1. Aaqib Akhtar 12D
American Gangster (2007)
Textual analysis (00:00 – 01:45)
Whilst the production logos are being introduced at the start of the extract, an eerie
soundtrack is being played which creates a sense of suspense in the audience. There
is then a black slug, where the sound of non-dietetic rain enters, and we cut to a
close-up of gasoline being poured onto a man’s head. The start of the scene is very
sudden as it instantly begins with the action, and the fast pace of editing cuts
increases tension throughout the extract. We hear the protagonist shouting in a
foreign language, as he is tied up on a chair – a stereotypical interrogation method
used in gang films.
We then cut to a mid-shot of two black males dressed smartly in suits, and the
bloody protagonist below them on the chair, in a shadowed urban ally (low –key
lighting). The interrogators here are presented superior as they are shown higher up
and dressed smartly, whereas the protagonist is inferior to them and has no way out.
We are also shown the archetypal mafia gangster standing on the left, who is
dressed wearing a bowler hat, and has his face hidden in the shadow. This is
common in gang films, were the criminals are often left ambiguous to the audience
during the crime, which leaves them in suspense. The use of fog in the urban
surroundings also creates ambiguity and forms a verisimilitude in the Mise-en-scène.
During this scene, non-dietetic police sirens can be heard which is common in the
code of conventions of gang films. As we cut to an eye-line match of the interrogator
looking down at the protagonist, the audience are able to tell that something bad is
going to happen to him. Fast tilts are used when an interrogator throws his lighted
cigar on the man covered in gasoline, and watches him burn to death. His facial
expression here informs the audience that he is merciless, and as the camera cuts to
a focus-pull of the fire in front of the black male, he is represented as an evil
character.
At the end of the extract, we fade out to the opening titles capitalized in a white font
against a black background to contrast the simplicity of the crimes committed in the
film and the ambiguity presented throughout. A high pitched soundtrack is played
during this to frighten the audience, whilst the words “BASED ON A TRUE STORY”
fade in to inform the audience that the film is based on a realistic event, which adds
to the verisimilitude.