Crime Film Questions

1. What is the Purpose of the opening to a film?

The opening to a crime film is to draw in the viewers and make them immediately interested in the film so that they keep watching. The opening also introduces us to the main characters that we will be following throughout. The opening also sets the scene for the rest of the film.

2. What techniques can a director use to create suspense in a film?

A director can create suspense by including dramatic music and using clever camera shots. Dark lighting also makes the viewer’s sight of the film obscured which might cause tension. Music is also used to build up tension in the audience.

3. How do you think a crime film is defined?

I think a crime film keeps the audience on edge by dramatic music and a lot of action, this makes the audience feel as if they cant take there eyes of the film. Guns, fighting and money are involved at some stage during a crime film and so they define the storyline as well as the characters roles. A crime film always has a someone that ends up getting killed, usually by the hero.

4. What films can you think of that would fit into the crime genre?

The Bank Job

Seven

The Butterfly Effect

Goodfellas

Chaos

Air Force One

Blood Diamond

The Kingdom

Executive Decision

Taken

The Shawshank Redemption

5. The Thriller genre can be divided into sub-genres what different types of thriller film do you think exists?

• Crime
• Action
• Gangster
• Horror
• Mystery
• Action Comedy
• Heist
• Film Noir
• Mob
• Legal Dramas
• Detective Films

6. What are the characteristics or conventions of a crime film? Narrative, characters, mise en scene, stars?

A crime film is usually based in a big city where there is a lot of money or personal gain available. Usually something goes wrong for the main character but it all comes good in the end. Money is usually something to do with it and there are always guns, fighting, women and violence involved. Audiences also sometimes choose to view a crime film based on a actors reputation as they may know or like a crime film they have previously been in.

7. What do you think is the audience pleasure of a crime film?

The audience get excited by watching crime films, this is because they are set in real life situations and so makes it more realistic, the purpose of one is to entertain the audience.

8. What do you think are the differences between a horror and a thriller film?

Horror films tend to have a lot more blood and gore in them and tend to scare the audience a lot more, they tend to more fiction then real life. Thriller films are a lot more realistic and are sometimes based on true stories. A lot of thriller films are also a 15 certificate whereas a lot of horror films are 18 certificates.

9. Top 20 Thriller films.

1.	9.2	The Godfather (1972)	379,879
2.	9.0	The Godfather: Part II (1974)	223,710
3.	8.9	Pulp Fiction (1994)	381,998
4.	8.8	The Dark Knight (2008)	417,583
5.	8.7	Rear Window (1954)	109,409
6.	8.7	Fight Club (1999)	347,693
7.	8.7	Psycho (1960)	131,790
8.	8.7	The Usual Suspects (1995)	247,918
9.	8.7	The Silence of the Lambs (1991)	225,303
10.	8.6	The Matrix (1999)	351,374
11.	8.6	North by Northwest (1959)	86,220
12.	8.6	Memento (2000)	248,147
13.	8.6	Se7en (1995)	253,578
14.	8.6	Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)	146,267
15.	8.6	Léon (1994)	180,831
16.	8.6	Taxi Driver (1976)	141,867
17.	8.6	Vertigo (1958)	84,390
18.	8.6	Double Indemnity (1944)	33,895
19.	8.5	M (1931)	36,415
20.	8.5	El secreto de sus ojos (2009)	2,409

I have seen 1 of these films. This is because a lot of them are very old films made in the 1950’s and 1940’s and so these films are not regularly seen on the TV now. The one film I have seen (Underlined) is a very recent film