Culture cannot exist without community. A population can only become something meaningful if everyone within it comes together to form a group that functions as a single collective, consisting of many different stories that weave together to create a vibrant tapestry of humanity. Many artists have explored the power of community as not only a…
Category: Crime
The Mastermind (2025)
We all crave success, in whatever form it tends to take – for some, it’s a thriving career, others it’s an enormous amount of wealth (although the two aren’t mutually exclusive), and in some cases, it can be even more abstract. This has often been a source of conversation in the works of Kelly Reichardt,…
Bloody Mama (1970)
For nearly a century, we have been enraptured by the story of “Ma” Kate Barker – and whether we hear of her story through detailed accounts of her criminal career, or through the song by Boney M that immortalised her within the culture, she has become a figure of American folklore, a fascinating individual whose…
Willie Dynamite (1973)
Much like any art form, cinema is usually crafted as a response to the social and cultural milieux in which a particular artist exists, which means that we usually find every film contains some degree of commentary, even if only in the most subtle cues. We usually find that crime films in particular contain the…
Riff Raff (2025)
They say blood is thicker than water – but very few of us should find ourselves in a situation where we discover this to be quite literally true. It is also the foundation of Riff Raff, in which Dito Montiel, working from a screenplay by John Pollono, goes in search of answers relating to this…
The Sting (1973)
The phrase “they don’t make them like they used to anymore” is such a hackneyed, misguided sentiment, since regardless of what medium we are discussing, it assumes that it consisted of static artists defined by a singular period, rather than looking at it at as a holistic, sprawling and ultimately dynamic entity that was constantly…
Blue Steel (1990)
As far as public perceptions go, very few professions have been subjected to scrutiny and division amongst the general population than police officers – many view them as admirable individuals who pledge their lives to serving and protecting the community. In contrast, others find their constant abuse of power and tendency to resort to needless…
The Funeral (1996)
“Blood is thicker than water” – it’s an adage that we’ve all encountered from time to time, and it is decidedly quite relevant to many of us since there is something about familial bonds, whether referring to biological or chosen connections, that make for quite profound commentary. However, when those bonds begin to sour, new…
All Through the Night (1942)
Many of us enjoy comedies, while others are partial to a good crime story. Then some adore a decently-made gangster picture, and those of us who love the experience of a strongly-constructed thriller. Somehow, there is a film that combines all four of these genres, and even adds in a bit of social satire and…
To Catch a Killer (2023)
If there was ever any example of the importance of not judging a film by its title, To Catch a Killer is one of the most appropriate candidates. Despite its generic title that seems more like what the writer would use to pitch the project rather than the overall encapsulation of the story, the film…
The Postmodern Pelican 