subject: Criminal Offenses Along With Felony Stars In Motion Pictures [print this page] Crime is alive and very well in HollywoodCrime is alive and very well in Hollywood. The glamorization of criminal offenses almost always tickles the curiosity from the general public. Criminals are actually portrayed as exciting, daring and cunning tantamount to hero standing. They are the risk takers who shouldn't be entirely judged upon their criminal expression but instead considered as people with some merit.
They're cast sympathetically as relationships are reviewed and ultimately lend credibility to the justification, in their minds, of the criminal choices they have made. But worst of all, they are usually shown as being "cool", even as they hurdle towards the death of their freedom.
Think about, as an example, the jewelry or art crook. Films like the Italian Job, the Score and Ocean's Eleven show criminals as typically model citizens, aside from when they're committing crimes. There may be such criminals but are they so suave inside their real lives? Are they seemingly morally upright in their relationships with others? Could they be really just good guys who happen to commit crimes? In real life nearly all criminals aren't suave, cool or sympathetic figures. They're cutthroat, ruthless and to a degree, sociopathic. Mob figures are a great example of the paradox between the glamorization of criminal life and reality of criminal behavior.
Almost all agree how the Soprano's, a show about mafia life in New Jersey, is a good tv show. The production value is great, the actors are skilled and also the plot lines are well conceived. People get murdered, money gets laundered and criminals get promoted for good work. Yet, in order for the audience to tune in every week they must connect with the characters.
Consequently, the boss of the household, Tony Soprano is shown as a father, a husband and as wanting to improve his relationships with the outside world by visiting a therapist. This is a ploy to create sympathy for a callous murdering crime boss. And it is effective, as the Sopranos is a hit. What then are the real criminals doing?
True mob figures don't give a damn about the outside. Their loyalty lies with the crime families. They lie, cheat and murder for riches and would stomp on the average person, literally, to further their gains. A genuine jewelry thief is usually a two bit criminal who robs the local family owned jewelry store, as can be confirmed by FBI criminal statistics. Real criminal life is fraught with betrayal, pain and stints in prison. Most criminals are caught at some point with more than 13 million arrests made in the US in 2005 alone, based on the FBI.
The business side of Hollywood is reactionary in nature. The glamorization of criminal life is to some extent in response to a demand by the public. Fascination with stylized underworld figures comes from a public perhaps bored with their average daily existence. The concept that there are people who survive in a world where they disregard the law, fascinates us. the glamor is shaken off, and the dust clears, there is only an empty fancy suit left, where a crook once was standing.
