Crime Challenge (Official, March 2020)

[blocho]

Crime Challenge



Welcome to the Crime Challenge! This is the first challenge focused on crime in the history of this forum. The crime genre has a long, varied, and meaningful history, alternately serving as a means of reifying the social order or as a way to live out transgressive fantasies on screen.


Goal:
Watch as many crime movies/episodes as you can in March.


Rules:
- I leave eligibility up to the discretion of participants, but I strongly suggest you only include movies/episodes in which crime is a major theme rather than an incidental event. Here's an example: Green Book is a movie in which a few crimes occur, but crime is mostly incidental to the narrative and the movie's themes. Goodfellas is a movie in which a few crimes occur, and crime is a major theme.
- Challenge runs March 1, 2020 - March 31, 2020.
- A feature film (at least 40 minutes) counts as one point.
- A total of 60 minutes of short films (less than 40 minutes) counts as one point.
- For mini-series, each part (at least 40 minutes) counts as one point. If less than 40 minutes, then the short films rule applies. Anthology series can be treated as miniseries.
- A total of 120 minutes of TV Episodes counts as one point.
- Not a rule but a request: When you post what you have watched, please include your reaction or at least a rating so that other people can learn about movies they might not know about.


Stats & Formatting:
- Title (Year) is the preferred format. If you are participating in the bonus challenges, an extra notation will be necessary, as will be explained below.
- Don't edit posts to include new movies you've watched. Always make new posts.


Official Lists:
IMDb's Crime Top 50
101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die


NB: Any particular movie/episode/short can only be used for one of the three bonus challenges. And once you indicate, which challenge and which crime/action, you can't go back and change.


Bonus Challenge #1 - Crime Wave
Your goal in this bonus challenge is to see movies featuring as many different crimes as possible. Any time you see a crime from the list below in a movie, you can note that crime when you post that movie in this challenge. For example, you might write the following:
1. Owning Mahowny (2003) - Embezzlement
2. Backdraft (1991) - Arson

Please use the format you see above. Only one crime per movie is allowed, so if you see a movie with many different crimes, you can only list one of them. The goal is to complete the list of crimes, so once you list a certain crime you should not list it again. The list below contains 24 different crimes, so that is the max score for this bonus challenge. Some of these crimes, you will notice, overlap. One can commit treason while committing espionage, or one might commit assault in the course of an attempted murder. I should also note that the definitions of certain crimes vary by jurisdiction. As such, the ultimate judgment on whether a crime depicted in a movie should qualify for this bonus challenge belongs to the participant. Please be mindful that certain actions are not generally considered a crime during wartime and should not be listed. I've included a few explanatory notes in the list below.

List of crimes

Murder
Attempted murder
Assault (inflicting unwanted physical harm on another person)
Involuntary manslaughter (killing another person through negligence, such as drunk driving)
Burglary (Breaking into a residence or business)
Theft/Larceny/Robbery (Taking someone else's property)
Rape
Kidnapping
Arson
Blackmail
Bribery
Embezzlement
Extortion
Fraud
Computer Crimes (like hacking)
Counterfeiting (currency or consumer goods)
Drug Dealing (manufacture and/or sale)
Drug Use (illegal consumption)
Perjury
Tax Evasion
Smuggling (illegal transport of drugs, weapons, jewels, or people across borders)
Espionage
Treason
Obstruction of Justice (jury tampering, witness tampering, destruction of evidence, making false statements to police)

Bonus Challenge #2 - Law and Order
This is exactly the same as the first bonus challenge, except the focus here is on the actions of police and the justice system. The same rules apply here as they do for Bonus Challenge #1. Please note that this challenge only applies to criminal law. Civil law (as in Liar Liar or A Civil Action) does not qualify for this bonus challenge or the main challenge. There are 15 actions in the list, so that is the max score for this bonus challenge.

List of actions

Police Raid (an attempt by police to enter a private area/home/business by surprise)
Police Interrogation (of suspects or witnesses)
Fingerprints (dusting or analysis or identification or use in trial)
DNA (collection of evidence or analysis or use in trial)
Arrest
Police Brutality
Police Academy (including training or graduation)
Plea Bargain (a suspect agrees to plead guilty in return for a reduced charge)
Trial
Testimony (any statement by a witness during a criminal trial)
Opening Statement (by prosecutor or defense attorney)
Closing Statement (by prosecutor or defense attorney)
Conviction
Capital Punishment
Miranda Warning (In the US, this is a warning made by the police about a suspect's rights - "You have the right to remain silent ..." - if the police in other countries say something similar, you can use that)

Bonus Challenge #3 - Blocho's Crime Block
See the following movies:
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/desert+fury/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/american+me/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/animal+factory/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/cry+danger/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/police+python+357/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/hell+is+a+city/

