Crime & Mafia | Editor's Pen

Hi Friends...

'As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster'

This famous quote from Goodfellas highlight how much cinema fancy crime. Obviously crime is a reality and a dreadful thing for society at large but there is something very sexy about it. It cannot be defined. It can be understood only when you hold on a .38 Colt Diamondback in your hand. Something like a forbidden fruit.

This edition, a Crime & Mafia Special, focusses on cultural impact of films woven around crime and mafia. We also investigate an important real life case of Reel catching up with Real as promised in our privious edition. We are looking forward to your opinion. Do keep us in loop.

Love
Sujoy

PS: Ali, my boy, Happy Birthday.

Little Caesar | Blast from Past | The Critque

In a pre-Godfather era, the war for the best gangster films is a three way struggle – Scarface, The Public Enemy and Little Caesar. Frankly, the comparison is inevitable but unfair. Each of them is a masterpiece in its own right. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, film made a star out of Edward Robinson.

Small time goon Rico come to Chicago for a better life. He joins a gang. His boss has mellowed down by time but he is ready rage. He kills the commissioner and becomes hero in echelons of underworld. Slowly he controls his gang. He loses his friend Joe who accompanied him to Chicago for a more respectable life. His growth is literally unheralded and he becomes Little Caesar of Chicago ousting other big fishes. Joe proved to be his Achilles heel and Little Caesar is exhumed in probably one of the most riveting climaxes of the age.

Apart from strong performances by actors – especially Robinson who caught public attention after this film and Fairbanks Jr., the film was revolutionary from cinematography aspect. The New Year Eve robbery scene is still studied in lengths in classes. Little Caesar is also remembered for the catch phrase ‘You can dish it out, but you got so you can't take it no more’ and the climax utterance ‘Mother of Mercy! Is this the end of Rico?’.

Ranked at #9 on AFIs list of Best Gangster Movies is definitely a must watch for people who love classics.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Haji Mastan | A Template For Indian Gangster | Under Lens

It’s difficult to tell how many films Haji Mastan influenced. One can always count a few at the top of his mind, the number and popularity in reality would be close to Al Capone’s influences. May be a less or a more. Haji Mastan, a controversial figure of Bombay of 70s and 80s, has been a template for on-screen gangsters; especially the one with Anti-hero touch. Two films which proudly claim influences are – Deewar and OUATIM – critically acclaimed blockbusters made in different eras.

Deewar is among the best performances of Amitabh Bachc

han. Many iconic scenes from this movie still define the 70s of Bollywood. ‘Mere paas Maa hai’ must have been referenced more than ‘Kitne aadmi they’. The USP of Deewar was the rise and poetic fall of a smuggler. With tragedy in heart and abuse tattooed on wrist,  Amitabh Bachchan literally spoke with his eyes in many scenes. Haji Mastan was not only referenced in mannerism, he was paid a tribute of sorts. Amitabh Bachchan made note of this numerous times in different interviews.

Ajay Devgan playing Sultan in OUTIM is very close to real Haji Mastan story, more than any other film. Not only rise and fall of Mastan is shown (except the death part) in a dramatic way, film highlights the larger than life persona of Mastan in real life that earned him friends in all circles. His relationship with Sona and empathy for downtrodden is also underlined in bold. 

Many films like Agneepath, Company, D, took subtle references from life of Haji Mastan. Some of them were inspired by lives of other gangsters of that era but took the liberty to take cues from life of Haji Mastan to make character more benevolent. One fine example is Nayagan. Nayagan was based on life of Varadarajan Mudaliar however some references can be attributed to Haji Mastan. Interestingly, Varadarajan and Mastan were very good friends. Well, that’s a long story.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Parinda | Underbelly Of Mumbai | The Critique

Who exposed Mumbai’s underbelly to entire world? Was it RGV? No, it was Vidhu Vinod Chopra. FTII graduate Vidhu made a name for himself with award winning short films and critically acclaimed Khamosh when he decided to shun his comfort zone and explore the darker alleys of Bombay in its true shade. Landmark film Parinda starring Nana Patekar, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dikshit was the outcome.

Parinda is a story of two brothers – Karan and Kishan and a mafia-lord Anna. Kishan works for Anna but have managed to isolate his young brother Karan from the mess. Karan however gets involved when his best friend, a cop, is brutally in his arms on behest of Anna. He decides to finish this business. He decides to be a mole and joins Anna’s gang. What lies further is an intense tale that tests relationships and character.

