Gangster Essays (Examples)

The 1990s also saw innovative interpretation of law enforcement's role in the perpetuation of organized crime. One of the most notable examples is L.A. Confidential (1997), in which corruption has reached so deep into the Los Angeles police department that two seemingly unrelated criminal investigations both lead to the police chief. The genre also proved its adaptability and continued appeal with Heat (1995) and Carlito's ay (1993); both films starred Al Pacino, and Heat brought Pacino together with De Niro in two of the most memorable scenes in the pair's careers.

Prior to 1999, however, the gangster genre had not successfully expanded to television. But in January of this year, HBO's the Sopranos debuted with considerable critical acclaim. Again, the emphasis of the Sopranos, directed by David Chase, was upon realism. One of the most powerful appeals of the series was the portrayal of the delicate balance the main protagonist,…

He gave it up and returned to the streets, where his gang members hung out and fenced stolen goods for money.
When he was eighteen, one day his little brother, Paco, came to him and said he wanted to join the gang. Jose looked at his little brother, four years younger than he, with a round, innocent face and big, black, trusting eyes. Fear and anger rose in him.

No way!" he said. "You just stay away from those gangs. You're too young, you don't know what you are asking. You should go to school and make something of yourself, not waste your time with a gang!"

As soon as he said it, and saw the tears start to come up in Paco's eyes, he knew what he had to do. He was not setting a good example for his brother. His brother saw him smoking and drinking sometimes, and…

Frank ends up in prison and comes out after 15 years a frail and misplaced person who no longer fits in the Harlem streets, no longer the feared drug baron that he was. It is also a positive experience since even in the midst of the rotten and corrupt police force, there was Richie who refused to compromise his personal and work ethics at all costs.
I did experience a cultural shock, since it is not a common scene for me to experience such extent of drug dealings and prostitution and a rotten police force that ended up being incriminated up to three quarters of the entire force responsible for Harlem being convicted for drug related cases, this was shocking.

The theory that best fits the movie and the experiences in the movies is the Social / learning theory and aggressive personality. There is a lot of influence that the…

American Gangster" and "Scarface." Specifically it will discuss the similarities in the films. Both of these films explore the underworld of drug trafficking, and they illustrate how wildly profitable and dangerous the practice is for those who are involved. Interestingly, one of the things that the films have in common is main characters named Frank, but there are many more similarities to the films. They both show the world of drug dealing, violence, and paranoia that fills these people's lives, and they show that drug dealing really does not pay.
In "American Gangster," set in the 1970s, Denzel Washington plays Frank Lucas, a protegee of a well-known Harlem gangster and drug dealer. He takes over the business after the gangster dies, and he realizes that he can make huge profits by importing heroin directly from Southeast Asia, eliminating the middleman and keeping all the profits for himself. In "Scarface," Tony…

Gangster Rap Responds to Police Brutality
Gangster Rap Speaking Out Against Police Brutality

Art often reflects life. When life creates situations that are dire, the art projected from that experience echoes that sense of urgency for change. In today's modern existence, the values of various subcultures do not always correlate with that of the dominate culture. This can often result in a clash of cultures, where minority groups are left to deal with the judgment of the majority group. A prime example of this is the gangster rap coming out of Los Angeles in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. At the time, gang violence was increasing, thus prompting for up scaling of law enforcement strategies. Ultimately, this led to LAPD acting out often much too aggressively in order to curb the increasing violence of the region. The art coming from such circumstances thus illustrates a clear defiance for…

Lac talks about his journey into what he calls the "thug life." He is more into the Vietnamese gang headed by Dragon Head. They drink a lot, curse all the time, and go into somebody's house to rob. They steal money, jewelry, and whatever of value they can find in the house. It turns out that the owner of the house is the father of Lac's classmate. Although Lac joined the robbing, he feels remorse for what he did. He does not want to repeat it but he also wants to stay with the gang. When the Dragon Head asks him for a favor, he conforms. Lac, I think, tells this story to further discuss his inability to find the right place at his youth years. He thought being a member of a gang was cool. He also wanted a group he felt he belonged to as a respectable member.…

They reasoned that reputable people would take precautions against being arrested. If the workers were discreet and protective of their jobs, it follows that they would, in return, protect the policy operation. Teachers and unemployed wives of prominent community leaders, people who would feel a lasting shame to be arrested, worked in policy banks. ("Harlem Policy ackets" website)

Yet, despite all the struggles in her life she did not fail to have the last word, over Dutch Shultz. She sent him a telegram, on his death bed, after he had been shot during one of his many illegal activities. The telegram simply stated: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." From "The Queen of Policy." ("Dutch Shultz is Dead" website)

eferences

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001557345

Arnold, G. (1997, August 29). Bumpy oad for Star: Fishburne's 'Hoodlum' ecalls Harlem Thug. The Washington Times, p. 12. etrieved November 19, 2004, from Questia database, http://www.questia.com. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=101010770…

Crazy Horse and the Western Hero
Crazy Horse, believed born sometime in 1838, was a respected member of the Oglala Sioux Native American tribe and is noted for his courage in battle. He was recognized among his own people as a visionary leader committed to preserving the traditions and values of the Lakota way of life and leading his people into a war against the take-over of their lands by the White Man. The location of Crazy Horses birth is not conclusively known. Some sources report his birthplace as the South Cheyenne River. Other sources point to either Rapid Creek, near present day Rapid City, South Dakota, or near ear utte outside Sturgis, South Dakota.

