What Movies Tell Us About The Causes of Crime - Free Paper Sample

Introduction

Films have played the role of being an artistic medium in reflecting the attitudes that are dominant in society. Movies have also become pivotal in shaping society's ideas and perceptions. Within society's popular culture, the most popular theme has been crime. Crime has been covered more in movies and it is vital to identify what they recognize to be the causes of crime. All crime movies have had their own way of dealing with different crime stories and they define their origins in different ways. The standard issue among the films is their agreement in the need for justice and the care for victims of crime.

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Meaning of Crime

It is vital to consider the meaning of crime and the impacts it has in society. Adopting a category that is identified by Rafter (p. 6) will help in identifying the causes of crime. Rafter identifies the crime movies to have a central theme of lawbreaking and the consequences that will follow. Crime is a relative concept historically and is presented to be a social construct. In understanding what movies tell us about the causes of crime, it is crucial to identify with the cultural representation of crime in the media. The film depicts an uncertainty that exists in the social, moral categories and the tensions that persist between order and violation of social order (Nowell-Smith p.76). The crime film helps to bring the audience to a close look at the existing ambivalence between the fascination of evil and the safety of the good that is comforting. The relationship between crime and society is reciprocal. The films will help in revealing a critical aspect of a society they represent and at the same time, they will have an effect on the context socially. Movies have more to say about the causes of crime. From a criminology view, they not only illustrate the roots of evil but also enrich the reflection of perspectives that criminology will neglect in society (Spina 32).

Rafter finds it exciting to identify how crime movies depict the explanation of criminal behaviour. For Rafter, crime movies tend to draw on popular criminology explanations which are then displayed to the audience. Crime films tend to identify with different historical periods where various forms of the crime existed, and causes were also changed. Rafter identifies four explanations that will represent the causes of crime in the films. One of the reasons given is a bad environment that presents a circumstance that leads an individual to become a criminal. An example is in the movie ‘Badlands.’ Movies like ‘Angels with Dirty Faces’ portray a society faced with poverty and how life in ghettos contributes to crime. The crime movies have generally brought about the conscious of the causes of crimes in society. In other films, the desire of the protagonists to have a better life full of success or be more superior to ordinary people leads them to commit a crime. The offense will provide the means to achieve the desires of freedom and wealth.

Innovative Approach

In 1960, the crime representation by movies took a different, more innovative approach. While urbanization was taking more place, the gangster movies indicated the cause of crime to be the collision of culture among the youths. There are a general view and approach to fighting the system where freedom movements took place. The call for diversity in America portrays a racial injustice that is rooted in American society and a major cause of crime. Movies like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ illuminate the problem of racial discrimination through violence to criticize the oppression of freedom (Rafter p.36). In the ‘Godfather 1’, the violent scenes indicate the representation of values of family, rituals, betrayal, honour and family in the world which was stereotyped. There is a presumed separation existing in the American society between law and crime and good and evil. The counterculture of the youth is, therefore, depicted to be one of the causes of crime in the movies. In the past, Cops have been looked down on by American society. The world therefore never believed in the fight for justice that was being put on by the system. The development of attitudes towards law enforcement led to the emergency of heroes in society. The cops were being used by the government and significant business people to attack protestors and workers and the public never liked them. The movie ‘Dirty Harry’ portrays an excellent example of social changes are a cause of crime (p. 40).

In the 1970s, crime movies were depicting a period that was marred by legitimacy issues. There were overlapping events that brought about a crisis in society. The film indicates the activities to be bribery, harmful pollution that was deliberate, manufacturing of products that were not safe for consumption, unethical government practices and unemployment. The social disorder brings about more crimes in the movies. ‘The Godfather’ is a perfect example of a film representing the crisis where the society looks for a leader that would bring backorder. There are unflattering views about women which are introduced in crime movies and are shown to represent violence against women which is a major concern in American societies (Rafter p. 34). In the 1980s crime movies, postmodern gangsters were on the rise and they had a new representation of crime and its uses. The sale and consumption of drugs in America which was established in the movie ‘the French Connection,’ continues to become a theme. Drugs are attributed to be the primary cause of crime and are associated with social dissolution and fortunes. The originality of criminal ethics is brought while crime perpetrators are depicted to be members of juvenile gangs. The issue of drugs has been there for a long time and is a significant cause of crime in different police procedurals.

