Bad Boys

In the 1980s, New York was considered one of the most dangerous major cities in the United States. Crime was on an ultimate high, especially in Brooklyn, New York. The documentary, “The Seven-Five” directed by Tiller Russell, focuses on a police officer named Michael Dowd who worked in the 75th precinct. The 75th precinct was known for being the most dangerous area with the most crime. However, not only were individuals within the community committing crimes. Dowd, who’s been on the job for two years, went from being a good cop that followed all protocols to a corrupt cop that went down the path of crime. This documentary goes into details on Dowd’s crime streak, how he got caught, the case against him, and the testimonies of his partners in the police station. This case was considered a “major corruption scandal in New York City in the 1980s” (Michael Dowd, 2015).

When looking in a time period of the 1990’s, there was growth with awareness of societies’ frequency of crimes. However, the possible controversial subjects were brought up in conservative ways with safe discussions and portrayals. There was death and dead bodies shown, usually with miniscule damage shown, and much of what happened was hinted to and left to the imagination. Comparatively, Criminal Minds, a show that is still on air today, accepts the inevitability of violence. Episodes decipher the mental state of the wrongdoer, in hopes to link illnesses and mental breakdowns to the motives of the crimes. The public is deeply informed about widespread crime today. There is more knowledge and tolerance of mental illnesses and willingness to assist those affected. Audiences have also been exposed to death in media. By the time an American child finishes Elementary school, the average number of deaths seen on TV shows is about 8,000. This illustrates how society bears the violence and shows are allowed more leniencies in recent years. There have been scenes of Criminal Minds that depict suicide and the injection of narcotics, while Law & Order may discuss these issues, though rarely give them

Hollywood scripts and television programming are filled with storylines of crime and criminal justice. The viewing public consumes crime

This week we were asked to watch a movie called My Cousin Vinny and compare this to the actual Criminal Justice System. I want to start off by saying the portrayal of the Criminal Justice System was much different than what we see it in real life. I really enjoyed the comedy that was displayed around it. The movie was based around two teenagers who were suspected of murdering a gas station attendant. This movie takes place in Alabama.

Starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, the 2001 film Training Day focuses on the portrayal of two Los Angeles Police Department officers.The story begins with Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt, a rookie narcotics detective on his first day of assignment. Jake is in a 24 hour period of field evaluation under the reins of a fellow respected and decorated narcotics officer Alonzo Harris, who is portrayed by Denzel Washington. Jake Hoyt is the ideal “white knight of justice”, an individual who is morally incorruptible, and a person who seeks to defend what is morally correct and to eliminate injustice through proper practices set under federal and state laws and standards. On the other side is Alonzo Harris, a ruthless, selfish, and corrupt narcotics cop who will do whatever it takes to complete the task, whether it violates the procedures and policies. Through the entirety of the film, the concepts of moral ambiguity in situational ethics towards institutional justice and the ethical dilemma of power and corruption amongst enforcement agencies are throughly stressed, analyzed, and reflected. The film illustrates and advances the implicit message of the misrepresentation of the criminal justice system, deception of the effectiveness of institutional justice, and corruption of crime enforcement agencies through the observation, analysis, and deconstruction of numerous examples in normalization to ideologies, and formal elements as suggested through the duration of the film.

Ultimately, justice is what we are seeking in these entertainment driven TV series and movies. When criminals are held accountable for their misdeeds we as society are able to accept the misdeeds of others who are responsible for bringing the dangerous criminals to justice. A sense of peace and restoration of order is established in our hearts providing a sense of harmony in our

The explosion of crime and justice topics throughout all forms of media has led some to suggest that a “CSI Effect” has taken hold of

When talking about a true American crime story, one can start and end the discussion with one of the most powerful and influential true stories ever told: GoodFellas. Based on the incredible true story, the film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 1980s. Originally written as the non-fiction novel “Wise Guys” by Nicholas Pileggi, the story takes you deep into the world of arguably the most notorious crime posse America has ever known: the Italian Mafia. It is viewed by scores of critics and moviegoers alike as one of the greatest crime/drama movies ever filmed – so needless to say, with such a

Prior to taking this course I wouldn’t be able to explain the differences or even be able to compare it to the criminal justice system. However, I now have a better understanding of how the criminal justice system works. This movie takes place in the southern state of Alabama and revolves around two teenagers accused of killing a store clerk. Throughout this essay I will explain the legal processes that appeared in the film as well as the processes that did not appear in the film.

For years police corruption has been a major problem in American society but where is the line between moral and unethical police corruption, many modern movies address this vary issue. Some films portray how types of police corruption can have a positive influence on society, while others show the dark side of police corruption. Many law enforcement agents join the criminal justice with the basic idea of "justice for all," however, most of them do not realize that the nice guy doesn't always win. Even though there are vast amounts of movies which specifically address police corruption we will use three main movies for our argument today, mostly LA Confidential, however, also Training Day.

Another element of the gangster genre that is seen in Wellman’s film is the rise and fall trajectory of the central gangster protagonist. In order to avoid glamorizing the life of a gangster and his perverted American Dream, his crimes must be punished. This is a central element to any gangster film created under the auspices of the production code. To obey the rules and regulation of the PCA, any gangster in film will live “a short but glamorous life..that reaffirms the audience’s knowledge that in Hollywood, lawlessness cannot go unpunished” (Køhlert 857). The era under the PCA shaped the narrative of the gangster genre to include the death of essentially every gangster protagonist. In one of the most powerful scenes of the film, after Tom has taken revenge on the rival members, he stumbles, shot, clutching his chest into the raining streets and gutter (The Public Enemy). He is alone, isolated by the rain, and likely going to die. This is not a character the audience is supposed to sympathize with, and this is exactly to goal of the gangster genre. After the audience has seen Powers rise through the world of crime starting as a little boy

Any show that could distantly be linked to law or crime quickly became a fixture of my quiet Saturday nights and, unexpectedly, the necessary filter for my academic interests. Past the brooding alpha male leads, dramatizations, and flashes of action I noticed the real problems reflected on my screen. I traded in “ripped from the headlines” style episodes for actual headlines

Television has become a vital aspect of daily life, within modern society; every aspect of television exhibits, to a certain extent, a reliance on genre (Mittell, 2001). Industries rely on genre to produce programs, and audiences use genres as a means of organizing fan practices (Mittell, 2001). According to a 2006 Nelson Media Research study, ratings confirm that aside from prime time shows such as American Idol and Survivor, part-time crime drama’s have been classified as one of the most favoured genre (DeTardo-Bora, pg. 154, 2009). The relationship between the media and criminal justice system is delicate, where more often than not, crimes are portrayed in a false light (Graveline, pg. 1, 2015). These misconceptions lead to

It is clear that crime and criminal behavior are significant in the film. The movie attempted to accurately depict the lives of two police officers working in the Los Angeles Police Department. Of course because it is a film the events were dramatized and exaggerated for theatrical value. When mainstream society views this film it may be

The film Jackie Brown by Quentin Tarantino portrayed several unique characters and scenes which reflected key concepts of gender in contemporary society such as the concepts of masculinity and femininity. The current paper will initially engage in an analysis on several unique scenes which reflected the different types of masculinity portrayed by different male characters such as Max Chery, Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara. Subsequently, the current paper will attempt to analyze representations of different types of femininity exhibited in the current film through Jackie Brown and Melanie Ralston’s experiences in criminal organizations. Specifically, the current paper will compare and contrast Jackie and Melanie to emphasize the differences between