Crazy Horse earned his reputation among the Lakota not only by his skill and daring in battle, but also by his fierce determination to preserve his people's traditional way of life. Celebrated for his ferocity…

Conclusions -- It becomes immediately clear that the art of the silent film depended on three major elements: smooth editing, appropriate use of subtitles, and actors who were able to use their eyes and movement to communicate or "play to the camera." It was surprising that only one of the films viewed seemed "primitive," and that was only the initial parts of Gertie. By the time we get to The ink, there has been an obvious improvement in camera techniques and the ability to film from different angles and heights, even if the camera is stable. In addition, the vaudevillian arm and comedy of The ink is classic. It is also interesting to note that the subject matter, while varied, seemed far less censored that what we would come to expect in later Hollywood years -- we see prostitution, abject poverty, criminal behavior, sexual innuendos with fairy creatures, and a…

Criminology
obert Merton was the brain behind Anomie Theory. This theory majors on deviance. The theory's major preoccupation is why rates of deviance differ from one society to the other and from one subgroup that come from one society to the other. Merton's work emphasizes cultures' unifying aspects and how it can create deviance and disunity within a society. Cultural norms, according to this theory, break down as a result of rapid changes that take place. The theory attributes occurrence of Anomic suicide to the occurrence of major economic depression that makes people not to achieve the goals they had learned to pursue (Siegel, 2008). Anomic suicide can also occur when there is an economic boom. In such circumstances people fail to limit their goals and be satisfied with their achievements. There can be lack of fit with regard to culture's norm about what constitute success in life and the…

This decision was a wise one from a business standpoint and it allowed him to drastically reduce costs, which in turn reflected in lower prices for cocaine. Soon enough then, Lucas became the preferred drug provider, selling the quality Blue Magic at low prices. He even became the wholesaler for other drug dealers in the city.
This desire to cut the middle man and deal with operations directly is also present with ichie obinson. Not once is he met with the frustration of the bureaucracy that slows him down. And when he finally manages to better follow the illicit activities, he becomes head of a new department that follows drug dealers directly, rather than focusing on the middle men.

Then, there is the theme of discipline and strong character. ichie oberts is not himself a very disciplined man. His marriage is falling apart and his colleagues dislike him. Still, in…

The film version of the 'GodFather' became famous. The reason is that it was essentially a portrayal more on the family and emotional side rather than the gun toting violence. Thus the viewer shows the discernment between a good and bad movie by analyzing the depth of the portrayal rather than stunts. The argument that violence in cinema begets violence in real life falls flat. The viewers are not imbeciles, although many film producers take that for granted. Scarface 1932 version was all about the real gang rule of America. However the film not only depicted the violent lives of these people but also examined the psychology of the gangster and challenged the administration and there was depth in the portrayal. The viewer was absorbed in the passions of Tony to which they could relate, if not with the violence. Could that film have goaded viewers to become criminals? It…

Murder Inc. by Graham K. Bell  

Book Summary

Starting from the 1920s, the American crime landscape underwent a complete transformation under an all-star gang of thugs, garrotters, and snipers. Ethnic and religious diversity was evident in its members. A majority of them hailed from New York City itself, chosen from its toughest neighborhoods, including Ocean Hill, Brownsville, and Flushing. The exorbitant amount of crime they perpetrated led the media to name them "Murder, Inc.."This merciless gang, considered the innovation of Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, and other elderly gangsters, was quick to catch the entire nation's attention, and made headlines across the country for more than twenty years. Graham Bell highlights the sinister history of the most infamous Mafia crime organization, including the men's identities and the forging of their partnership (Arcadia Publishing, 2010).

The media labeled 1930s-40s organized crime gangs "Murder, Inc.."These gangs were said to work on behalf…

Jewish crime organization as a whole fails to live up to the elements that define organized crime. It certainly is violent, it recruits members, it uses monopolies to retain power, and it is a functional and individual culture. It's firm and unrelenting connection to Israel and Jewish rights, however, raises questions as to whether it is a crime syndicate. Its grounding in the promotion of Jewish rights likens it more to the terrorist groups of today than with the Sicilian mob of the 40s. It uses criminal means to support a national and religious ideology. Either Jewish groups shouldn't be labeled Organized Crime or the definition of that term should be re-examined.

eferences

Ebban, Abbas. (1968). My People. The Story of the Jews. New York: Behrman House.

Finckenauer, James O., & Waring, Elin J., (1998). ussian Mafia in America:

immigration, culture, and crime. Boston: Northeaster Uni. Press.

Friedman, Jeanette, (1996).…

S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. The legislation makes the provision of over $ billion in funding "for gang prevention, intervention and law enforcement programs over five years and establishes new crimes and tougher penalties to deter and punish members of illegal street gangs." (Feinstein, 2007) the legislation proposed by Feinstein would make illegal participation in a criminal street gang a federal crime. The legislation criminalizes violent crimes in furtherance or in aid of criminal street gangs and creates a new criminal offense for murder and other violent crimes committed in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Under the present law, "a felon's criminal street gang involvement can be treated at most as a sentencing enhancement, adding no more than 10 years to a sentence. This bill establishes far higher penalties for violent gang crimes, including the possibility of life imprisonment without parole for murder, kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, or maiming. If…

