Hollywood Movies Do Not Glorify

Hollywood movies do not glorify criminal behavior. On the contrary, the industry glorifies the hero and stigmatizes the criminal for his behavior and crimes against society. American gangster movies' initial depictions of criminals were at first a sordid fascination, as exemplified by the film noir genre in Hollywood during the late 1940s and into the early 1960s. In the 1970s, the black exploitation films depicted black gangsters who were pimps, robbers and criminals involved with gangs and drugs (Stanfield, 281). The 1990s Hollywood black "hood" movies was an example of how black commercial cinema attempted to get into the mass market, but then perpetuated criminal stereotypes of young Black men involved with gangs and rap music stardom (Murby, 263). Hollywood directors Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese also created and perpetuated Italian mafia stereotypes in their films, which tell the story of Italian-American families being subjected the ravages of criminal behavior and violence related to the underworld of drugs and Italian mobs. All these depictions of criminals show that while their stories fascinated the American public, their criminality was considered deplorable and was a source of much anxiety surrounding the growing "social problem" of criminals in the American society.

In fact, the cinematic depictions of the American gangster were actual social commentary around the notion of being a criminal and committing a crime, and how this behavior was punished by society at large. Much of social commentary around the criminal and criminal behavior centers on the fear of the criminal, the violence surrounding the criminal act, and the implications that the criminal has on society. This does not necessarily mean glorification of criminal behavior, but communicates the "shifting cultural desires and anxieties" (Grievson, 1) and the over-use of eugenics, psychology and sociology to explain the neuroses of the criminal and therefore the actions of the criminal (Grievson, 4). Overall, however, American gangster films have a similar narrative convention in play, moving from the film noir genre to the black American gangster films one can see that the plot often involved the criminal, who will be punished through his own death or sentenced to jail or prison for the rest of his life.

Historically, the depiction of the criminal in Hollywood films of the film noir genre commenced the exploration of a variety of themes that tended not to glorify the criminal nor the crime he or she has committed. Even before the genre started, the Silent Era of the 1900s-1920s also included films such as The Black Hand (1906), which told the story about underworld criminal gangs that sprouted in "the social body of immigration and racial difference " (Grievson, 13). Another film, The Silver Wedding (1906), is about a gang of thieves that gets caught in the end and gets dragged away by the police. The policing of criminality in both films can be seen as a desire for moral order. Much of the anxieties in the films feature the fear of racial difference and the criminal underworld being made up of denizens of immigrants and the "Other." Bell hooks, a Black feminist critic, argues that white mainstream movies often make people of diverse ethnic backgrounds the "Other "(hooks, 258). This is perhaps the norm of the early part of the 20th century, with criminals often being punished because of not only their criminal acts but also because they appeared different to the mainstream culture at the time. Also, Reid astutely points out that in the classical Hollywood films of this era, "the gangster-film conventions demand that "good guys" be authenticated by city, state and federal agencies" (52). Similarly, there is a tenuous moral order that must be upheld throughout most of these films, which deems any persistence of criminality as a moral affliction not only of the mind but of the soul.

The film noir genre thrust racial differences into their movies and, as well, did not glorify the act of the criminal as much as the punishment of the criminal through the achievement of the hero. Wilson points out that the syndicate films of the 1950s "provided their audience with a depiction of the 'greater menace' of organized crime as a primarily alien conspiratorial threat" (68). This greater menace could be construed as the Communist threat in postwar America, which loomed against the general American public as spies. The McCarthy era infused the public with paranoia over any criminal behavior which could be construed as treason or as a result of a psychological breakdown in the criminal (Wilson, 73). Ultimately these movies showed the rise and fall of a lone protagonist and as crime as a business venture. The criminal as a lone figure ensconced in shadows was one of the most popular depictions still used today. The criminal would often frequent nightclubs, dive bars, speakeasies (Wilson, 82) and are usually very aware of how guilty they are of the crimes that they have committed. The almost obsessive desire to be rid of this guilt is echoed in countless film noir movies. This desire often ends in the death of the criminal or him going to prison to "pay" for his crimes.

The American gangster of the late 1940s to early 1960s was often depicted as a criminal who not only took advantage of others economically but also exhibited a masculinity that was violent and connected to his relationships with other men (which could be deemed as homoerotic by many film critics). As mentioned above and further supported by Studlar, the world of men which the criminal surrounded himself with often caused a psychological breakdown, a sexual malaise, that could be construed as homo-erotic in scope (121). Studlar also notes that most definitely depicted in many of these films is a sense that homosexuality "is frequently referenced and saturates the world in which the hero moves with some uncertainty…" (122). Criminal behavior is then associated with being in close relationships with men, not only professionally, but also sexually. The loyalty between criminals and the male bonds that form on screen were often criticized in more mainstream films, in film noir, these connections were often lauded and then torn asunder for the benefit of the hero to triumph over the potential perversity for defiant homosexuality. The mere presence of the hero who forms relationships with other men is deemed unacceptable to society and, hence, the films often end in tragedy because the hero (or anti-hero) chooses to die for his "crime" against nature or humanity most of all. One example of this narrative is Bonnie and Clyde (1967). The film depicts Clyde as a gangster traipsing through the central United States when he finds Bonnie, who is seduced by the violence his character represents. Based on a true story of two lovers who were outlaws, criminals and robbers, the film depicts the two lovers as doomed from the very beginning of the film. Clyde demonstrates his obvious preference for men when he picks up a youngster to join him and Bonnie. The movie later on shows Clyde's obvious inability to make love to Bonnie; his criminality castrates him and both Bonnie and Clyde get killed in the end by the police in a violent shoot-out. Adopting similar narrative conventions from the film noir of the 1950s and 60s, the American gangster is a criminal whose behavior is unacceptable to modern society. The gangster is diagnosed with having not only a psychological problem, but being a social problem that must be rid off through death or by his own hand.

