Crime film genre research

1. Genre
Research –
Gritty Crime
Films
BY TOBY MATTHEWS

2. Formative examples of the genre
Get Carter is a 1971 Britsh film
written and directed by Mike
Hodges. A vicious London
gangster, Jack Carter, travels to
Newcastle for his brother's
funeral. He begins to suspect
that his brother's death was not
an accident and so hunts down
the man who ordered his killing.
He is ruthless and he and the
other characters in the film are
prone to sudden, brutal acts of
violence, making for a very real,
gritty film.
Written and directed by Guy
Ritchie in 2000, Snatch is a fast
paced, raw film where
unscrupulous boxing promoters,
violent bookmakers, a Russian
gangster, incompetent amateur
robbers, and supposedly Jewish
jewelers fight to track down a
priceless stolen diamond. This is
a seminal film of its genre and a
classic.
Layer Cake was released in 2004
and followed in the footsteps of
Guy Ritchie’s films in it’s rough,
gritty style. The screenplay was
written by J.J. Connolly and
directed by Matthew Vaughn
and they produced a brilliant
film of its type. The film follows a
successful cocaine dealer
who gets two tough
assignments from his boss on
the eve of his planned early
retirement.

3. What is a Crime film? What are
their key features?
Crime films are developed around the sinister actions of
criminals or mobsters, particularly bankrobbers,
underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate
outside the law, stealing and murdering their way
through life. Criminal and
gangster films are often
categorized as film noir or
detective films because of
underlying similarities between
these cinematic forms. I would
like to shoot it in a film noir
-esque style but in a modern
setting and not in black and
white.

4. What was the first Crime film?
In the 1920s – in the Prohibition Era - when talking pictures were
beginning to take control of the screens, the existence of real life
gangsters like Al Capone and “Lucky” Luciano and burgeoning
urban violence helped to encourage this genre. The first "100%
all-talking" picture and, of course, the first sound gangster film
was The Lights of New York (1928) - it enhanced
the urban crime dramas of the time with crackling
dialogue and exciting sound effects of squealing
getaway car tires and gunshots.

5. Prominent Crime Film Directors
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American
film director, screenwriter, producer,
actor, and film historian. Part of the New
Hollywood wave of filmmaking, he is
widely regarded as one of the most
significant and influential filmmakers in
cinema history. His most famous films
include Goodfellas (1990), Taxi Driver
(1976), Raging Bull (1980) and Gangs of
New York (2002)
Born on September 10, 1968, in Hertfordshire,
England, director Guy Ritchie was lauded for
his debut feature film, the crime caper Lock,
Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). He
stepped further into the spotlight by
marrying pop star Madonna; the marriage
lasted from 2000 to 2008. Ritchie's career hit
a low point with Swept Away(2002), but he
found success again when he
directed Sherlock Holmes (2009).

6. Prominent Crime Film Actors
Credits:
-Taxi Driver
-The Godfather Part II
-Goodfellas
-Mean streets
-Once Upon a Time in
America
-Casino
-Heat
Credits:
-The Godfather
-The Godfather Part II
-The Godfather Part III
-Scarface
-Heat
-Dog Day Afternoon
-Serpico
-Donnie Brasco

7. Crime Film Awards
The Crime Thriller Awards is a British awards ceremony
dedicated to crime thriller fiction. The inaugural event was held
on 3 October 2008 at the Grosvenor Hotel, hosted by comedian
and Jonathan Creek actor Alan Davies. It was televised
on ITV3 on 6 October. The ceremony was preceded by seven
weeks of crime-thriller-related programming on ITV3.