Scarface - 1983: The Crime Movie Genre

Student Name Professor Name Course Date Scarface In the West, crime fiction (thrillers, mystery, and suspense) makes up 30 to 45 percent of all fiction book sales. This gives us a clear idea that the crime genre is one of the most popular. A significant number of books and novels have been written on how crimes are committed (Keesey 157). Similarly, dozens of films are produced every year depicting what urges the gangsters or criminals to create a mess for the public, as well as for the government. The purpose of these crime films is not to motivate someone to commit crimes; in fact, they are meant to make people realize their responsibilities toward society. It’s safe to say that the world of crime is fascinating enough to attract many people toward it, and keeping this fact in mind, Hollywood filmmakers took the genre of crime seriously and began producing quality films on a regular basis. In some of those films, the causes and effects of crimes are told, while in others, real-life stories are shared in order to let the world know everything about crimes and criminals. At the end of a crime story, the motive and fate of the criminal are always revealed. One of the core reasons why some people do not watch crime movies is that they think that these urge members of a society to commit crimes. However, the truth is something that many of them have no idea of: no reputed filmmaker would ever love to make the audience feel that committing the crime is essential for their survival in this ever-changing and competitive world. In fact, they present such films in order to make the audience understand that every criminal or bad person is punished for their crimes sooner or later. In some of those movies, issues like domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping, and mass killing are shown in the form of beautiful and impressive stories. Scarface is a good example of that. This gangster or crime film was released in 1983. The story is written by Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma is the director of this project. Scarface is a remake of the 1932 movie of the same name, and its story revolves around a Cuban refugee named Tony Montana (Al Pacino). He comes to Miami with nothing in his pocket. With time, he becomes a rich and powerful drug lord. Other important roles have been played by Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and F. Murray Abraham. The crime movie genre is one of the best genres in Hollywood and various films have been produced so far, with Scarface being a prominent one. Hot Fuzz (2007), The Informant! (2009), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Snatch (2000), and The Fast and the Furious (2001) are amongst the top crime movies in the history (Mcbride 54). Hot Fuzz is the story of a former London constable who finds it tough to adapt to his new project in the sleepy British village of Sandford. The name of the constable is Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg); he misses some of the most exciting things about the big city. At the same time, he is challenged to work with an awkward person (Nick Frost) on a partnership basis. After a series of grisly accidents in Sandford, Nicholas Angel smells something rotten in the idyllic village. Another interesting crime movie that has a lot to learn from is The Informant! It is the real-life story of Mark Whitacre, who was a rising star at the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) office in Illinois in the 1990s. He commits a crime and then decides to confess to FBI’s special agent Brian Shepard. He secretly collects hours of audios and videos to be submitted to the FBI and assists in all possible ways. However, he ends up with a prison sentence many times longer than any other criminal executive. What the audience discovers by the end of The Informant! is surprising and full of entertainment. Gone Baby Gone is an American mystery thriller movie by Ben Affleck. According to its story, private detective Patrick Kenzie is employed to track the missing daughter of Helene McCready. He is asked to work under tough conditions and in a Boston suburb. On the other hand, police chief Doyle believes that Patrick Kenzie may not be able to find the child as she has been missing for up to 77 hours. However, the brave officer does everything that could be possible for him to locate the missing girl. Snatch is a film by Guy Ritchie. It features Benicio del Toro, Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina, Rade Šerbedžija, Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones in important roles. One of the best things about this movie is that it contains two different plots. One of them deals with the search for a stolen diamond, and the second one deals with a boxing promoter who remains under the thumb of a gangster who is always into creating a mess for others. Another interesting crime movie is The Fast and the Furious, which has been directed by Rob Cohen. The Fast and the Furious is the story of Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), who is an undercover cop asked to collect evidence against a group of automobile hijackers. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is the head of this group. The fact is that there is a long list of crime movies. For many years now, such movies are being produced in a large number, but none of them could impress the audience as much as Scarface did. Even when Scarface was released years ago, this film is loved and remembered for its unique story and great performance of actors and actresses. Through this film and other gangster movies, directors and producers have tried to show the dark side of the world of crimes. There are different types or forms of crimes, and it is a common observation that most people do not know much about them. However, through gangster or crime movies, filmmakers have always tried to make the target audience understand a variety of things. The first form or type of crimes is terrorism. In a broader sense, it is the use of violence as a means to create fear among a large number of people. What do terrorists do? What are their motives? Which classes, religions or backgrounds they belong to? Who they want to target? All of these questions have been beautifully answered in Hollywood movies and international films. Some of the best examples are Toy Soldiers (1991), True Lies (1994), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), The Hurt Locker (2008), Die Hard (1988), Speed (1994), The Kingdom (2007) and Face/Off (1997). Through these and other movies, producers and directors have always tried to target young audiences, adults, and teenagers, aiming to make them understand that terrorists are likely to belong to any group, class, race or religion (Smyth 58). This means those who think that only a particular group of people is involved in this type of crime are absolutely wrong. Some of the terrorists are white Americans, and sometimes they can be Africans or Indians. Another prominent form or type of crime is assaults. It is the act of inflicting physical harms upon an individual. It is not only a crime but also a serious form of torture that can take the life of a person in no time. Sexual assault is the most popular form we have seen in Hollywood and international movies. Some of the best examples are Rashomon (1950), The Quiet (2005), Swept Away (1974), Precious (2009), The Hateful Eight (2015), Boys Don’t Cry (1999), and American History X (1998). Robbery is considered a big crime; it is an act of stealing someone’s personal items or valuable things. Robbery is done with the use of force, and the victim is put in fear temporarily so that their precious things can be stolen and brought away (White 55). The top and most famous robbery films are The Town (2010), Lupin the 3rd (2014), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), The Ladykillers (2004), Nine Queens (2000), Ocean's Thirteen (2007) and Ocean's Twelve (2004). Another favorite type or form of crime is rape. Just like sexual assault, a significant number of films have been made on this topic; some of the best examples are I Spit on Your Grave (1978), Ms .45 (1981), Sudden Impact (1983), Rape Me (2000), Outrage (1993) and Irréversible (2002). This act is carried out by physical force, and it is a common observation that the victims of this crime are women (Colletta 19). Murder is the most common and famous type or form of crime that is depicted in almost every movie in one way or the other. It is the unlawful killing of an individual or a group...