View source for Crime film

{{short description|cinematic genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2019}}

[[File:Crime film clapperboard.svg|140px|right]]
'''Crime films''', in the broadest sense, is a [[film genre]] inspired by and analogous to the [[crime fiction]] literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of [[crime]] and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] or [[gangster film]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.search.com/|title=Metasearch Search Engine|website=search.com|language=en|access-date=2019-01-18}}</ref> but also include [[Comedy film|comedy]], and, in turn, is divided into many sub-genres, such as [[Mystery film|mystery]], [[suspense]] or [[Film noir|noir]].

Screenwriter and scholar [[Eric R. Williams]] identifies Crime Film as one of eleven super-genres in his screenwriters’ taxonomy, claiming that all feature length narrative films can be classified by these super-genres.  The other ten super-genres are Action, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Slice of Life, Sports, Thriller, War and Western.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Williams, Eric R.,|first=|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/993983488|title=The screenwriters taxonomy : a roadmap to collaborative storytelling|publisher=Routledge Studies in Media Theory and Practice|year=2017|isbn=978-1-315-10864-3|location=New York, NY|pages=|oclc=993983488}}</ref>  Williams identifies drama in a broader category called "film type", mystery and suspense as "macro-genres", and film noir as a "screenwriter's pathway" explaining that these categories are additive rather than exclusionary.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Eric R.|date=|title=How to View and Appreciate Great Movies|url=https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/how-to-view-and-appreciate-great-movies.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-07|website=English|language=en}}</ref>  ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'' would be an example of a film that is a drama (film type) crime film (super-genre) that is also a noir (pathway) mystery (macro-genre).

== Source of plots ==
Crime films are often based on real events or are [[Film adaptation|adaptation]]s of [[stage play|plays]] or novels, or a remake or adoption of a previous film. Some plots are original and entirely fictional. For example, the 1957 film version of ''[[Witness for the Prosecution (1957 film)|Witness for the Prosecution]]'' is an adaptation of a 1953 [[Witness for the Prosecution (play)|stage play of that name]], which is in turn based on [[Agatha Christie]]'s short story, originally published in 1933. The film version was [[Witness for the Prosecution (1982 film)|remade in 1982]], and there have been other adaptations. However, each of these media has its own advantages and limitations, which in the case of cinema is the time constraint.

== Plays and films ==
[[File:Humphrey Bogart in The Petrified Forest film trailer.jpg|right|thumb|[[Humphrey Bogart]] in ''[[The Petrified Forest]]'' (1936)]]''Witness for the Prosecution'' is a classic example of a "[[courtroom drama]]". In a courtroom drama, a charge is brought against one of the main characters, who claims to be innocent. Another major part is played by the lawyer (in England a [[barrister]]) representing the [[defendant]] in court and battling with the public prosecutor. He or she may enlist the services of a private investigator to find out what really happened and who the real perpetrator is. However, in most cases it is not clear at all whether the accused is guilty of the crime or not—this is how suspense is created.

Often, the private investigator storms into the courtroom at the very last minute in order to bring a new and crucial piece of information to the attention of the court. This type of literature lends itself to the literary genre of drama focused more on dialogue (the opening and closing statements, the witnesses' testimonies, etc.) and little or no necessity for a shift in scenery. The auditorium of the theatre becomes an extension of the courtroom. When a courtroom drama is filmed, the traditional device employed by screenwriters and directors is the frequent use of [[Flashback (narrative)|flashbacks]], in which the crime and everything that led up to it is narrated and reconstructed from different angles.

A classic courtroom drama is U.S. playwright [[Reginald Rose]]'s ''[[Twelve Angry Men (Westinghouse Studio One)|Twelve Angry Men]]'' (1954), which is set in the [[jury]] deliberation room of a [[New York, New York|New York]] Court of Law. Eleven members of the jury, aiming at a unanimous [[verdict]] of "guilty", try to get it over with as quickly as possible. And they would really succeed in achieving their common aim if it were not for the eighth juror (played by [[Henry Fonda]] in the 1957 movie adaptation), who, on second thoughts, considers it his duty to convince his colleagues that the defendant may be innocent after all, and who, by doing so, triggers much discussion, confusion, and anger.

