The representation of the concept of crime as a visual communication tool: The example of post 9/11 American cinema

Crime in cinema has not been solely taken as a subject in its own genre but it has also inspired stories related to crime in other productions, too. Considering that cinema uses allegory while approaching the cultural, social and political events of a society, it can be said that crime is also presented through similar presentation strategies. The first chapter of this study aims to create a framework of crime theories which attempt to explain the reasons of crime while exploring the theoretical basis of why individuals commit crime. Within this perspective, theoretical approaches which have roots in the fields of biology, psychology and sociology are used. The second chapter of this study focuses on the presentations of the characters of criminals and law protectors within the genre of crime in American cinema, mainly gangster films, police/detective films and black films. Subsequently, crime representations in the films that were produced after the 'traumatic events' in the U.S.A. such as Pearl Harbour, Vietnam War and 9/11 Terrorist Attacks are analyzed. The third chapter is composed of the qualitative content analysis of the films that were produced after the 9/11 attacks, namely American Gangster, Public Enemies, Minority Report, Zodiac, Sin City and No Country for Old Men. The allegorical relationship between criminality in these films and the cultural and social structuring of the society are evaluated with the use of crime theories in order to explain the subject of why individuals commit crime. This study aims to analyze the reflections of the traumatic eras in American cinema while scrutinizing the act of cime within the light of crime theories. Keywords: crime, American cinema, genre films.