A Journey Into the World of Crime Cinema - By Josh Samford

Articles & Profiles: A Journey Into the World of Crime Cinema - By Josh Samford
Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 @ 00:00:00 Mountain Daylight Time by Duane

You know, when you really think about it, how die hard of a fanbase do crime films have? To my knowledge, despite it being a varied genre that runs the gamut in terms of style and influence, those who would tout off to be the most sincere of 'fans' are usually the most mainstream of movie fans. This is particularly the case when we are talking about American films and American fans. Chances are your uncle, father, friend or any other red-blooded male close to you considers himself to be a 'mafia movie fan', and trust me that already makes them cooler than your average, but there's even more to the genre of blood and bullets. Like most American kids, my love of crime cinema started with the Mafia. I was a pretty odd kid to say the least. I used to play pretend with my friends but instead of being war heroes or adventurers, I would be "Lucky" Luciano and my friends would be Al Capone and Carlos Marcello. It all started when a friend introduced me to Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas and I fell in love. I don't know what it was particularly that instantly drew me in. I was a violent kid for sure, but at that time I was still scared of gory horror movies. Goodfellas had a brutal violence to it that wasn't necessarily sickening or disturbing to me at the time. It was the style, I think. I was of course too young to realize this, but looking back, the stylistic choices and operatic style of the film had to have been what saved me. From there I went through all of the classics, The Godfather series being the next big steps. The first two of course being the films with the most impact, and to tell the truth, I didn't even see the third film until years later. The Godfather actually remained my favorite film for many years, and eventually I caught two films in the same year that probably changed me for life. Casino (also from Martin Scorsese) and Scarface (Brian De Palma). I wasn't immediately intrigued by either film, no, it was quite the contrary. Whereas I think that the operatic and classy style of the violence within Goodfellas helped hook me in, it was the gritty and horrific blood and death of Casino and Scarface that really made me evaluate things a little closer. Both films scared me away from violence for at least a year. I wouldn't even watch a zombie movie on television anymore. As time has went by, I've come to appreciate what those two films did for me. Any film that can create that kind of hysteria in it's viewer is going above and beyond the call for a simple 'movie'. Now, about ten years later, I count both of those films as two of my favorite crime films of all time - and I couldn't be more grateful for them.

In between those films, these classics, there were so many other great films that filled my time and helped develop my tastes as a young man (and doesn't that sounds pretentious?). The nineties brought about a whole new wave of crime film, no doubt ushered in by Quentin Tarantino and his post-modernist ways. With dialogue and stylistic flare taking an even more prominent role, and the Italian Mafia taking an even less important role along the way (life imitating art, as organized crime was cracked down upon more and more). Pulp Fiction will always be the top film of this era, but in my opinion very few films get to the heart of the 'crime' film like Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino's introduction to the cinematic world. It may have it's problems, and it may borrow heavily from other films (I won't even go into the discussion about Ringo Lam's City on Fire), but Reservoir Dogs tackles the genre with respect and builds upon what came before it. Pulp Fiction does much of the same, but instead of just layering blocks upon the traditional, it chose to tear down the wall and start anew. Regardless, this tale of a jewelry heist gone wrong is indeed one of my favorite films of all time and has never left my top-ten list since having seen it so many years ago. With Tarantino's rise the resurgence of the crime film almost seemed overnight, and this is where I differ from a lot of movie geeks, because unlike some I actually think a lot of the films that were labeled 'immitators' really aren't so bad. The most popular of these films, and indeed the best among them, would probably be Boondock Saints (though it's debatable whether The Usual Suspects is considered an 'immitator', but it is a brilliant film that I sadly don't get much time to discuss). Boondock gets this label often, when it's probably not even fair that it does as I've heard the script was completed sometime during the production of Pulp Fiction. So, the timing doesn't really match up for it to be a simple ripoff, but some people just won't be convinced. What makes Boondock Saints so exceptional and such a standout film amongst the plethora of other movies released during the time is it's willingness to simply have fun. Some people like to dig a little too deep in the metaphorical and take the morality juxtapositions of the film far too serious in my opinion, when you can simply watch the film and tell that it was made purely for entertainment. Sure, it may give you a case of the 'deep-thoughts' if you allow it, but generally, this is all about fun - and fun it does provide. Rarely will you run into someone who doesn't fall in love with the film upon first viewing, because really, it's just that lovable. Quirky characters, hilarious dialogue and great action - a simple but completely effective formula. There were also films from this period that sadly not everyone seemed to enjoy. Two films particularly come to mind; Suicide Kings and Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead. Suicide Kings is a fairly love it or hate it tale of a kidnapping gone bad. Sometimes it's irreverent and witty, other times... not so much. Things to Do in Denver on the other hand is one of those gems I find rarely get their due. I'm not going to go off and say it's brilliant or anything more than thoughtful entertainment, but there's something special about it and it pains me that most everyone else doesn't see it. The dialogue is spiced up from more than just a series of pop-culture references and takes on something mythical with the writer creating his own version of street-talk by creating his own slang for his characters. This, added with some of the strangest and most interesting characters to come out of this phase in time (including characters named Mr. Shhh, Critical Bill and The Man With the Plan) makes it the sort of flick that even if you don't end up liking it - you're bound to remember it.