== Subgenres ==
=== Action crime ===
A hybrid of [[action film]]s and crime films and a subgenre of action films as well. Most films of this kind fall in the category of heist films, prison films and sometimes cop and gangster films. [[Car chase]]s and shootouts are commonly featured. Example include the ''[[Police Story (film series)|Police Story]]'' franchise, ''[[The Dark Knight (film)|The Dark Knight]]'', ''[[Baby Driver]]'', ''[[Master (2016 film)|Master]], [[Collateral (film)|Collateral]], and [[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]].

=== Crime comedy ===
{{See also|Comedy thriller films|Buddy cop films|Mafia comedy|Detective film|Crime thriller films}}
A hybrid and mix of crime and [[comedy film]]s. [[Mafia comedy]] looks at organized crime from a comical standpoint. Humor comes from the incompetence of the criminals or [[black comedy]]. Examples include ''[[Family Plot]]'', ''[[Analyze This]]'', ''[[The Pope of Greenwich Village]]'', ''[[Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels]]'', ''[[In Bruges]]'', ''[[Mafia!]]'', ''[[Tower Heist]]'' and ''[[Pain & Gain]]''.

=== Crime drama ===
A combination of crime and [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] films. Examples include such films as ''[[Straight Time]]'' and ''[[Badlands (film)|Badlands]]'', as well as television series such as ''[[The Sopranos]]'' and ''[[American Crime (TV series)|American Crime]]''.

=== Crime thriller ===
A [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]] in which the central characters are involved in crime, either in its investigation, as the perpetrator or, less commonly, a victim (generally, this is just a thriller). While some action films could be labelled as such for merely having criminality and thrills, the emphasis in this genre is the drama and the investigative/criminal methods. Examples include ''[[Rope (film)|Rope]]'' (1948), ''[[Dial M for Murder]]'' (1954), ''[[Anatomy of a Murder]]'' (1959), ''[[Witness (1985 film)|Witness]]'' (1985), ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'' (1991), ''[[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]]'' (1995), ''[[Seven (1995 film)|Seven]]'' (1995), ''[[Memories of Murder]]'' (2003), ''[[Running Scared (2006 film)|Running Scared]]'' (2006), ''[[The Call (2013 film)|The Call]]'' (2013), and ''[[Untraceable]]'' (2008).

=== Dacoit film ===
{{main|Dacoit film}}
A genre of [[Indian cinema]] (including [[Bollywood]]) revolving around [[dacoity]]. The genre was pioneered by [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Aurat (1940 film)|Aurat]]'' (1940) and ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957). Other examples include ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961), ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975) and ''[[Bandit Queen]]'' (1994).

=== Film noir ===
{{main|Film noir}}
A genre popular in the 1940s and 1950s often fall into the crime and [[mystery film|mystery]] genres. Famous film noir are ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' (1941), ''[[Laura (1944 film)|Laura]]'' (1944), ''[[The Big Sleep (1946 film)|The Big Sleep]]'' (1946), ''[[Notorious (1946 film)|Notorious]]'' (1946), ''[[Strangers on a Train (film)|Strangers on a Train]]'' (1951) and ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'' (1955). [[Neo-noir]] refers to modern films influenced by film noir such as ''[[Sin City (film)|Sin City]]''.

=== Gangster film ===
{{main|Gangster film}}
A genre of film that focuses on [[gang]]s and [[organized crime]].  Examples include [[The Godfather (film series)|''The Godfather'' trilogy]] (1972−1990), ''[[Once Upon a Time in America]]'' (1984), ''[[Goodfellas]]'' (1990), and ''[[The Irishman]]'' (2019).

=== Heist film ===
{{main|Heist film}}
This film deals with a group of criminals attempting to perform a theft or robbery, as well as the possible consequences that follow. Heist films that are lighter in tone are called "Caper films". Examples include ''[[The Killing (film)|The Killing]]'', ''[[Ocean's Eleven (1960 film)|Oceans 11]]'', ''[[Dog Day Afternoon]]'', ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'', and ''[[The Town (2010 film)|The Town]]''.

