From the drug-fueled excesses to the punch-ups and knife fights, these films depict society's underbelly in action. Whether it's holding up the local liquor store or wheeling and dealing among the far-reaching tentacles of organized crime, the truth is never far from the fictional world on the big screen. The gangster genre kicked off with actors such as James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. Their tough-guy looks set the trend to follow, and led to the devious, crazy, and charismatic crooks played by the likes of Al Pacino and Robert de Niro. But often these hard men are almost sympathetic characters: Marlon Brando's godfather turned bad to feed his family, after all - capisce? The one-line quips, the sharp suits, the sense of camaraderie, and the grisly killings have created some of the movies' most memorable moments. So get ready to take a walk on the wild side. With insight from critics, film historians, and academics, "101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die" brings knowledge, insight, and passion to a wealth of dirty rats, horses' heads, colorful misters, dons, molls, triads, kingpins, hoods, yakuza, low-life scum, informers, shoot-outs, hold-ups, heists, gangs, shakedowns, drug deals, getaway cars, murders, kidnappings, and car chases. By the end, you'll be wondering just whose side you're on: the cops' or the robbers'?
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Steven Jay Schneider is a film critic, scholar and producer with MA degrees in Philosophy and Cinema Studies from Harvard University and New York University, respectively. He is the general editor of the best-selling 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 501 Movie Stars and 501 Movie Directors. He has written and edited a number of books about cinema, such as Horror Cinema Across the Globe.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rounding Up the Usual Suspects!,
By
This review is from: 101 Gangster Movies (101 Movies) (Paperback)
Steven Schneider and a team of 30-odd film critics, writers, professors and film buffs examine famous gangster movies of the past 80 years in this 2009 release. Part of Barron's 'Movies You Must See Before You Die' series, it offers up a smorgasbord of classic and little-known crime flicks.
101 GANGSTER MOVIES presents a decade-by-decade survey of the genre. The first film covered is THE MUSKETEERS OF PIG ALLEY, made in 1912; the last, 2006'S EASTERN PROMISES. Though most of the usual suspects are included - PUBLIC ENEMY, HIGH SIERRA, GODFATHER 1 and 2; BULLITT, THIS GUN FOR HIRE, THE ROARING TWENTIES, GOODFELLAS, WHITE HEAT, etc. - surprisingly, DIRTY HARRY and MALTESE FALCON, among others, are nowhere to be found. In any case, each film gets a two-page write-up with two b&w and/or color photographs. Though some of the entries give away the film's ending, I enjoyed GANGSTER MOVIES, moreso than the companion 101 WAR MOVIES volume. Though GANGSTER MOVIES used some of the same reviewers, the entries in GANGSTER MOVIES were interesting and informative without sounding too academic, unlike several reviews in WAR MOVIES. Film buffs should enjoy this latest MUST SEE entry. Recommended.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
