Robbery is in existence and high in Hollywood. The audience wants to see glorified crime, since it constantly tickles their fascination. Criminals in movies have been depicted as magnificent, bold and clever; perhaps even equivalent to a hero. They are portrayed as risk takers who have many qualities and are not be treated as mere criminals. They are cast caringly as their relations are researched and at last offer support to the approval of all the criminal activities carried out by them. However, the worst part is that they are portrayed as sensational and are individuals who would be happy to go behind bars.
Criminals in movies, such as the Italian Job, the Score and Ocean’s Eleven are shown as exemplar citizens, except when committing crimes. They are people who have commitments in life and put up with them like a very dedicated individual. On the other hand, there lies the fact that actual criminals can never be so debonair nor sensational or appealing individuals. In real life, they are aggressive, pitiless and suffer from personality disorders. Mob figures or mafia dons are the best example of the contradiction between the glorification of unlawful life and real life of unlawful activities.
“Sopranos”, which was a hit show on the mob life in New Jersey, is one such example where the criminal is shown as a caring person who is a father and a husband and in order to change his relations with the society, seeks a counsellor. The show is remarkable on production value with competent actors and well conceptualized plot. To make people to watch this show, it has everything from mindless killings to money laundering and promotion of criminals for great work. This is a far cry from the actual criminal life.
Real mafia dons don’t care about the world. Their faithfulness lies with their criminal families. They would do anything from cheating and killing for money to stomping over the average man to enhance personal gains. A true jewellery thief is usually a petty criminal who would rob the local jewellery store as depicted in the FBI criminal reports. Real criminal life is filled with treachery, agony and restricted to jail term unlike the criminals in movies. In real life, no matter what sort of a criminal it is, they tend to get intercepted some time or the other. Reports acquired from the FBI show over 13 million arrests made in the US in the year 2005 alone – quite high, right?
The commerce part of Hollywood tends to have the potential of being reactionary in nature. Criminals in movies are glorified due to the demand by the audience, and of course, these demands need to necessarily be met by the movie makers or else, the film just wouldn’t go big! An average person who is tired of his daily routine is fascinated by conventionalized underworld heroes who disregard the law. However, when the glamour is jolted off and the dust settles, only a void stylish suit is left, the place where a thief once stood.