Scarface is the nickname which was given to one of the most famous and infamous members of organized crime. Scholars and crime-buffs throughout the United States know all about Alphonse "Scarface" Capone and how he grew to head the mafia in Chicago, Illinois in the 1920s. Capone was able to achieve his success in the underworld by being smarter and perhaps luckier than his enemies. He was a strategist, as focused on the destruction of his opposition as any general of any army. Although his actions were nefarious and his endeavors only intended to his financial betterment, it cannot be denied that the likes of Capone served an important role in the formation of American history. The original film Scarface is based on the life of Al Capone, gangster films being very popular in the 1930s and early 1940s while the 1980s remake of Scarface tells a similarly themed story…

Court Proceedings Experience
Premise

year-old Nicholas Lindsay was charged for the murder of Officer David Crawford. esides Lindsay's own confession to the murder, there is no other evidence that he committed the murder. Lindsay made this confession at the urging and in the presence of his mother, without a lawyer present. He told the police officers that he shot David Crawford after being apprehended by Crawford.

The official police report stated that, after apprehending Lindsay, Crawford was reaching for his notepad when Lindsay pulled out his own handgun and shot him five times in the chest. Hence, Lindsay was arrested and charged for murder. The prosecution, which included the State Attorney, decided to prosecute 16-year-old Lindsay as an adult.

Lindsay was indicted on the count of Murder in the First-Degree, which is defined by Florid State law as "The unlawful killing of a human being perpetrated from a premeditated design…

Deglamorizing American Street Gangs

Social researcher and author Deborah Lamm eisel (2002) says that the glamorized image of the American street gang as drug dealers is not the image that is consistent with historical research (Lamm eisel 75).

The drug gang} is certainly not a typical street gang... They didn't even grow out of a street gang. These kids started out to make money by pedaling crack and that is a very different phenomenon than street gangs (Knox 66) (Lamm eisel 75)."

Lamm eisel has gone back to the essence of the historical gangs that go back to the earliest immigrants who carved out sections of neighborhoods for themselves using coercion and violence to maintain territorial boundaries. However, it is easy to disagree with Knox, because for decades now street gangs have been associated with the violence and trafficking of illegal drugs.

In a journal article by John M. Hagedorn…

A recent market report notes,

In recent decades, famous Hollywood directors, such as Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone, have credited the influence of Hong Kong film styles on their works. John oo has relocated his career to Hollywood to become one of its biggest directors. In fact, not only has John oo's style influenced others, but his current films are Hollywood. ("Hong Kong movie skills grow in Hollywood" para. 2)

Precisely why Hong Kong films have had this influence is hard to say for certain beyond noting that filmmakers like Tsui Hark and John oo adapted American genres to the international market in a way that re-energized those genres and showed American filmmakers a new way to approach traditional material. Hong Kong filmmakers like John oo and Ang Lee have transferred to Hollywood to carry the transformation even further.

orks Cited

Clouse, Robert. Enter the Dragon. Concord Productions Inc., 1973.…

Music
Misconception is a false belief system; an erroneous cognitive construct that leads to a dysfunctional worldview and potentially destructive behavior. In possession of a misconception, a person develops a warped sense of identity and a distorted vision of reality. The media is especially brilliant at crafting stories that create misconceptions in the minds of the public and its consumer sheep, simply by creating a legend or a myth that influences consumer behavior and social norms.

Music can be a media tool to create the misconceptions that shape American social norms and consumer behavior. Most music has the potential to uplift, inspire, and enliven our community; yet some forms of music are having the exact opposite effect, and that negative impact is felt most by young and impressionable consumers. The negative impact can be referred to as misconception. ith regards to music, the wrong types of music can leave deep…

Bonding Over Bullets: Gun Fu is the Way to a Better Tomorrow
John Woo redefined the action film genre with his 1986 Hong Kong film A Better Tomorrow. Staring the Asian TV star Chow Yun Fat and movie star Ti Lung, the film transcended the action genre already well-established in the West by using the various tropes of the genre (gangsters, the conflicted family, brother-against-brother, friend-in-peril, reformed hood, betrayal, and so on), mixing in elements of melodrama and morality (both Buddhism and Christianity appear in the film), and layering it with stylized gun violence -- gunplay like swordplay -- in a manner that had never before been seen. The film played, in certain moments, like a dance -- bullets being used like rain to wash away all the problems and issues that otherwise could not be resolved. For both Chinese and Western audiences, the film was something new: it appealed…

Dominik's Killing Them Softly
Andrew Dominik's 2012 American film Killing Them Softly is a screen-adaptation of George Higgins' 1974 crime novel Cogan's Trade. Dominik's screenplay sets the action in modern America during the 2008 election campaign, which serves as a backdrop to the action of the film and allows both director/screenwriter Dominik and his cast of characters to ironically and wittily juxtapose their own agendas, ends and pursuits with those of the political world. Indeed, the film's subtext or undertone is really as pronounced as the main drama, paralleling the narrative in the final race to the showdown: the execution of the robbers of the card game and the election of a new ring leader (aka President of the United States). This paper will show how Dominik uses the underground world of organized crime to parallel and criticize the state of American politics and economics.

Storytelling, Editing, Style and Directing…

Films and Directors of the French New Wave Movement
Discuss the male/female relationship in the Umbrellas of Cherbourg, My Night at Maud's, Le boucher Shoot the Piano Player regards to the Nouvelle Vague.

