power and the violence and corruption that often accompanies them.
One of the earliest examples of the gangster film genre is the 1931 film "Little Caesar," starring Edward G. Robinson as the titular character, a small-time hoodlum who rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld to become a powerful mafia boss. This film established many of the tropes that would come to define the genre, such as the rise and fall of the gangster protagonist, the portrayal of the mafia as a faceless and ruthless organization, and the depiction of violent confrontations with law enforcement.
In the decades since "Little Caesar," the gangster film genre has continued to evolve and grow in popularity. The 1970s and 1980s saw the release of a number of iconic gangster films, such as "The Godfather" trilogy, "Goodfellas," and "Scarface." These films, which are often considered among the best in the genre, feature complex and multi-faceted portrayals of their criminal protagonists, and explore the psychological and emotional toll of living a life of crime.
One of the key themes of the gangster film genre is the corrupting influence of power and wealth. Many of these films depict the rise of the gangster protagonist from humble beginnings to a position of great power and wealth, but also show the devastating consequences of this rise. The pursuit of power and wealth often leads to betrayal and conflict within the criminal organization, and the gangster's eventual downfall is often a result of their own greed and hubris.
In recent years, the gangster film genre has continued to thrive, with a number of critically acclaimed films such as "The Departed," "The Irishman," and "Peaky Blinders" exploring the lives of organized crime syndicates in different eras and locations. These films have helped to keep the genre fresh and relevant, and have attracted a wide audience of both long-time fans and newcomers to the genre.
Overall, the gangster film genre has had a lasting and significant impact on popular culture, and continues to be a popular and enduring subject for filmmakers and audiences alike. With its compelling characters, complex themes, and thrilling action, it is a genre that is sure to remain popular for years to come.
20 Best Gangster Movies All
None the less, to further your own knowledge, you are encouraged to come up with some of your own arguments for genre elements and themes that define this genre and post them here. In search of the paper tiger: a sociological perspective of myth, formula, and the mystery genre in the entertainment print mass medium. From the earliest articles and books on the gangster film, the genre has predominantly been considered in relation to its historical, ideological, and sociocultural contexts, and such perspectives have continued to inform the study of the genre in recent accounts of masculinity and the gangster and in new studies of the Mafia film. His anger determines the ruthless crimes he commits as he attempts to rise back to the top. These virtual families were created by these youths and were differentiated by two distinct colors, red and blue. The Irishman was essentially Scorsese getting the gangster boys back together, reuniting himself with genre greats Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel.
Top 30 Best Gangster Movies of All Time, Ranked (2022)
Family and loyalty of utmost importance Obedience to authority necessary Working hard will result in rise to power and economic success Police and politicians unable to maintain law and order Crime will pay off in the short term but crime life can't be maintained Men should be strong and women forgiving immigrant background, most often Irish or Italian. In The French Connection, New York Police Detectives pursue a wealthy French heroin smuggler. Children in the film say they want to be like Tony Montana but the life of crime they find is not the one that they had envisioned from the movies. Robinson were heroes of dynamic gesture, strutting, snarling and posturing, possessing a blatant, anarchic appeal. The bank robberies of this young and flamboyant, thrill-seeking couple, which was for the most part, innocent and minor in the beginning of their crime spree, made an unfortunate turn and escalated into more violent and murderous escapades.
gangster film
Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema, 1930—1934. The story centers around an investigation of the Irish mafia starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Matt Damon. A Prophet Directed by Jacques Audiard, this acclaimed crime drama is a modern perspective of a mob film that relates the story of a young Muslim man recruited by the Corsican Mafia in prison. Never had been done before, and is more common in modern cinema, the criminal was just someone who committed a crime, and then the law would go after and catch them. This element or theme of the gangster film can be better understood by using the film Donnie Brasco 1997 as an example.
