Genre Research

The History of the Crime / Gangster Genre:

This genre first started in the 1930's with the film 'Little Caesar'.

Firstly, all of the males wore suits in the films, which were typically very sharp fitting. Also, they all seem to have guns on them, and a very popular gun used was the tommy gun.

This was shortly follwed by the original Scarface (1932) which was set in Miami and introduced the idea of immigrants becoming criminals after not finding jobs, so turning to violence to find money.

Visual codes/iconography (Mise-en-scene)

• Urban cityscapes at night
• Illegal casinos
• Dark warehouses
• Poorly lit alleys
• ‘sharp’ suits
• Guns
• Fast cars
• Low key/expressive lighting (chiaroscuro)
• Drugs / alcohol
• Mansion

Narrative conventions / Ideology

• Power struggles within the mafia
• Depiction of poverty
• Treachery/double crossings
• Betrayal/loyalty
• Honour among thieves
• Shoot-outs
• Social climbing
• Prohibition
• Chicago based
• Rise & fall scenario
• Contrast between over and underworld
• Ending; a respite, a truce between conflicting forces rather than a victory
• Jail breaks
• Rival families
• Plot around stolen object e.g. Jewellery

Character conventions

• Male main protagonist as gangster
• Gangster (villain/criminal) recast as the hero
• Gangster as both prototype hero & villain
• The ‘little guy’ who makes it big
• The moll
• Corrupt lawyer/officials
• Undercover detective/agent
• Immigrants e.g. cuban - scarface

Music/Sound conventions

• Gun fights
• Police sirens
• City sounds
• Car chases – screeching tires, etc
• Heavily accented
• Fast dialogue
• Italian traditional music
• Rock or hiphop
• Composed scores
• Smashed glass
• Jazz / blues
• Modern rock

Within the past few years this genre has come back into mainstream viewing. With the likes of 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' (1998), 'Rock n Rolla' (2008) and 'Snatch' (2000) being some low budget successful films made by the same director - Guy Ritchie. Whereas 'American Gangster' (2007) was a higher budget production with an estimated budget of $100,000,000 compared to 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' which was about £960,000.

Lock Stock Trailer for America