La Nouvelle Vague, or the "New Wave," is a term given by film critics in the late 1950's to a cluster of French filmmakers who began a movement that rejected classical cinema to introduce new perspectives of romantic youthfulness. hey also broke with traditional models to address political or social themes with refreshed images and dialogue. Additionally, they believed that cinema could discover the mysterious often un-discussed facets of human experiences. hese fresh ideas were especially moving when filming the male/female relationships as seen in "he Umbrellas of Cherbourg," "My Night at Maud's," "Le Boucher" and "Shoot the Piano Player."

he Umbrellas of Cherbourg

he Umbrellas of Cherbourg, directed by Jacques Demy, portrays traditional male and female…

Mafia and Their elation to the Italian Identity
The primary popular culture expression of the Italian-American identity is The Mafia whose fame is much to the dismay of many Italian-Americans. The Mafia is the basic popular culture expression of the Italian-American identity largely because of the influence of Francis Ford Coppola's hit film, "The Godfather" that won an Oscar award in 1972 ("The Mafia in Popular Culture," n.d.). This popular expression of the Italian-American identity is also attributable to the reinvention of the gangster movie genre by Coppola's hit film in 1972. The popularity of the Mafia as an expression of the Italian-American identity has been fueled by the group's extortion, establishment as a deeply rooted criminal organization, and political corruption and murder. The Mafia is essentially characterized by popular American derivations and strong relations to the Italian identity.

Historical Context of the Mafia

Sicily is a region in Italy…

Street Drug Trade Is One of the Most Important Social Institutions for Young People in Detroit
From his perspective, Bergmann writes that the street drug is one of the most important social institutions for young people in Detroit. As an institution, the drug dealings and everything surrounding it are becoming a transforming force taking people in a certain way of life and perception. Detroit is known to be a major region of the drug trade, including heroin. Like any other society, it suffers consequences of this in many ways, including the economic, cultural, social, and even psychological repercussions arising from the presence of the drug. Drugs are commonly effective and, in some way, change the way people behave, live, and interact. This is seen from his submission that "drug dealing governed the seasonal cycles of their lives and taught them about the nature and power of the state, capitalism and…

The Godfather is the quintessential example of the gangster genre, which includes “films that deal with organized crime, often with mob families,” (Chapter 4). In fact, The Godfather also fits squarely within the gangster genre because it is nostalgic and romanticized, offering “recreations of past eras” in which Italian-American mafia families like the Corleones did dominate both licit and illicit business activities and politics in American cities. A sub-genre of the crime film, gangster movies like The Godfather are unique because the audience is rooting for the bad guys, not the cops. Even when the protagonists of the film kill people, they are still tragic heroes. “Many gangster characters then had a certain mystique that made them appealing, almost heroic, in their ability to overcome youthful poverty and oppression to rise in power and wealth,” (Chapter 4). In The Godfather, Michael Corleone did not necessarily overcome poverty, because he was…

As a testament to the respect he garners in the neighborhood, however, he is allowed to pass by without being sprayed by the water.
Radio Raheem's warrior status is first challenged in the film by a group of Latinos hanging out on their front stoop. They are listening to the radio, which is blasting Latin music. Suddenly, Radio Raheem appears, with his ghetto blaster pumping out Public Enemy. The Latinos react in anger, and turn up their music in order to drown out Radio Raheem's. This contest goes on for a few more takes, but it is ultimately Radio Raheem who emerges victorious in attaining maximum volume. The "fight" against the "power" has been won - at least momentarily. As Radio Raheem marches down the street, leaving his victims behind, a small black child runs up next to him. Radio Raheem gives the child a high five.

In another important…

These areas are illustrating how Harris is violating numerous aspects of criminal justice procedures and the law. ("Training Day," 2001)
Key Criminal Justice Procedures

In the film, there are a number of criminal justice procedures that are continuously ignored by Harris to include: not following proper procedure to obtain a search warrant, covering up crimes that are committed by himself / other police officers and failing to arrest criminal suspects who are involved in felony related activities. In the case of not follow proper procedure for obtaining a warrant, Harris engaged in these activities twice. This occurred when he raided Sandman's house and gave his mother a Chinese food menu in lieu of warrant. The second time happened, when he paid police officials' money under the table for the warrant. These issues are troubling, as Harris did not collect evidence and go to a judge showing how a crime is…

Life on Scorsese's Mean Streets: A realistic fictional film with a pseudo-documentary style all its own
How could a film that is supposed to be about New York City, shot on the streets of Los Angeles 'feel' so real, so truthful to these characters that aspire to be good, but fail? The pseudo-documentary style adopted by Mean Streets is one reason that the gangster film has such a strong sense of verisimilitude, despite this apparent contradiction. Even a student of film who knows the location 'truth' behind this historical cinematic production finds him or herself taken into the 'world' of the film, believing that he or she is transported into modern Little Italy, and the crimes and blood feuds that characterize its mean streets.

