Edited by George S. Larke-Walsh
Gangster films have consistently been one of America’s most popular genres. In 1954, Robert Warshow calls their protagonists the logical development of the myth of the Westerner and suggests they “appeal to that side of us which refuses to believe in the normal possibilities of happiness and achievement” (454). Earlier, in 1946, Warshow had stated a gangster’s “tragic flaw” as their refusal to accept limitations, thus arguing the inevitability of their downfall in every film. As such, gangsters are symbols of freedom and selfexpression, but with a concurrent inability to control their impulses. Warshow’s descriptions provide easily understood and pragmatic reasons for the gangster’s appeal, and consequently these two analyses have dominated responses and writings about the gangster film ever since their mid century publication.
Gangster films are unique in comparison to other crime films, because they are not narratives about petty criminals, mentally disturbed serial killers, or individuals on a crime spree. They are narratives about organization, about loyalties and betrayals, and about success or failure; achievement is often measured simply through an individual’s ability to survive their environment. Cinematic gangsters don’t have lives outside of their profession; they don’t have the ability to walk away from their criminal identities. In these ways, the gangster genre is much more than just a type of crime film Warshow calls their protagonists the logical development of the myth of the Westerner and suggests they “appeal to that side of us which refuses to believe in the normal possibilities of happiness and achievement”
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2018. 567p.