Participants

Rank	Participant	# of Points	Crime Wave	Law/Order	Blocho's
1	AB537	67	17	7	---
2	flavo5000	61	23	---	---
3	blocho	57	19	10	---
4	jdidaco	48	---	---	---
5	sol	47	---	---	---
6	jeroeno	41	---	---	---
7	maxwelldeux	39	24 (Completed)	15 (Completed)	---
8	Lonewolf2003	38	20	7	---
9	blueboybob	37	---	---	---
10	ororama	34	15	8	---
10	OldAle1	34	---	---	---
12	cinephage	31	12	4	---
13	peeptoad	30	---	---	---
14	ChrisReynolds	23	16	8	---
15	hurluberlu	22	---	---	---
16	sebby	20	---	---	---
16	shugs	20	---	---	1
18	mochard	18	11	---	6 (Completed)
19	frbrown	17	10	4	---
19	allisoncm	17	---	---	---
21	Teproc	16	13	---	---
21	RogerTheMovieManiac88	16	---	---	---
23	VincentPrice	13	---	---	---
24	nimimerkillinen	11	2	---	---
24	Straka	11	---	---	---
26	connordenney	7	---	---	---
27	Obgeoff	5	---	---	---
28	zzzorf	4	3	---	---
29	albajos	3	3	---	---
30	Knaldskalle	2	---	---	---

[blocho]

Very excited for this challenge. I'm trying some new bonus challenges, so please let me know if there's any confusion or you have any suggestions.

[psychotronicbeatnik]

Very excited for this challenge. I'm trying some new bonus challenges, so please let me know if there's any confusion or you have any suggestions.

I love the bonus challenges you came up with. i was planning to just focus on Directed by Women this month but these bonuses have me reconsidering - maybe I'll find the time to do both.

[blocho]

Very excited for this challenge. I'm trying some new bonus challenges, so please let me know if there's any confusion or you have any suggestions.

I love the bonus challenges you came up with. i was planning to just focus on Directed by Women this month but these bonuses have me reconsidering - maybe I'll find the time to do both.

Great! There are definitely some excellent crime movies directed by women -- just look at Ida Lupino and Kathryn Bigelow.

[psychotronicbeatnik]

Very excited for this challenge. I'm trying some new bonus challenges, so please let me know if there's any confusion or you have any suggestions.

I love the bonus challenges you came up with. i was planning to just focus on Directed by Women this month but these bonuses have me reconsidering - maybe I'll find the time to do both.

Great! There are definitely some excellent crime movies directed by women -- just look at Ida Lupino and Kathryn Bigelow.

The first two women that came to mind when I started thinking about doubles.

[3eyes]

I admire the ingenuity of the bonus challenges you came up with too. (One could always use them for your 5 of a Kind challenge.)
Not sure if a TV episode with beginning, middle and end would qualify if it was under 120 min, though - ?

I was thinking about things that are/were crimes in other times and places - witchcraft, abortion, suicide, Crime against Nature, refusing military service, blasphemy, uppity natives or women, etc. (do misdemeanors count?)

And there's always The Advocate (1993). (In the 60s I read in the Wisconsin Statutes that it was illegal for horses or cattle to copulate within site of a public road.)

[maxwelldeux]

Very excited for this challenge. I'm trying some new bonus challenges, so please let me know if there's any confusion or you have any suggestions.

I love the bonus challenges you came up with. i was planning to just focus on Directed by Women this month but these bonuses have me reconsidering - maybe I'll find the time to do both.

Ditto, damn it. I suppose it's a good problem when there are multiple challenges I want to focus on...

Clarification question - Can we count the same film for both BC1 and BC2? Like [every OJ Simpson movie ever] (year) - Murder + Trial?

[blocho]

Clarification question - Can we count the same film for both BC1 and BC2? Like [every OJ Simpson movie ever] (year) - Murder + Trial?

Good question. I will edit the OP to make this clear. Any particular movie/episode can be used for only one of the three bonus challenges.

[blocho]

Not sure if a TV episode with beginning, middle and end would qualify if it was under 120 min, though - ?

Not sure what you mean by this

I was thinking about things that are/were crimes in other times and places - witchcraft, abortion, suicide, Crime against Nature, refusing military service, blasphemy, uppity natives or women, etc. (do misdemeanors count?)

Yeah, if a movie is about something that was criminal in its era and place, then it counts as a crime movie. Again, eligibility is up to the participant. I tend not to think of misdemeanors as crimes, but it's up to the participant.

[weirdboy]

Series like The Sopranos and The Wire count, correct?

[sol]

Gee, those bonus challenges are doing my head in, but I have been a bit under the weather lately, so maybe it's just me. I assume that it's okay to abstain from participating in the bonus challenges, or do you want us to list crimes and punishments to confirm film eligibility?

Also: I would massively prefer if you excluded TV from this challenge, just like how individual television episodes were excluded during the Comedy Challenge (if I recall correctly). I understand that 120 minutes is a higher threshold than usual, but maybe we should change it to one entire season or exclude episodes altogether to prevent the winner of the Challenge being the person who decides to watch every episode of Law and Order etc. But that's a personal preference and if nobody else wants a higher cap on TV episodes I am not going to push it.