This is evident early on in the film, as its use of voice over to give articulation to otherwise inarticulate characters in street vernacular immediately suggest…

Crime Delinquency Teenagers
Adolescent Terror

Virtually no one can deny that there is a definite, tangible link between adolescence and crime. Anyone not familiar with this subject would be hard pressed to dispute the eminent statistical data that alludes to that dangerous link. In 1990, teenagers were more than 3.5 times likely to commit an indexed crime than were adults in the United States. Index crimes are both violent criminal activity such as "murder & non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault" as well as serious property crime such as "burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson" (No author 1990). This point is underscored by the fact that in 2005, approximately 10,000 prisoners in the United States were serving life sentences for actions that were committed before they turned 18 (Liptak 2005). This proclivity of teenage criminal offenders is evinced overseas in other countries as well, such as in…

Polish immigrants have always been an integral part of the melting pot of America. Indeed, a Polish War Hero named Casimir Pulaski was granted a legion of men during the Revolutionary War. This particular immigrant was partially responsible for a victory over ritish troops in Charleston. He would later die in battle, defending the newly formed country. Stories of this particular immigrant have trickled down through the years. Many of the newly arrived Poles saw Pulaski as a hero, someone to emulate - a true Polish-American hero.
After the last shots of the Civil War were fired, a new era began in the United States, an era of emigration. etween 1865 and 1900 over thirty-five million immigrants sought refuge within the United States. A tremendous number of these immigrants came from the faltering nation of Poland.

In the late seventeen hundreds and then throughout the eighteen hundreds, Poland was systematically…

Mass Culture in Postwar Japan: As Seen Through the Films, Tokyo Drifter and Ohayo
Post war Japan was flung into a mass market that was unlike any she had ever seen before. Old cultural ties and values were challenged and sometimes discarded. Everything from traditional gender roles and family standards to westernized dress and mass media. The challenges that people faced were enormous and included a generation gap that might have paralyzed the entire culture. The changing values associated with family, respect, love, work and many other factors required many adjustments, for both the generation that remembered a more traditional past and the one who recalled only war and technology. One possible way to interpret such cultural changes is through the relatively modern cultural art of film. The Japanese films Ohayo and Tokyo Drifter both embrace and challenge mass culture in different ways.

In a film review which, contextually analyzed…

Girls and Gangs
When people think of gangs and gangsters, they often think of young males. While females may be part of gang culture, they are often viewed as being in the periphery. In many ways, this view of female gang membership is correct. For example, females that are affiliated with gangs have oftentimes been reduced to sexual objections, being used for the gratification of gang members, as a way to lure new recruits (Firmin 2009, p. 15). Furthermore, female sexuality has traditionally been seen as a way to ensnare rival gang members, so that female gang members and females associated with gangs have often acted as spies infiltrating rival gang networks (Aabbad 2012, p.272). However, the traditional view of girls as sexual accessories and playthings for gang members does not reflect the reality of the modern-day gang situation. While women still face significant marginalization and sexual violence within the…

Ho finds out that Mark has a twin brother who was a former gang member that went straight and traveled to America where he opened a restaurant in New York. Kit Ho's brother was fatally wounded almost the same time his daughter was born but before he got to the hospital he died .after Kit's funeral Ho, Ken and Lung decide to avenge the death of Kit by launching an attack on Ko's mansion at a time he was meeting with one of his counterfeiting clients. A huge gun battles goes down with the three men killing almost 90 people in the process. These three sit down within the mansion and the police surround them.
The plot of the movie is basically cohesive and is reasonably not complicated. The climax of the movie towards its end is both tragic and played out quite excitingly. This movie a better tomorrow is…

Question 3: Historical Developments During the Japanese New Wave- The Tokyo DrifterIntroductionOne of the films that match the historical period of the Japanese New Wave is the Tokyo Drifter (1966), directed by Seijun Suzuki. The film demonstrates multiple themes to show how various transformations in infrastructures and institutions in the 1960s affected the film industry. During this period, historical developments affected other film-related attributes such as exhibition, distribution, and production. The Tokyo drifter shows the impacts of such developments. efore the 1950s, the Japanese film industry featured independent companies run by socialist sympathies, primarily political messages. It was not in the interest of producers to have nonavant-garde films. However, in the 1960s, there was a transformation. Independent companies began venturing into films that were alienated from a major studio. They focused on films that expanded the scope of the Japanese film industry without specifying political ideologies. It is through these…

Ethnic, racial and class minorities in the city of New York, as well as middle class and organized crime people enjoyed their fight against Prohibition in an amazing number of locals and nightclubs that summed up to more than thirty thousand. While many restaurant closed down in New York, speakeasies spread across the city. More and more of the middle class and the upper class "embraced the cosmopolitan culture and nightlife that flourished under the restrictions of Prohibition" (Lerner, 2007, p. 3) making this the first bottom-up social reaction in the recent history of the United States.
Prohibition marked the 1920s and 1930s in ways that were not seen by the makers of this law. It had profound effects of issues like work relations and wage policies, xenophobia and living conditions of immigrants, organized crime as well as popular culture. While regulations were set and enforced, a significant number of…

Roxie was always infatuated by fame, particularly the case of Velma Kelly, a woman on the same cellblock as herself, who is accused of double murder of her sister and lover (who were cheating on her).
he musical suggests that sexual indiscretions are a part of life, not simply something produced by the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Sexual scheming is seen as human nature. It offers a very jaded perspective of the American justice system, which can be easily manipulated by media-savvy lawyers. In one musical scene, the lawyer Bobby Flynn manipulates Roxie like a puppet, speaking her words for her during a 'press conference' ragtime dance which emphasizes that "We Both Reached for the Gun" (Roxie's defense). Although the play is set during the gangster era, it is as much a commentary upon the mid-70s, a decade in which the nation had endured the end of the failed…

