2. Crime and gangster films are normally based
round a character who is deviant. Such as a
murderer, bank robber or underworld figures.
These people operate outside of the law. Often
they would have some key features about them
that will give away the fact they are a gangster.
One of the most common is that they are
materialistic, one example is in “Rocknrolla” the
‘gangsters’ are after an expensive painting.
Another key feature is often the suits. This can be
seen in many iconic gangster films such as
“Goodfellas”,”God Father” and “Scarface”. A street
start focus is key, this can be seen in “Layer Cake”
when he starts to get higher into the underworld
and then he causes his own death by becoming
higher ranked. Again “Layer Cake” shows another
convention of the main character having no name.
This is a common trait.

3. Narrative is key in a crime. They often
glorify the up rise and downfall of one
figure. This can yet again be seen in “Layer
Cake” with the main character dying at the
end.
Narrative within this genre can often be disjointed. One excellent example of this is
“Pulp Fiction” where many different parts of the narrative are split up and then come
together at the end. This is a key part to this movie and is a key part in the crime and
gangster genre.
Often the genre follows one character to find an object or a goal. This can often be
things that are not legal such as drug money or the death of a person. This can often
lead to rivalry within gangs or between members. This often in tales a mystery having
to be solved.

4. The location can often make or break a crime and gangster film. There is a huge
contrast in locations but they are often at one end of the spectrum or not. Firstly a
lot of classic gangster films are based in big cities. Often sleazy bars and in
nightclubs. This can often end in exotic locations that can show wealth.
On the other side of the spectrum you have what I like to call ‘low life gangsters’
, films that have these often are set within neighbour hoods with a bad background
and they have to build them selves up through crime. However, one thing that both
of these totally different films have is that they both tend to have dark locations.

5. Going through characters, narrative and location gives a good look into the
conventions often found within the crime and gangster film genre.