=== Heroic bloodshed ===
{{main|Heroic bloodshed}}
A [[Hong Kong action cinema]] crime film genre. The genre was pioneered by [[John Woo]]'s ''[[A Better Tomorrow]]'' (1986) and [[Ringo Lam]]'s ''[[City on Fire (1987 film)|City on Fire]]'' (1987), starring [[Chow Yun-fat]]. Elements of the genre can be seen in Hollywood crime films since the 1990s, such as the work of John Woo and [[Quentin Tarantino]].

=== Hood film ===
{{main|Hood film}}
Film dealing with [[African-American]] urban issues and culture. They do not always revolve around crime, but often criminal activity features heavily in the storyline. They may include [[honor killings]], [[initiation]]s, [[unprotected sex]], [[fighting|fights]], word play and punch lines, cryptic storytelling, [[Erotic film|love scenes]] and [[blood feud]]s. Examples include ''[[Menace II Society]]'' and ''[[Boyz n the Hood]]''.

=== Legal drama ===
{{main|Legal drama}}
Not usually concerned with the actual crime so much as the trial in the aftermath. A typical plot would involve a lawyer trying to prove the [[innocence]] of his or her client. Examples include ''[[12 Angry Men (1957 film)|12 Angry Men]]'' (1957) and ''[[A Time to Kill (1996 film)|A Time To Kill]]'' (1996).

=== Mafia film ===
{{main|Mafia film}}
Film which focuses on characters who are involved seriously with [[the Mafia]] or [[organized crime]]. Notable mob films include: ''[[The Godfather]]'', ''[[Goodfellas]]'', ''[[Once Upon a Time in America]]'', ''[[Bugsy]]'', ''[[Little Caesar (film)|Little Caesar]]'', ''[[The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables]]'', ''[[The Public Enemy]]'', ''[[Scarface (1932 film)|Scarface]]'', and ''[[The Departed]]''.

=== Mumbai underworld ===
{{main|Mumbai underworld films}}
An [[Indian cinema]] crime film genre, often produced in [[Bollywood]]. The genre frequently draws inspiration from real [[Mumbai underworld]] gangsters, such as [[Haji Mastan]], [[Dawood Ibrahim]] and [[D-Company]]. The genre was pioneered by [[Salim–Javed]]'s ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973) and ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975), starring [[Amitabh Bachchan]]. Other examples include the ''[[Don (franchise)|Don]]'' franchise (1978{{ndash}}2012), ''[[Nayakan]]'' (1986), ''[[Salaam Bombay!]]'' (1988), ''[[Parinda]]'' (1989), ''[[Satya (1998 film)|Satya]]'' (1998), ''[[Company (film)|Company]]'' (2002), ''[[Black Friday (2004 film)|Black Friday]]'' (2004), ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' (2008) and ''[[Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai]]'' (2010).

=== Mystery film ===
{{main|Mystery film}}
Film which focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction

=== Police procedural ===
{{main|Police procedural}}
Police procedurals have remained a mainstay with ''[[He Walked By Night]]'', ''[[In the Heat of the Night (film)|In the Heat of the Night]]'', ''[[Madigan]]'', and ''[[The French Connection (film)|The French Connection]]''.

=== Yakuza film ===
{{main|Yakuza film}}
Japanese crime film genre. Examples include ''[[Abashiri Prison (film)|Abashiri Prison]]'', ''[[Branded to Kill]]'', ''[[Battles Without Honor and Humanity (film)|Battles Without Honor and Humanity]]'', and ''[[Sonatine (1993 film)|Sonatine]]''.

== See also ==
* [[Lists of crime films]]
* [[Pre-Code crime films]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* Leitch, Thomas M. ''Crime Films''. CUP, 2002, {{ISBN|978-0521646710}}
* Rafter, Nicol. ''Shots in the Mirror: Crime Films and Society, 2nd ed.'' New York, OUP, 2006, {{ISBN|978-0-19-517506-6}}
*  Spina, Ferdinando. "Crime Films". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology. 2017-08-22. Oxford University Press
* [http://criminology.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264079-e-30 Criminology and Criminal Justice]

{{refend}}

{{film genres}}
{{Filmsbygenre}}

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