It all goes along well until One Two realizes that he did not take the car keys from the people that he had just robbed. Moreover, he does not manage to put the car in reverse, in order to make a quick getaway. The scene has the audience see Butler turning from first-class robber to petty thief, as he needs assistance from his own victims so as to take the money.
It almost looks as if Richie intended to make a fairytale for grownups that enjoy action and violence. A normal film that involves gangsters normally has both good and bad guys. Rocknrolla, however, only has people that are either interested in performing a rip off, or have already performed one. Even with the fact that he initially appears to fill just a small role in the film, Toby Kebbell gradually proves that he is the main character. hile he…

That they were recognized as "America's most famous outlaws" ("Bonnie Parker Biography") would have been enough to encourage them to continue for the sake of popularity.
But Bonnie and Clyde did not commit their crimes for psychological reasons alone. Greed, and the desire for wealth, led them to commit their crimes for financial reasons as well. Bonnie's poetry seems to communicate this as well. In her "The Story of Suicide Sal," whose female protagonist can be read as the idealized image that Bonnie had of herself, Bonnie writes that "one year we were desperately happy; Our ill gotten gains we spent free" ("Bonnie Parker"). The association between money, happiness, and love in this stanza can be used to argue that this is what Bonnie, herself, felt towards the gaining of wealth. Further, it is noted that "their motivation was personal greed" ("Bonnie Parker").

Still, Hendley points out that Bonnie and…

The very fact that the magazine openly admires men like Ray Liotta, who show depth beyond the typical alpha male and women like Christina Aguilera, who has chosen to use her sexuality rather than being used by her sexuality, demonstrates that the magazine does not even seriously believe that anyone should become the ideal male. On the contrary, the magazines use of stereotype-heavy advertising and writing suggests that the editors believe that men and women should try to incorporate some of the elements of these traditional stereotypes, while retaining their own individualized personalities. Such a position only becomes problematic when a consumer is not sophisticated enough to recognize that there is a distinction between writing about a stereotype and supporting all aspects of that stereotype. For example, violence against women has long been considered acceptable in sexual stereotyping. Maxim does not have articles, advertisements, or photos that glorify violence against…

176) it is also interesting that the legitimate first response to the dissolution of prohibition was to officially tax it and therefore gain legitimate revenue from a vice. It would not surprise any historian if the idea to tax vice's such as alcohol, which even today the government makes a great deal of money doing, was not born of the substantial success the early mafia made of making money from its illegal production, sale and distribution.
The Irish Mafia:

The Irish Mafia, though usually not thought of as the quintessential mafia "family" were no less influential in some areas that the Italian mafia, one reason for this had to do with the sheer numbers of Irish immigrants to the country following the Potato Famine 1847-1849, and the essential disenfranchisement they felt when they arrived. Having just lived through one of the most grueling of all events, likely to have lost…

.."1.
Although the movie does concentrate on saving the black people on being stereotyped there is a contradiction, it doesn't defend their violent nature. Again the audience is faced with a raw clan which commits murder. lack, violent, illiterate people it is negative image that has been presented several times through the media. In spite of this it is worth considering that the director desire was not at all to depict black people as being very cult people, but he wanted to show two different perspectives about black people, one of them is that some are smart and educated and others have a more furious nature due to the fact that they lack education. The media in any case should not present an elementary part of the black culture. It is rather dazzling to see on the screen such a complex black character as Delacroix. The reviews revealed that people…

Science fiction and horror both offer narrative closure and "the restoration of the social order," as does Repo Men, only in this case the social order being preserved is completely amoral and evil (Grant 21). It does not end with the monster or alien menace defeated, like Independence Day, Star ars, Terminator or The ar of the orlds, but just a literal return to the
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status quo and business as usual. Repo Men is definitely not an adolescent or 'infantilized' film, with heavy reliance on special effects and light and magic shows, nor do the good guys win in the end -- insofar as there are any good guys at all. It has no real hope or comport to offer, and n this absolutely dehumanized world of the future that lacks redeeming features of any kind, Remy's fantasy existence might actually be preferable to 'reality'. Thus the film is…

MS-13 -- the focus of a nationwide crackdown by FBI and federal immigration agents -- has become known in recent years for home invasion robberies, drug dealing and machete attacks on its enemies. however, after the sweeping chaos across America, the FBI has heightened concerns that MS-13 could be far more dangerous than thought.
Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, continues to expand its influence in the United States. FBI investigations reveal that it is present in almost every state and continues to grow its membership, now targeting younger recruits more than ever before.

To counteract this growth, the FBI formed the MS-13 National Gang Task Force in December 2004. Based at FBI Headquarters, this intelligence-driven task force combines the expertise, resources, and jurisdiction of federal agencies that investigate this violent international street gang. It focuses on maximizing the flow of information and intelligence, coordinating investigations nationally and internationally, and helping state…

In a mirror of the earlier scene where the police officer kicked the dead triad, the elevator doors attempt to close on his body, symbolizing the complete destruction of Chan's identity and humanity, as nothing is left but a piece of meat slumped on the floor. This scene effectively concludes the point made earlier by Wong's death, namely, that action films, and subsequently, the action film audience, simultaneously seek to find meaning in death while remaining dependent on the lack of meaning inherent in the deaths of most characters in action films. Infernal Affairs confronts the audience with this contradiction by melding these two disparate tendencies into the single scene of Chan's death.
Violence and death are integral Infernal Affairs' storytelling, and the film's use of violence continues a trend that began with the Hong Kong action films of the 1980s. However, rather than aestheticize violence along the lines of…

ichard Hughes: A High Wind in Jamaica
This story, the first novel by ichard Hughes, takes place in the 19th Century, and mixes the diverse subjects of humor, irony, satire, pirates, sexuality and children into a very interesting tale, with many sidebar stories tucked into the main theme.

