Post 6: History of Chosen Genre

Crime and Gangster Films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or gangsters, particularly bank robbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and violently murdering their way through life. Criminal and gangster films are often categorized as post-war, film noir or detective-mystery films, because of underlying similarities between these cinematic forms.

Some iconic crime thrillers:

Scarface (1932): One of the earliest crime films to deal with the subject of a man’s rise and fall from the top. Widely received upon its release and still regarded as a masterpiece it led to the 1983 film of the same name, which in turn was also highly successful.

The Maltese Falcon (1941): One of the first and most successful book adaptations of a crime novel, it was nominated for 3 Oscars and is number 109 in the IMDB top 250 today. It is also still reference even today I TV, Films and also Videogames.

The Night of the Hunter (1955): A very successful film that showed a darker and more serious side to the crime thriller with it focusing on manipulation and subterfuge rather than straight up violence. To this day it is still seen as an iconic piece of cinema with it being number 190 on IMDBs top 250.

 Bonnie and Clyde (1967): One of the first films to show bloody violence in colour, it showed that women can also be seen as violent figures. It won 2 Oscars and is still seen as a defining cult film for its genre as well as others.

The Warriors (1979): One of the most successful cult films of all time with a huge following, it showed a stylised and glamorized depiction of 80s gang culture along the east coast whilst depicting violence against both police and other gangs.

The Untouchables (1987): A remake of a 1959 film of the same name, is has become one of the most iconic films surrounding the fall of Al Capone in the 1920s, with an all star cast and acclaimed director Brian De Palmer it went on to become very successful and win an Oscar.

Heat (1995): A highly successful film about robberies and organised crime it had an ensemble cast including Val Kilmer, Al Pacino and Robert Di Nero. The film is well renowned for being incredibly action packed and having phenomenal shoot outs.