Gangster

GANGSTER

This genre came into being as a distinct genre in Prohibition America of the 20s, when alcohol was banned and racketeers flourished. The crime films of the late 20s (Underworld, The Racket, The Dragnet, Thunderbolt) and the 30s (Little Caesar, Public Enemy, Scarface, Dead end, Angels With Dirty Faces), were updated with dramatic effect in the 70s and 90s mob films. The classic gangster film concerns itself with a very particular story – the rise and fall of a man who has no patience to progress through the ranks. The gangster is a man in a hurry; his time is running out. The hero has low status but desires a higher status; power comes from the willingness to take power; the antagonist is the society that cannor tolerate the law of the jungle; getting ahead is everything, and the ends justify the means.

What to Watch: Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Godfather (1972), Mean Streets (1973), The Untouchables (1987), GoodFellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002), Once Upon A Time in America (1984), Miller’s Crossing (1990), Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994); American Gangster (2007)