A Companion to the Gangster Film

A companion to the study of the gangster film’s international appeal spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia

A Companion to the Gangster Filmpresents a comprehensive overview of the newest scholarship on the contemporary gangster film genre as a global phenomenon. While gangster films are one of America’s most popular genres, gangster movies appear in every film industry across the world. With contributions from an international panel of experts,A Companion to the Gangster Filmexplores the popularity of gangster films across three major continents, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The authors acknowledge the gangster genre’s popularity and examine the reasons supporting its appeal to twenty-first century audiences across the globe.

The book examines common themes across all three continents such as production histories and reception, gender race and sexuality, mafia mythologies, and politics. In addition, the companion clearly shows that no national cinema develops in isolation and that cinema is a truly global popular art form. This important guide to the gangster film genre:

• Reveals how the gangster film engages in complex and contradictory themes
• Examines the changing face of the gangster film in America
• Explores the ideas of gangsterism and migration in the Hispanic USA, Latin America and the Caribbean
• Discusses the wide variety of gangster types to appear in European cinema
• Contains a review of a wide-range of gangster films from the Americans, Europe, and Asia

Written for academics and students of film,A Companion to the Gangster Filmoffers a scholarly and authoritative guide exploring the various aspects and international appeal of the gangster film genre.

Keywords:

gangster film; gangster cinema; organized crime; the Mafia; gangster film vernacular; American gangster films; mobsters; mafia archetype; Italian mafia films; Italian American mafia films; gangster families; French gangsters; assassins; Hollywood gangster; Hispanic American gangster cinema; Jamaican gangster film; Jamaican Dons; gangster film criticism; Spiv Cycle; French gangster films; Turkish cinema gangsters; Turkish film gangsters; Russian gangster films; Russian gangster cinema; British crime cinema; British gangster films; Yakuza films; Yakuza cinema; Japanese Gangster cinema; Taiwanese gangster films; Indian women gang leaders; Tsui Hark; gangster film politics; The Godfather; Triad Films; Hong Kong cinema; Jung Doo-hong; Kkangpae; South Korean cinema