USP of Parinda is the intense story and brilliant presentation. Editing by Renu Saluja and Music by RD Burman complements Binod Pradhan’s cinematography. The scene in which Anupam Kher is killed is one of the iconic impressions of the era. Nana Patekar who also contributes in story brings out one of the finest performances of his life. His adaptation of a brutal mafia lord reflected many times in coming years. The brutality expressed through eyes have no parallel. Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor too gave performances of their life. Madhuri did an apt act.

A cult classic, Parinda will be remembered long – for content, for performance and for technical brilliance. How many films have managed that in Bollywood?

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Scarface: The Shame Of The Nation | The Critique

Made in 1932, this movie literally immortalized infamous gangster Al Capone forever till there is any humanity on this planet. Remade in innumerous ways in different languages and tints and colors, Scarface made in 1932 by Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson and produced by an equally controversial Howard Hughes is considered to be an important film in the history of world cinema.

Scarface is journey of Tony Camonte from a small time goon to America’s biggest gangster. Tony works Johnny and becomes his trusted lieutenant. However, he has a mind of his own. After a point he ignores Johnny’s commands. His violent actions attract fame and police. This jeopardizes his situation and war is declared in the mafia world. There is another subplot involving his sister and his friend marrying against his wishes. This subplot becomes an integral part of the climax and brings a rude closure to his story.

Backed by Howard Hughes, crew collected the guts to achieve something unimaginable in that era. Gore and realism that haunted people, lauded and condemned at the same time. Performances are real. Hysterics and stereotypes were avoided. Paul Muni made Al Capone vulnerable and very real. His preparation reflected on screen. Script and direction were simply brilliant. Directors who made gangster movies in post World War 2 era considered this classic a textbook for their education.

Even after eight decades, Scarface is one of the most watched films of Pre-World War – 2 era and one of the most highly rated gangster movies ever made. Many consider it a breakthrough film which changed the norms of censorship and exposed double standards in name of morality. It was defiant and defined the rules. Howard Hughes will be remembered long for his stand for sake of art. In 1983, it was remade with Al Pacino as Tony Montana.  Like the original, latter got appreciation and attained a cult status as well.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Knowing Gotham | Under Lens

Why Gotham? Why was Gotham City named so? Gotham was inspired by the darker alleys of New York City however Writer Bill Finger wanted to keep the template generic so that people from any Metro can identify with his imagination. Having a fictional name for the city was logical. Amongst many names like Civic City and Coast City, Gotham attracted his attention. It was a subtle reference to New York as it was a sort of nickname for the metropolitan.

How Does Gotham Look Like? Gotham is glorified in night. It rains in Gotham and it rains hard. Its chilly. It reflects the mood of the city. Common man are terrified and cons are at loose. Corruption is rampant. There is no hope even in existence of a vigilant like Batman. The divide between rich and poor is great not comforting by any means. Buildings of Gotham are inspired by Gothic Revival architecture that rose to prominence in mid-1700s. It has a strong Catholic  overture.

Crime World In Gotham: Crime is the only thing that made Gotham so famous. Batman comes close second. There are families – Italian families Falcone, Galante, Maroni, Sabatino and others like Dimitrov and Odessa, Black Mask and their successor Great White. There are Gangs like Ghost Dragons, Golden Dragons, Penguin, Sprang Brigade etc. Also there is Arkham Asylum and casual visitors like Joker. Gordon has a dirty job to do.

On Screen Gothams: On Screen we have seen New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Newark, Tokyo, Hong Kong etc. doubling as Gotham City.

Worth Watch Mafia Films | TRM Picks

01: The Godfather – One of the most glorified imagery of Italian Mafia working in US based on bestselling novel by Mario Puzo.

02: Goodfellas – Takes storytelling to another level. Martin Scorsese film treats gangsters as vulnerable fallible men.

03: Company – Arguably Ram Gopal Varma’s best work which documents a slice of life one of the most dreaded terrorists.  

04: Nayakan – Tamil film by Mani Ratnam is considered to be one of finest film ever made.

05: City Of God – Made in Brazil, a brutal film that dares to bare all about the dark lanes of crime.

IMDb List

Life Imitates Cinema | Editor's Pen

Dear friends…

Life imitates cinema as cinema imitates life…

Co-incidences are not that accidental as we usually assume. Some are so meticulously planned that no sound mind can pass them off as a planned act. But some are definitely accidental. Our next Under Lens series talks about such an event. Though it’s under development, I will dare to pass a hint – Last 12 Angry Men of India. Keep guessing.

Talking about this edition… we picked up two films of great repute for entirely different reasons but built around true events of industrial exploitation. Also, a statesmen  of some iconic films of yesteryears. Let us know your valuable inputs on the articles.

Meanwhile… we are working on our genre special – Crime And Mafia Special.

Thanks

Sujoy