Heroes In Hard Times [Paperback]

Neal King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1999

King studies how, in the cop action genre, working-class police officers weigh in on such topics as racial justice, homosexuality, misogyny, unemployment, worker resistance, affirmative action, drug use, poverty, divorce, and the use of violence to deal with social problems. Facing their enemies with wisecracks and firepower, these men prove themselves at once complicitous in a system of violence and corruption and worthy to 'blow away', with neither hesitation nor remorse, their and society's menacing threats. The central male figures in these stories are heroes in their fight against criminals, but, as individuals, they feel undervalued by women, unappreciated by their bosses, and out of place in a society where fat cats and liberals have all the power. Such 'hard times', King's study reveals, position them to simultaneously long for, disdain, and heroically if violently stake their frustrated claim to white male privilege. Discussing such topics as white male guilt and the rage of the oppressed and examining such films as "Lethal Weapon", "Die Hard", and "Silence of the Lambs", King's book notes the socially-charged roles given to American culture's fictional police heroes. The last artisan in a culture that has become increasingly corporate and bureaucratized, the movie cop is the last 'real man' in a world that has emasculated men and the last non-conforming patriot in a world that pays more attention to rules than what is morally right. A book that shows how modern mythology makes sense of rampant corruption (and provides entertainment in its punishment), "Heroes in Hard Times" will educate and provoke those interested in American popular culture, film, and gender studies. Author note: Neal King is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Belmont University.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"Cop action grapples with the frequency of divorce, delinquency among children, sexual deviance among men, sale of drugs to children and the poor, violent crime in general, control of that crime by police, preferential treatment of suspects by race, affirmative action in a meritocracy, segregation and harassment on the job site," and more, writes King (sociology, Belmont Univ.), tracing his theme through 193 movies (1980-97), including the good (Lethal Weapon), the mediocre (The Last Boy Scout), and the bad (The Rookie). In an appendix, such significant predecessors as Dirty Harry are analyzed and a further case made for the inclusion of films whose protagonists are public servantsAe.g., firefighters or scientists. Film students may nevertheless object to mixing the likes of Blade Runner and Ghostbusters while making modern police films a distinct genre. King provides basic credits for all films mentioned and notes citing relevant film literature; he claims to be no more than a literate fan, but film scholars will be his chief audience.AKim Holston, American Inst. for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, Malvern, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The cop-at least in cinematic fantasy-is America's last action hero, the last 'real man' in a world of emasculated wimps. In this discerningly analytic, yet erudite and even occasionally impish study, Neal King shows that such fantasies ignore the reality of real police work while offering a subterraneanhomoerotic thrill for both the character and his (male) viewer. A significant work that straddles the boundaries of cultural studies and sociology." - Michael Kimmel, author of Manhood in America

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Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (June 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566397022
• ISBN-13: 978-1566397025
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,497,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting (if disturbing) take on the cop action movie, July 3, 2003

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Curtis G (Surf City USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heroes In Hard Times (Paperback)

Man. As a privileged white male, author Neal King has some issues. While his premise is interesting, and seems to hold up under cursory scrutiny, after only a few pages it becomes apparent that King is approaching his subject from a position of guilt about his own white male privilege. Early on it is uncomfortably evident that he sees himself as akin to the "cop heroes" he writes about--someone from a working-class background out to right the wrongs perpetrated on non-whites by rich white males who feel they're "losing ground" to the same non-whites. As a sociology professor, King has no doubt seen the irony in that.

His agenda shows early on when he begs the question, positing social theory as fact without so much as hinting at another viewpoint (e.g., parroting the "rich get richer and the poor get poorer" mantra). By page 25 I had coined a new oxymoron: "conservative sociologist." I'll bet King surrounds himself with non-white friends and sees himself as the Great White Savior (not that he'd actually admit it). That's not only the portrait of the cop heroes he writes about, but also the portrait of the classic elite liberal academic.

I hate too sound too harsh about King, because the book is really fascinating, and meticulously researched. And that he ably defends his theories against competing (and yet more farfetched) theories shows how much he truly loves cop action movies. Perhaps the most disturbing part of the book, though, is that King finds homoeroticism lurking under every stone. If he's not straight, then he obviously hasn't come to terms with his homosexuality. Certainly many "guy" movies contain homoerotic under- or overtones (just look at any movie starring Tom Cruise, particularly "Top Gun"), but saying that in the climactic sequence of Point Break, "Johnny jumps from an airplane without a parachute to take Bodhi from behind in a close, drawn-out embrace...all grunts, groping, and intertwined legs..." is a little much. ... Methinks King doth protest too much.

What I find really fascinating is that although King writes about cop heroes in movies as if they are actual living entities, the fact remains that they are all the product of artists in an industry that is overwhelmingly left-liberal. So cop heroes don't reflect real life so much as they reflect the worldview of a small group of liberal artists who are likely pursuing their art not only for the money, but also to "make a difference." That is, to push their own social agendas any way they can. And we all know that cop movies bear little resemblance to real life. Something else to consider: The heroes of Hong Kong cop movies are remarkably similar to the heroes of Hollywood cop movies. Is this purely because HK films are but carbon copies of Hollywood's? I can't imagine that it's because Chinese cop heroes have their own guilt over Asian Male Privilege to exorcise. And what about the protagonists of the thousands of no-budget Mexican cop movies? On a larger stage, King's theory starts to get wobbly.

King's book is an enjoyable read, even if it is, at times, difficult (in more ways than one). I have never considered really analyzing my movie genre of choice--although I was aware that Evil White Men were always the "safest" villains--but now I will certainly look at it in a new light. Additionally, I'll need to rethink my own cop action screenplays. Yes, my cop protagonist and his sidekick were white males. And their supervisor was a well-spoken black man. Perhaps, unfathomably, I do indeed harbor some guilt over being an attractive, intelligent heterosexual white male. Never mind that White Male Privilege hasn't paid my credit card bill, or given me a new car or my own house.

"Heroes in Hard Times" is not a book for everyone, but if you're a student of film, a fan of action movies, or just someone looking to win a bet that "Point Break" really was about a closeted gay man pursuing his romantic obsession, you'll find something here to enjoy.