While this new phase of crime film was developing, interesting things were happening outside of it as well. Brian De Palma returned to the crime genre with Al Pacino to create the underrated Carlito's Way, being just one of the highlights. Carlito's Way may not stack the cards high with originality (a ex-con trying to go straight isn't the most inventive way to start a film) but what makes it so amazing is it's poetic charm. Unlike the brutal horror of Scarface, Carlito's Way is partially a film about romance and love. Unlike Tony Montanna, Carlito Brigante actually is a decent guy. I think someone once said Brigante could have been the man Montanna might have become if he had learned his lessons, and with the history provided in the film, it seems fairly believable. There's a rhythm to Carlito's Way that isn't found in many films I've seen, something that moves the film at all times and even seeps into the dialogue. There's a steady pace that keeps consistent the whole way through, and that's only the start of it's unexplainably great qualities. Abel Ferrara also started making some interesting detours in the genre with his King of New York and Bad Liutenant. The former being a story of what would happen if Robin Hood were ruthless in his pursuit of making things right amongst the poorest of his people and the latter being the story of a cop who goes so far over the edge that he sees no way back - and desperately seeks redemption. Both films are intriguing in their own ways. King of New York is undoubtedly the more popular and strictly 'crime' in it's execution, but I'm not so sure if it's the better film. Granted, both movies are pretty far from being mainstream-friendly, but Bad Liuetenant pushes buttons most didn't even know existed - and in the end has a more positive message than most Disney films. Well, that may be pushing it, but if you haven't seen it, I can guarantee you've never seen the act of redemption handled in such a way as it is in Bad Liuetenant.

Some of these films mentioned I've just discovered in the past year or two, some I've re-discovered, but amongst my most recent ventures into crime cinema my main interest of course lies with what the Asians are doing. I can't help it, you know me, I'm a sucker for the foreign market. The Japanese have been quite successful with their tales of crime and the Yakuza since the early seventies, when directors like kinji fukasaku and Seijin Suzuki started doing things with the genre that have rarely been duplicated. This day that same adventurous spirit lives on with filmmakers like Takashi Miike, Toshiaki Toyoda, Takeshi Kitano and Rokuro Mochizuki. My first experience with the Japanese crime scene would probably have been through Takeshi Kitano. It's been so long now I forget exactly what the first film I had seen from him was, but I'm almost certain it was his first directorial film Violent Cop. Known as a funnyman in his home country, Kitano's films are rarely all that humorous and when they are, the laughs are usually bleak. Violent Cop is his most nihilistic and dark film, creating a circle of perpetuating violence and chaos circled around a police officer who will do absolutely anything it takes to break a case - including beating up teens and torturing whoever he has to go through. The violence is brutal and comes from out of nowhere, which has since become a staple of his work. Kitano has directed many classics of the genre, including Sonatine, Kids Return (a coming-of-age film set amongst boxing and the Yakuza), Hana-Bi and Boiling point but if I have to choose one film that carries all of his inspiration and message - that will always be Sonatine. Everything Kitano ever wanted to say about the life of crime or the Yakuza in general is said in that film. My second exposure to the Japanese take on this familiar of subjects was with Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive series. The first film is about as haywire a departure as you're going to find, but still remains incredibly loyal to the dominating themes and caricatures of the genre - mainly because, if you want my opinion, in some ways it's a spoof of the crime genre. A respectable spoof that you probably wouldn't consider to be making light of the events, but a spoof none the less. By taking your average standoff finale and pushing the scales into something truly monolithic Takashi Miike created a conclusion that simply, no matter how hard anyone might try, could never be topped. In sheer size, it truly was the most explosive finale ever.That's a pun mind you, if you've seen the film you'll probably get it. I remember forcing my cousin to sit and watch the film with me and he fell asleep only moments before the ending, and after watching I woke him up with my laughing. Then only had to rewind the last five minutes for him to actually see the whole conclusion. There's something to be said about that. Now that I've been experimenting in this subgenre for a few years now I keep thinking I've seen just about all the corners Japan can show me - but I keep growing pleasantly surprised. Whether by Toshiaki Toyoda's amazing display of youth gangs in his films or by Rokuro Mochizuki simply destroying the confines of genre standards. I keep coming back and will no doubt continue to do so.

Even after saying all of this there's still so much to talk about. The golden age of Hollywood with their amazing (and still provocative) tackling of the underworld. Films such as White Heat, Angels With Dirty Faces and Little Caesar simply have to be mentioned if I'm to get a good night's rest. Then there's Hong Kong and their Heroic Bloodshed subgenre, which helped spawn such masters of blood action as Ringo Lam, John Woo and Johnny To. Still, there's only so much I can say without sitting down for another two hours to continue my writing. I can't explain just what it is that makes the crime genre so enthralling, not to someone who doesn't understand. Maybe it has something to do with our natural instinct to want to cheer on the bad guys, or our wanting to take part in something more exciting than just a regular story about regular people, I don't know. Maybe it's something more dark, but whatever it is, I don't fear it. I'm here because of crime films, there's no getting past it. They helped shape me into the film fan that I am, and hopefully some of this countless name-dropping will have pursued one or two people to check out any of the previously mentioned films - for that I can only hope.