Crime Movies: There is an Eerie Appeal!

Crime films portray heroic tales from the world of crime. The lives of underworld dons or ruthless hoodlums who defy the rule of law and run their mafia business, indulging in violence, murder and kidnapping come alive in vivid colors. 

Crime films vow the audience with their heroism and eerie ambience provided by large cities where starry nightclubs and streets dotting neon lights, fast cars, sleazy bars, drug peddlers, dingy living quarters together create a world smelling crime, revenge and ill-gotten money.

In the movies, the criminals evoke empathy with their materialistic, street-smart and self-destructive ways. Even in the era of silent movies, the crime genre got a head start with D. W. Griffith's The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) glorifying organized crime.

In the modern era, 'The Godfather' tops the charts as the legendary crime film, adapted from Mario Puzo’s celebrated novel of that title. 'The Godfather'  tells the story of a decade long event in the (1945 to 1955) mafia syndicate of the Corleone crime family. Its sequels 'The Godfather Part II' in 1974 and 'The Godfather Part III' in 1990 also received rave reviews.

Hailed as the second greatest film in American cinematic history, Godfather has few parallels. It bagged so many Oscar awards. As a complete film Godfather mixes action, drama, intrigue, conspiracy, and tension in the right proportion. In the 1980s 'Scarface' reigned as a sensational gangster film. The 1990s lapped up Quentin Tarantini’s 'Pulp Fiction' starring John Travolta and Uma Thurman with its high degree of violence and dark humor.

Some other memorable crime movies include Mean Streets, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Goodfellas and The Untouchables.  Crime movies will flourish. There is a captive market and commercial success is unlikely to bother the film makers.