Genre Research – Gritty Crime FilmsBY TOBY MATTHEWS

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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.