The mafia and crime film genre
has characteristics that are noticeably similar in all productions of there kind. These
films focus on the up rise of a certain person, or small organization, that is able to
earn enormous amounts of money through organized crime, drug dealing, and mafia
interaction. The main characters tend to be of Italian or Hispanic decent, in order to
play characters that reflect real mafia members. These characters are often in constant
struggle and conflict, and have violent encounters on a daily basis. These encounters
often lead to friends or family members to be on opposite sides of the situation, and end
up fighting. The violence is usually caused by the greed of getting more and more money.
Mafia and crime films feature characters that are openly violent, and carry powerful
weapons everywhere they go. These criminals are usually supported by local law
enforcement, and if not, the law seems to continue to chase them with little or no
success. If the criminal is caught, there is usually not much for the law to legally keep
them in jail for. The criminals in question rarely get caught, and if they do, they tend
to make a plea bargain with the law enforcement. The plea bargain usually promises the
criminal freedom and protection, as long as they are turn in the other criminals they
worked with.
Mafia and Crime films first appeared as silent productions in 1912, with D. W. Griffith’s “The Musketeers of Pig Alley.” Following the success of this film, other silent films emerged such as “Dr. Mabuse,” “The Gambler (Parts I and II),” and “Underworld.” These films all had the typical characteristics of mafia/crime films. But, in 1928 the first gangster film with sound was produced. Sound allowed mafia and crime films to be more entertaining because the audience could hear the sound effects of guns and other weapons, and this kept people flocking to the theaters. Since 1912, crime and mafia films have become extremely successful, and will continue to succeed, as technology advances for more violent scenes, and producers create films with even better storylines.
Links to Popular Mafia & Gangster Movies
