Crime Genre

Crime genre research.

The crime genre is one of the oldest, most popular genres across all forms of media, not just film. The nature of crime films allows for a large number of different stories to be told, and provides plenty of opportunity for social commentary, regarding the police, justice system or many other factors that may contribute or prevent real life crime.

Usually focusing on the criminal's side of the story, crime films can be as simple as a bank heist, to a much more complex story involving crime families, double crossings and plot twists. They're often very stylistic, and can either glorify crime or, in the case of Bonnie and Clyde, it can make the prospect of crime seem rather horrifying.

It has a number of sub-genres, including:

Crime comedies - A combination of both the crime and comedy genre, they usually focus on the ineptitude of a group of criminals or law enforcement personnel.

Crime Thrillers - Usually a thriller where the main focus is crime. It usually involves numerous plot twists and limited time for the protagonists of the story.

Film Noir - Popular in the 40s and 50s, they often follow detectives or private investigators as they try to solve a crime. It even has its own sub-genres, such as Sci-fi noir.

Heist Films - They usually follow a group of criminals who attempt to commit a robbery, and may even include what happens afterwards and the consequences of their actions.

Mob Films - They usually focus on American crime families or a specific member of said families. They are often brutal, gritty and rather unpleasant due to the source material.