Gangster genre

[Ronald_t]

Hi guys,

My name s Ronald and i would like to ask this question which i am currently studyin in media studies and would like to know your thoughts.





Can films like City of God and La Haine be classed as gangster films?

[Steve Crook]

name='Ronald_t']Hi guys,

My name s Ronald and i would like to ask this question which i am currently studyin in media studies and would like to know your thoughts.





Can films like City of God and La Haine be classed as gangster films?

There are no rules for classifying films, and there's little agreement

If you want to classify them as gangster films then you go ahead and do so. But how would you justify it?



What would you describe as a gangster film? How would you define a "gangster film"? Which crime dramas would you include, and which would you exclude?



Steve

[billy bentley]

I guess it would first depend on your definition of gangster - my Yankee dictionary quotes " a member of an organised group of criminals; racketeer". I would have thought that a gangster's primary source of income would have come from organised or regular criminal activity, no ? That would exclude "one timers" and "part timers".

[Woogyman]

You need to ask yourself, what makes up a "Gangster/Crime" film? Look into plot, themes and characters!



Crime and Gangster Films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or gangsters, particularly bankrobbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and violently murdering their way through life. In the 1940s, a new type of crime thriller emerged, more dark and cynical. Criminal and gangster films are often categorized as post-war film noir or detective-mystery films - because of underlying similarities between these cinematic forms.



So, are City of God and La Haine still gangster films? or post-war film noir or detective-mystery films? Look into all three genres!



Film gangsters are usually materialistic, street-smart, immoral, meglo-maniacal, and self-destructive. Rivalry with other criminals in gangster warfare is often a significant plot characteristic. Crime plots also include questions such as how the criminal will be apprehended by police, private eyes, special agents or lawful authorities, or mysteries such as who stole the valued object. They rise to power with a tough cruel facade while showing an ambitious desire for success and recognition, but underneath they can express sensitivity and gentleness.



Gangster films are morality tales: Horatio Alger or 'pursuit of the American Dream' success stories turned upside down in which criminals live in an inverted dream world of success and wealth. Often from poor immigrant families, gangster characters often fall prey to crime in the pursuit of wealth, status, and material possessions (clothes and cars), because all other "normal" avenues to the top are unavailable to them. Although they are doomed to failure and inevitable death (usually violent), criminals are sometimes portrayed as the victims of circumstance, because the stories are told from their point of view.



Hope this helps Ronald!