The first part of the story has an eerily familiar ring and meteorological link with the December, 2004 tsunami-related disaster in Asia. In A High Wind, first there is an earthquake, then hurricane-force winds, followed by torrential rains (although no tidal wave) devastate the island and the British children who lived there are sent to England. However, on the way they are attacked by pirates and unwittingly kidnapped by those pirates. From there, the novel has a definite Lord of the Flies tone to it: the English children actually take over control of much of the activities on board, which is as…

Instead, he has been doing the production and promotion for other artists. He also collaborates with other musicians, such as Elizondo to product Eminem's single "The Real Slim Shady. He hopes to get out another album in 2008, which would have several different contributors. Even he admits that his message has mellowed out since his first hits in the '90s, Regarding earlier years he says: "That was my past. What I thought was the thing to do then. I mean, I think 'Straight Outta Compton' was a classic hip-hop album. ut I do look back on a lot of the things we were saying and doing then and go, "Damn!." ut the ***** was dope at the time." Would he ever do that same material now? "No. No way. I'm more into totally positive moves."
Admittedly, not everyone was or continues to be keen on Dr. Dre and similar musicians.…

However, some gang members specialize in multiple criminal activities such as street robbery, human trafficking and drug trafficking.
Street Gangs

Street gangs are the major concern to parents, school administrators and the communities because they recruit students and the youths across the United States to enhance the growth of gang memberships. Street gangs are the most prevalent type of gangs in the United States because they influence a strong control in the large geographical regions. Typically, street gangs are characterized with criminal activities, which include brutality and drug trafficking. Presence of street gangs is broadened with their special relations with DTO (Drug Trafficking Organization) in Mexico, Canada, Columbia and other Central American countries. Type of street gangs includes regional-level street gangs specially known for their drug dealing. Functional regional-level street gangs include Latin Disciples, Florencia, Fresno Bulldogs, Tango Blast and United Blood Nation. Local street gangs also known as neighborhood-based…

Juvenile Gangs
Gangs have been thorns on the flesh of the citizens of the United States no wonder they have occupied a prominent position in American criminological literature. Gang wars between the Crips and the Bloods in Los Angeles are testament to the gang culture among certain communities in the United States. As opposed to the Dutch youth who are interested in music and romance of the West Side Story, especially the video clips and compact disc with gangster rap, the Americans juveniles appear to have negative associations (Klein, 2001). The language of the youngsters perceived to be engaging in juvenile gang activities is characterized by hyperbole and contains refers to competition and violence. The youth style personified by rappers like Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. who appeared to talk about the hard life in their neighborhoods referred to juvenile gangs. This research paper seeks to review literature on criminal…

Media Violence
hat impact does media violence have on society? How are children affected and how are adolescents affected by violence portrayed in movies, television, video games and in other forms? This paper reviews and critiques peer-reviewed articles that address the subject of media violence from several perspectives -- and takes positions on the arguments and research presented in those scholarly articles.

There is ample empirical research available to back up the assertion that violent video games, movies and television programs have a negative impact on young people. It is the thesis of this paper that ultimately the responsibility for guidance vis-a-vis violent media is not on schools or law enforcement but in fact is on the shoulders of parents.

The Influence of Media Violence on Youth

An article in the Psychological Science in the Public Interest (Anderson, et al., 2003) flatly asserts that there is "…unequivocal evidence that media…

Intolerance
estoration

Intolerance vs. Prodigal

Similarities

Differences

Cultural Identities - Skillfully Blending the Ethnic Background with the American Dream

The distinctiveness of a group, culture or an individual is referred to as Cultural identity. In spite of inherent differences, there is plenty of overlap between identity politics and cultural identity. The new method tries to understand the identity of an individual with an anthology of identities based on gender, history, nationality, sex, religion, aesthetics and place. In a secular democracy like America, with diverse ethnic presence, the next generation in any major ethnic mix should be watched closely to understand the extent of their contribution towards the future policies of the country.

Intolerance

Jeremiah Torres and Carlos were two good friends with their friendship extending over 17 years. They were of Filipino American origin and happily went through elementary, middle and high school together in Palo Alto, located 35 miles…

Gang ecruitment
Self-Worth and the Need to Belong

Juvenile Delinquency Paper

The self-help author Wayne Dyer once wrote that, "Self-worth comes from one thing…thinking that you are worthy." This quote captures the functional role of gangs: they exist because they serve a purpose. Gangs are attractive to recruits because they promise a variety of benefits. Though many members reap material benefits from joining, it is the psychological benefits which play a critical role in the decision to join a gang, particularly as it relates to self-worth and the need to belong. While some gang members often portray themselves with great machismo, think highly of themselves and are proud of what they have become, the majority of youths who join gangs suffer from a negative self-image (Miller, 2001). Opportunities to feel good about themselves in their family or at school are few and far between. Yablonsky (1997) tells us "The gangsters'…

organized crime scholar Mark C. Gribben, defines organized crime as "an ongoing criminal enterprise consisting of multiple actors working for economic gain who use or will use force to promote and protect their enterprises." y this definition a number of groups might fit into the definition of organized crime. Street gangs, hate groups, drug cartels, and the Mafia are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to organized crime in the United States.
The preceding graphic demonstrates the scope of organized crime in America. It is important to understand that the crimes within the largest circle are those which are generally considered organized in nature. Those outside the circle, such as the solo murder or the one-time bank robbery are not considered to be organized. They key elements of organized crime must include "ongoing criminal activity with multiple actors."

