The gangster film is a true American genre, dating back to the silent days of D.W. Griffith. It took a hold of America during the 1930s as Hollywood decided to portray the Prohibition-Era hoods that the public was reading about in their daily newspapers as doomed anti-heroes. Later on, gangster films took on a distinctive Film-Noir look, and along with expressionistic shadows, pessimism came into the genre. In the 1990's Quentin Tarantino infused the genre with pop culture, and created a cultural hybrid that is still influencing filmmakers to this day.

Scarface (1932) - Directed by Howard Hawks (93 minutes)

This Pre-Code movie is one of the seminal gangster films in the history of the genre. Paul Muni plays homicidal Tony Camonte, a character loosely based on real-life gangster Al Capone, who gets control of the Prohibition era bootlegging from his boss, and claims his boss's woman as his own, although he has a soft spot for his own sister. Produced by millionaire Howard Hughes, the film explores taboo subjects such as incest, while laying down what will become stereotypes of the gangster genre.
Watch and study Scarface (1932) directed by Howard Hawks. There will be a quiz on this film on February 27.
 

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Directed by Sidney Lumet (125 minutes)

Based on a true 1972 story, Sidney Lumet's 1975 drama chronicles a unique bank robbery on a hot summer afternoon in New York City. Shortly before closing time, scheming loser Sonny (Al Pacino) and his slow-witted buddy, Sal (John Cazale), burst into a Brooklyn bank for what should be a run-of-the-mill robbery, but everything goes wrong. The situation swiftly escalates, as Sonny and Sal take hostages; enough cops to police the tristate area surround the bank, and a large Sonny-sympathetic crowd gathers to watch.
Watch and study Dog Day Afternoon (1975) directed by Sidney Lumet. There will be a quiz on this film on March 4.
 

Pulp Fiction (1994) - Directed by Quentin Tarantino (154 minutes)

The most influential film of the 1990s, Quentin Tarantino's riff on gangster films mixes outrageous violence and an Oscar winning screenplay that's literate and funky, and which structures the story as a time-twisting jigsaw puzzle. With memorable performances by John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis, and a great cameo appearance by Harvey Keitel as the Wolf.
Watch and study Pulp Fiction (1994) directed by Quentin Tarantino. There will be a quiz on this film on March 6.