Other Homework Help

THE MOVIE I HAVE TO WRITE ABOUT IS THE WOLF ON WALLSTREET.

Crime and the criminal justice system are prominent themes in Hollywood and have been for decades.

The five top-rated movies on the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) are a clear testament to that. One takes place in a prison (Shawshank Redemption); two center on an Italian mafia family (The Godfather; The Godfather: Part II); one is based entirely in a jury deliberation room (12 Angry Men); and the other deals with gangsters, corruption, vigilantism and a homicidal, bank-robbing clown (The Dark Knight). These films often have underlying themes focused on deviance, law and order, victimization, good versus evil, security and justice. Many too have recurring themes of ambiguity of evil, gray matter of the justice system, social inequalities, social construction of crime, use and abuse of power by those in authority, societal acceptance and glorification of violence, labeling and self-fulfilling prophecies, nature versus nuture, crime versus the criminal, us versus them and, ultimately, the role the criminal justice system and the way it shapes peoples’ everyday lives. The top-five films have undoubtedly countless numbers of people and generations of movie goers, but what do they say about the aforementioned concepts? Have these films reinforced stale stereotypes? Have they sacrificed accuracy to concoct a dramatic narrative? Or are these big screen adaptations of the criminal justice system and society more accurate than we think?

This paper is to be considered a research-based analysis of film. Further, those elements being analyzed in the film should be discussed in the context of those elements in real life; crime, the criminal justice system and society. When comparing a narrative of a fictionalized serial killers it may behoove the student to compare accounts to a real-life serial killer. When analyzing a police response to a bank heist in a Hollywood film, students should consider what they know about police procedure and how real police handled a real situation. When discussing a prisoner’s life back in his community post-release it would benefit students to present real information about parole, recidivism and re-entry issues. Additionally, the following five questions should serve as prompts.

Excellent papers will excellently address all:

1. What are the main elements represented in the film with regard to crime, victims, criminal justice system (police, courts, corrections), race, offenders, criminological theory, society, ethics, moral decision-making, gangs, etc. Considering the film overall, summarize and explain the reasons this movie would be included in this list. Give examples.

2. Is this an accurate representation of those topics, or is this mainly poetic license? Give specific examples and rationale, citing sources (HINT: Make sure to focus on what was really happening in the CJS and society at the time the film was made).

3. What role does the criminal justice system represented in this film? Is it seen as a protagonist, antagonist or somewhere in the middle.

4. How is crime represented in this film? In other words, is it objective or is it subjective? Is crime clearly represented as a violation of law in any way, or is crime represented as the classification of certain behaviors based on who is in power? Also, within the movie, do all characters perceive it the same way? What issues may arise if some do not interpret it the same as others?

5. What is the interaction among the various elements introduced in the initial paragraph and the criminal justice system and society. What, if any, might the overall messages be that the filmmakers were trying to send?

The bulk of your expectations for this paper will center on concepts of crime, the criminal justice system, media and the above-mentioned underlying themes, as this is not a film class. However, a portion of your grade will result from your analysis of those themes in connection with film studies concepts such as scenes, camera angles, character representation, foreshadowing, motifs, themes or the like. (There are several preliminary documents on Canvas to give you a basic understanding of film analysis related to this paper.) Again, this is not a film studies course, but you are expected to address a few elements of the composition of the movie. When doing so, try to be as specific as possible with connecting cinematic elements to criminal justice elements.

The paper should be appropriately structured based upon the above referenced expectations. Proper APA style and college-level writing are expected as well. Title your paper, title the sections of your paper, spell check, proofread and proofread again. The paper should be at least 12-pages (not counting title or reference page), 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, normal margins.