The Portrayal of the Gangster Genre in American and British Cinema in 'Goodfellas' by Martin Scorcese and 'Layer Cake' by Matthew Vaughn

By using a tough cruel façade while showing an ambitious desire for success, they rise to power. The crim... ... middle of paper ... ...ng to fashion, morality, and the prevailing definition of what constitutes illegal and immoral activities. There is even a recognizable gangster “look”, regardless of the era, that depends on an insatiable appetite for flamboyant clothes that marks him as a strutting peacock and a social misfit (Yaquinto xii). The faces of the gangsters have also changed over the years, not just because movie stars shine and fade away, but because the images of real-life criminals have changed. Gangsters have nearly always come from the bottom of society and get their start in the gangs that thrive on America’s meanest streets (Lexis-Nexus).

Some people get the impression that all Italians are in the mafia. Movies can have an impact on society and culture, after the release of the Godfather, many Italian American criminals began to sound like the characters in the film, in taped recordings of their conversations. The film gangster’s stereotypical mold that they are usually materialistic, street smart, immoral, tough, and self-destructive. Their main goal in life is for power and money because they have an ambitious desire for success and recognition in life, but sometimes underneath all ... ... middle of paper ... ...s, bank robbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life. The misunderstandings that lead to bloodbaths, the little arguments that start wars, the girlfriend who wants her man to go legit, all are given in some movies that often finds a great reason for us to want to see what happens next.

The Public Enemy and American Gangster both follow the classic gangster film plot convention of rags to riches, a lust to achieve the Ame... ... middle of paper ... ...e and every changing history. The United States adapts and changes as certain eras come and go, but hold true to certain values, just like the gangsters do. It seems then, that many conventions of the gangster film genre are part of a bigger metaphor for conventions of American history. A country who started from very little and became a world super power through, what some would say, questionable means. One can hope that the one convention that doesn’t hold true is that of the rise and fall of the gangster.

And for this dominance, or rather monopoly, ringleaders do not think twice about taking their competition out – not by buying them out or forcing them into bankruptcy, but by sending a squad out to murder them. Like most things captured on film for the purpose of being marketed, the richness of gangster life, with sex, money, and power in surplus, is glorified, and thus embraced by the audience. And as a rule, if something works Hollywood repeats it, ala a genre. What Scarface and Little Caesar did was ultimately create a genre assigning powerful qualities to criminals. Such sensationalism started with the newspapers who maybe added a little more color here and there to sell a few more copies, which is portrayed in Scarface’s two newspaper office scenes.

We find out that Ceasar is used to having people who are ex-con's ... ... middle of paper ... ...e the most effective to analyse the genre and narrative as they both have an effect throughout the film. However I have found it hard to specify the film to just one genre. I have been able to realise that this film does follow many of the classic codes of convention through writing about theorists. The aesthetic values of this film allow the whole 'gangster/moll' theme to become apparent, the plan for the theft of the money I feel is the only thing that makes this film a crime thriller. This film is hard to relate to any other film as there are two sub-genres.

Initially, however, in gangster genre the accumulation of wealth and power seems unstoppable and in Goodfellas Henrys youthful fascination with the mobsters in his neighbour hood mirrors the public fascination with the ma... ... middle of paper ... ...enrys drug fuelled recklessness which later on leads to his final arrest. The opening indicates the excitement of being a gangster. Scorsese brings a twist to these conventions that make the film and his characters more appealing to the audience as they seem like ordinary people. Scorsese demythologises the gangster world, much of what initially attracts the young Henry is a charade, as the narrative unfolds we see relationships deteriorate as greed and paranoia take hold as characters move from loyalty to betrayal. Normally the protagonist invariably dies in a hail of bullets, Henry returns to a normal anonymous lifestyle he was trying to escape.

Cinematic portrayals of crime have materially influenced the modern conceptions of criminality. People are simultaneously attracted to and repulsed by the criminal on screen. Watching crime has become a staple of our cultural diet, and this immersion in crime both supports and contradicts the dominant social perceptions of criminality. It is through genre codes and representational techniques of narrative and stereotypes that society manufactures notions of criminality. Crime films have had an enduring presence since the beginning of filmmaking.

The Labeling, Conflict and Strain theories are three of the most important theories for understanding what caused the brothers to start, continue, and stop killing the mafia. Each of the theories plays a part in causing the brothers’ to kill, but without all of them they would not have the acceptance and success that they did. These theories, even though they are meant for the real world are just as relevant for works of fiction in movies and books. Works Cited Adler, Patricia A., and Adler Peter. Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction.

Robberies, murder, revenge… some of the most renowned films are centred on some of the vilest human acts. Our instinctive nature to crave unpredictability is often satisfied through crime films whether it is through fear, thrill, perplexity, mystification, disgust, horror, amazement, shock, or even offence. So what is it exactly that constitutes the quintessential crime film? People find themselves being transfixed by this popular medium, forming an addiction to the unfolding and prodigious plots, sharp protagonists and often the less anticipated outcome. As a crime film fanatic myself I can assure you that these elements are crucial in intensifying the overall impact it has on you as a viewer.

Tarentino’s personal style incorporates a lot of well thought out violence, swearing, repetitive casting, and many other filming techniques. In looking at Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, and Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarentino, we see the visual and stylistic similarities between the films that mark Quentin Tarentino as an auteur, and find that these similarities are shown through the intense violence, similar casting, and unique filming of each of these movies. Reservoir Dogs, shot in 1992, relays a story about a mastermind mob-boss, Joe, who assembles a gang of high-end criminals to pull off a jewelry store heist. As the movie begins, it becomes completely clear that the plan went wrong which forces the survivors, who meet in a warehouse, to try and figure out which one of them is a police informant. The crew, which consists of Mr. White, a veteran, Mr. Orange, the wounded “informant”, Mr.