The black exploitation (blaxsploitation) films of the 1970s similarly echo the criticism of the rising black gangster as pimp and drug dealer, and that the inner city is also controlled by criminal syndicates (such as in the 1950s syndicate films). These films were often directed by white men and their depiction of African-Americans did not necessarily glorify criminality, but did emphasize their propensity for anger and rage at the ghetto and institutionalized racism. Another narrative that subtly underlies this narrative is that the Black heroes and villains supported similar narratives of the 1950s gangster films. As Reid notes, most audiences during the 1960s could identify what a gangster film was about, and that they "also are able to agree that certain actions are criminal, although they may differ on the moral issues surrounding these acts" (50). Also, the treatment of the black gangster differs from more mainstream Hollywood films than independent films, while one might sustain the moral order inherent in most gangster films, the other might tend to narrate a story of moral uplift for the main protagonist. As Reid points out, these films often "borrowed some elements from mainstream gangster fare and commonly suggested a conventional understanding of 'law and order'" (52). The treatment of the protagonists in these types of films often presented the hero as one from the streets who was in charge of bringing justice to the inner city world. In the film Shaft (1971), John Shaft is the primary protagonist who is depicted as a hero although he is initially linked to being a part of the inner city "underworld" (Stanfield, 284). Shaft flashes a police badge to criminals in the first part of the movie, establishing his role as the "good" guy in the film, although he is from the same "underworld" as the rest of the black criminals in the movie. This film, as many others, show that the black hero, as Stainfield states can gain "dominion over the urban space of the street" which "holds out the promise of escape from the confinement of ghetto life" (284). This necessary escape for the black hero often leads to a betrayal of the criminals to the police. The criminality featured in these films emphasized the power and violence of "blackness," especially in the perspective of white directors, which entertained mainstream audiences at the time (Benshoff & Griffin, 89). Although fulfilling various fantasies about black culture and life in the inner city, the movies still upheld the moral beliefs and stereotypes that mainstream society had around the black gangster icon.

The black gangster of the 70s influenced the rising interest in the world of gangs and mobsters in Hollywood cinema in the late 1970s and 80s. Primarily headed by Coppola and Scorsese, Italian-American mobsters further utilized the narrative conventions employed in the 1950s organized crime syndicate movies and 1970s black exploitation movies. The importance of the family prefigured highly in these films, more so than in the other decades, as well as did religion and the notion of honor. As Reid points out, The Godfather and The Black Godfather (a black-oriented remake) dramatized "codes of criminal behavior in an honorable light" but obviously differed in their racial allegiances (52). Coppola presented an interesting counterpoint to the 1950s gangster who appeared to be afflicted with a psychological issue that was the root of his criminality, which were more framed by the pursuit of respect for the criminal and his family (Benshon & Griffin, 63). Scorsese's films were much more violent and presented the criminal as destined to meet a violent end due to his criminal behavior (Benshon & Griffin, 65). This can be seen in his 1973 film Mean Streets where the main protagonist, Charlie, his a small-time hood trying to make good, but fails due largely in part to his strong bond with his cousin Johnny Boy, who is dangerously psychotic. Like the 1940s gangster who bonds with the legion of gangsters around him, Charlie also faces conflict because he must make a choice between his cousin and the love of a woman. The protagonist is still the criminal, and his continued association to the antagonist of the film foreshadows the end of the film. One can also see this in the both of Scorsese's other films GoodFellas (1990) and Casino (1995), where the gangsters who are the protagonists in the films descend into their bloody and violent ends. The criminal behavior is not condoned for the most part, but the desire for normalcy and family is imbued in all of Scorsese's films, even though there is a wistful sense that it is impossible for the criminal to achieve in the end.

The HBO show The Sopranos (1996-2004) is probably the most current depiction of the Italian-American gangster/mobster. The "social system" represented in the TV series follows a "divide and conquer model," which takes from the existence of American corporate culture (Nochimson, 185). However, the criminal, Tony Soprano, is a character that one can sympathize with even though he is often depicted as angry, enraged and extremely violent. As with The Godfather, the familial and social perspective that the series tends to focus on allows the audience to relate better with the main character, despite his moral affliction, which is indeed his own propensity for criminality. However, the focus on family, which often includes foreign relatives and connections, allows for the viewer to connect to the main characters' passion (Nochimson, 186). While the "good guys" (as represented by police, federal agents and the law), are often not depicted with any familial ties. This ultimately causes the audience to adhere to the foreign which allows the criminal to be more acceptable. The psychological unrest that Tony experiences, however, demonstrates the perpetual imbalance of his life, as he is often afflicted with guilt but then also engages in psychopathic behavior in a consistent basis (which is part of the lifestyle that he chooses to be a part of in the series). The criminal behavior he exhibits is still there but the humanity in the criminal is layered throughout his actions and responses. This varied perspective on the modern gangster gives the viewer a sense that the higher moral ground does not excuse the vast complexity of human emotions (Nochisom, 201).