The following pages will explore organized crime in America.…

Anthony Quinn was often thought of as being larger than life. He was a talented actor who played many diverse roles and is now a Hollywood legend.
Anthony Quinn was born Anthony Rudloph Oaxaca Quinn on April 12, 1915 in Chihuahua, Mexico of a Mexican-Indian mother and an Irish father. When he was four years old, his family moved to California, where he was raised in poverty in East Los Angeles and shined shoes and sold newspapers.

Before he launched his acting career, Quinn worked at a variety of odd jobs including a boxer, butcher, street corner preacher and a worker in a slaughterhouse. At one point, he had even been a painter before trying his hand at acting. He launched his film career playing small character roles in several movies in 1936, including his debut in a movie called Parole. He also had small parts in worn Enemy and…

Jews Without Money and the Mumbai Slums
Michael Gold's 1930 "Jews without Money" is a clear example that history does not only repeat itself but creates a certain pattern out of which human kind cannot be taken out and redirected to another path. Taking the topic from Gold's book and comparing it to current cases of other slums throughout the globe, it can be said that the conditions of the poor people have not changed throughout the decades and even more, despite the international development, the discrepancies between the rich and the poor are constantly increasing.

The present research takes into account the way in which the living conditions of people in the slums of Mumbai (Dharavi) can be compared to the situations to those in "Jews Without Money" by Michael Gold. It is argued that the living conditions are similar, yet for the people living in the slums of…

Running head: Mexican historyaccording to Narco Cultura film Mexican historyaccording to Narco Cultura film 9Mexican history, according to Narco Cultura filmThe Mexican drug war has been going on for more than a decade, but it has little to no success. Beheadings, mass hangings of bodies, killings of innocent citizens, car bombings, abuse, and assassination attempts of various community members, including reporters and political figures, are part of Mexicos drug war. More than three hundred thousandhomicides have been committed since 2006, when the government declared war on the cartels. Besides these crimes, the violence has spread deep into Mexicos interior, with organized crime groups diversifying their criminal activities to extortion, kidnapping, auto theft, and other illicit enterprises (Bietell, 2013). Violence is a central feature in the trade of illegal drugs. Many criminal organizations use violence to settle disputes and maintain employee discipline and is directed towards the government and news media.The…

But as obvious as their presence might have been, Jewish crime remained a hushed subject in the history of Jews in the U.S. This oversight was intentional and by no means an evidence of lack of criminal activities in Jewish circles. In fact it was the nefarious activities of Jewish entrepreneur Joseph Seligman that led to the stock market crash in late 1800s as Ginsberg notes:

"[the crash] ruined thousands of investors, implicated President Grant, and led to a Congressional investigation of [Jay] Gould and Seligman ... Similarly, in the early 1890s, Jacob Schiff collaborated with E.H. Harriman in the latter's attempts to wrest control of the Northern Pacific ailroad from J.P. Morgan and James Hill ... When the price of the Northern Pacific Stock collapsed, the entire market crashed in the notorious 'Black Thursday' panic that led to a nationwide economic depression." [Ginsberg., p. 73]

Thus Jewish organized crime…

Scorsese equates him with "a magician enchanted by his own magic." This freedom allowed Welles to create from narrative techniques and filmic devices a masterpiece that is self-aware of its own form. It intends to communicate this self-consciousness to the audience, thus contradicting the classical canons of filmmaking whereby the camera ought not to be noticed and the shots should be seamless. In other words, Welles expanded the art form of cinema, using the camera the way a poet uses a pen. He even created fake news footage in unique ways to enhance the film's appearance. His immense influence can be seen more on the art form as later with Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Censorship was still rife in Hollywood. The league of decency suppressed adult themes. Elia Kazan's adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) was censored. What we would see now as almost innocent -- a…

At one point he confronts the gangster Godfrey, saying "I've come to talk to you about the madness"
I think the primary motivation for Rio's family not to call the police was a combination of not trusting the police, and not wanting to start a battle that could end up in a full scale gang war. I think the families were trying to be supportive overall, even though Ricky's mother kicked him out of the house.

According to Families Helping Families "All children, including those with mental, emotional, or behavioral problems, continuously require the support of their parents, siblings, and other family members. The family's culture and values provide the context in which the child develops and influences the way the child thinks, feels, acts, and responds to the world." Definitely, support and looking out for "their own" is a huge part of the urban community, however I believe in…

The Germany Army also condoned what had happened in the purging of the Night of the Long Knives, showing that their side was with Hitler and thus they began their association with him that would nearly lead them to a world conquest (1996). The two-hour, highly emotional speech that Hitler gave at the Reichstag explaining his behavior to the German people as well as to the disbelieving foreign press would be one of the most important speeches of his career (1996). The "brownshirts" were either brought into Hitler's army or they just simply disappeared while the would become Hitler's main tools of mass murder that would go on for another eleven years (1996).
ection E: Conclusion.

The Night of the Long Knives was absolutely vital in Hitler's consolidation of power. Before the purge, Hitler had opposition in the A party who were still interested in some of the original ideas…