Crime Films

Movies, especially crime films, establish an aspect of crime stories that have kept the society hungry for more. Through highlighting investigation measures, punishments and trials, the movies are clear on one common thing that has been in the community for long. While the focus is made on the way of getting justice, the films do much more by establishing the cause of crimes. The plots that are used on crime movies may draw on the historical reasons and may create celebrated heroes (Doherty p.1932). Although the movie plots are fictions mostly depicting on attitudes of the society, they indicate the settings that cause individuals to adopt criminal behaviours. Whether they focus on the justice system, the police or the community, movies portray crime to be a human characteristic and they go further to elaborate that crime is not only found in the society but also within the elements that are supposed to diminish it.

One aspect of the causes of crime that is depicted by crime movies revolves around the economic environment. In the early days, when police procedurals were beginning to take shape, the public or rather the audience identified very much with the gangsters that were portrayed in the films. The commonality was brought about by the harsh economic disadvantages added to the dreams of getting more wealth. The movies try to echo a predicament that affects the society financially including during the great depression and in so doing the phenomenon brings out robbers and other lawbreakers (Morimoto p.131). Furthermore, in the movie ‘Scarface,’ the plot establishes the rise of a poor gangster whose economic predicament led to more crimes. For films, and the gangster heroes, being poor is not viewed to be an American dream, and in light of amassing wealth to achieve that, they leave behind footprints of crimes that affect the society even more. The economic factors are more persistent in stimulating crimes, as seen in the movie ‘Scarface.’ For the impatient poor like Tony in the film Scarface, getting wealth becomes a challenge that has to be achieved by using any means thus causing the birth of crimes. There is no doubt that economic downturns have a cause-effect of crimes s depicted by the movies. In the film ‘From a Better Tomorrow,’ there are financial situations that continue to lead to evil. Corruptions in the plot of the movie are indicated not to respect the law (Rafter p.20). The film introduces a reflection on how capitalism brought about crime as weapons continued to be used as tools for conquest and commerce. The movie presents the wars that exist between criminal gangs as each tries to establish their territories to have more economic advantages in difficult economic times. It is clear that financial situations lead to illegal activities, as indicated in the movies.

Media Scrutiny

One of the major subjects of the rising media scrutiny is politics. Politics has been a concern for society when it comes to crime. Although the contribution of politics to crime is somehow ignored in many instances, the movie helps to bring to the spotlight the cause-effect to crime politics has. Politics is associated with power in the films and it is not surprising to see characters in movies vying for top seats while at the same time supporting criminal activities (Yar p.72). For society, some view politics to be the cause of all problems and more specifically, to crime. It has become common for politicians to be found guilty for crimes they committed while pursuing a political agenda. The effects of politics are far felt in the courtrooms, where those in power influence the justice system. In subverting justice, politics seems to rally the victims of crime committed to seeking personal vengeance since they do not trust the justice system.

Another cause of the crimes in society as depicted by movies, is the unfair justice system. The revelation by the film indicates that the individuals who do not get fair justice will engage in crime and become hostile. Although there are more efforts on the part of the law to serve justice, on availability of evidence, sometimes the innocent become victims of the law and it brings out their worst personalities leading to crime. In some movies like Manhattan Melodrama, the police forces who are the protectors of justice are depicted to be corrupt (Bouchard p.73). The aspect of corruption leads to more crimes being committed since individuals do not get justice and those supposed to be enforcing the law are the ones bending them.

Conclusion

In the representation of crime, cinema and television have played a huge role and have become a powerful medium. The description of crime, justice and law becomes a culture for society and it is essential to identify with what movies depict to be the causes of crime. Crime films tend to highlight the political, social and economic roots of crimes and while shaping the way society perceives them.