This section of Crimeculture focuses on the most often discussed forms of crime film – gangster films, detective films, classic film noir, neo-noir, cop action films.<\/p>\n
The main sections are:<\/p>\n
Gangster Sagas<\/span>:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 This section at the moment offers a brief introduction to the gangster films of the 1930s; it includes discussion of the mythologised gangster in relation to American capitalism and of the links between gangster films and film noir.\u00a0 The main examples considered are\u00a0Little Caesar<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Scarface<\/em>.<\/p>\n Detective Films:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 Philippa Gates surveys a large range of films, from the Hollywood detective series of\u00a0the 1930s and the Basil Rathbone Holmes films to films of the 90s, like\u00a0Seven<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Silence of the Lambs<\/em>.\u00a0 Other films discussed here include the detective-centred films noirs of the 40s and 50s, police procedurals like\u00a0Dragnet<\/em>, vigilante cop films of the 60s and 70s, and the action-cop films of the 80s.<\/p>\n Film Noir:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 An overview of the development of film noir and literary noir in postwar America, with some discussion of the iconic figures of the genre and considers key elements in the definition of noir.\u00a0 As with ganster films, we would be grateful for contributors interested in providing more wide-ranging discussions of the genre.<\/p>\n Neo Noir:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 This section traces the development of neo-noir from the 1960s on; it considers such things as the charge that neo-noir is a form of postmodern nostalgia and the ways in which neo-noir films represent a ‘culture of consumption’.<\/p>\n Cop Action Films:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 Charting the shift from the vengeful vigilante cop of the 1970s to the action-hero cop and retributive ‘musculinity’ of the 1980s, this section, by Philippa Gates, takes in the\u00a0Dirty Harry, Rambo, Lethal Weapon\u00a0and\u00a0Die Hard\u00a0films, and concludes with a discussion of changing images of masculinity in the 1990s.<\/p>\n Female Detectives:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 Philippa Gates on the role of the female detective, both personally and professionally. Gates analyses the female investigator’s struggles with balancing her dual roles as a woman and detective – for example, in films featuring female lawyers, women of action and crime scene investigators.<\/p>\n Classical Hollywood\u2019s \u2018Asian\u2019 Detectives:<\/span><\/a> Philippa Gates discusses the Asian detective, an immensely popular hero with film-going audiences during the 1930s and 40s. Her focus is on Charlie Chan, Mr Wong and Mr Moto.<\/p>\n