[peeptoad]

I'm down for high crime next month!

[blocho]

Series like The Sopranos and The Wire count, correct?

I definitely think so, but again eligibility is up to the participant.

[blocho]

Gee, those bonus challenges are doing my head in, but I have been a bit under the weather lately, so maybe it's just me. I assume that it's okay to abstain from participating in the bonus challenges, or do you want us to list crimes and punishments to confirm film eligibility?

Bonus challenges are optional. No need to participate in them if you don't want to, though if you see one of the movies for challenge #3, I will count it.

Also: I would massively prefer if you excluded TV from this challenge, just like how individual television episodes were excluded during the Comedy Challenge (if I recall correctly). I understand that 120 minutes is a higher threshold than usual, but maybe we should change it to one entire season or exclude episodes altogether to prevent the winner of the Challenge being the person who decides to watch every episode of Law and Order etc. But that's a personal preference and if nobody else wants a higher cap on TV episodes I am not going to push it.

I'm in favor of allowing TV, but if other people agree with sol, I will reconsider.

[3eyes]

(I thought I had answered this but I guess not.)

I agree with sol, but since a) I don't regard challenges as competitions and b) I plan to refrain from posting TV episodes from my favorite escapist genre, my opinion may not matter.

[hurluberlu]

@blocho I agree with your proposal for TV

[blocho]

I added two movies to challenge #3 just to make it a little more interesting. I promise there will be no further additions.

[VincentPrice]

Definitely in

[Mochard]

I'm in and the bonus challenges make this challenge more appealing so a big thumbs up from me. I don't include tv episodes generally when I'm doing these challenges.

[Lonewolf2003]

I admire the ingenuity of the bonus challenges you came up with too.

Me too.

[sol]

It starts! First in.

1. Hustlers (2019)



This crime drama initially comes with quite a bit of pizzazz as a female empowerment tale as the women decide to "start thinking like those Wall Street guys" with some clever fleecing/deception. The protagonists far too quickly cross the point though at which their crimes are more heinous than their clients'. Structurally, the film pulls in a few directions at once too. It is definitely well acted though and there is certainly nary a boring moment.

[nimimerkillinen]

1. Fallen Angel (1945) - Obstruction of Justice + Police Interrogation

[sol]

Crimes and Misdemeanors

1. Hustlers (2019)

2. Uncut Gems (2019)



While the visuals are not as strong as in Good Time from the same directors, this once again has a dynamite score from Daniel Lopatin that perfectly captures every heightened emotion. This is not an easy film to warm to though since Adam Sandler's protagonist is such a dislikeable and selfish human being; Sandler is solid in his vulnerable moments, but he brings his misery upon himself and it is all 'everything that can go wrong does go wrong' stuff.

[Mochard]

1. Desert Fury (1947) - 6.5/10 - Blocho's Crime Block 1 of 6



I enjoyed this. A decent start to the challenge.

Crime Pays

1. Desert Fury (1947) - 6.5/10

[Mochard]

2. Locked Up (2017) - 1.5/10 - Assault



What was I thinking watching this pile of poop! Moving swiftly on to the next one.

Crime Pays

1. Desert Fury (1947) - 6.5/10
2. Locked Up (2017) - 1.5/10

[blocho]

1. Fallen Angel (1945) - Obstruction of Justice + Police Interrogation

Each movie/short/episode can only qualify for one of the three bonus challenges. I added this rule after the initial post in response to a question from max, so I'm sure a few people didn't see it.

[nimimerkillinen]

1. Fallen Angel (1945) - Obstruction of Justice

Each movie/short/episode can only qualify for one of the three bonus challenges. I added this rule after the initial post in response to a question from max, so I'm sure a few people didn't see it.

Allright, gonna go with obstruction then

[nimimerkillinen]

Spoiler

1. Fallen Angel (1945) - Obstruction of Justice

2. Klute (1971) - Attempted murder

[Mochard]

3. Animal Factory (2000) - 6.5/10 - Blocho's Crime Block - 2 of 6



Good solid prison film. Seen better, seen worse!

Crime Pays

1. Desert Fury (1947) - 6.5/10
2. Locked Up (2017) - 1.5/10
3. Animal Factory (2000) - 6.5/10

[hurluberlu]

1. The Last Run (Richard Fleischer, John Huston) 7+

[ororama]

1. The Gentlemen (2019) * 113 min. Blackmail

*First time viewing.

[Mochard]

4. Radio Patrol (1932) - 6/10 - Bribery



Not bad for an early talkie.

Crime Pays

1. Desert Fury (1947) - 6.5/10
2. Locked Up (2017) - 1.5/10
3. Animal Factory (2000) - 6.5/10
4. Radio Patrol (1932) - 6/10

[Mochard]

5. Cry Danger (1951) - 7/10 - Blocho's Crime Block - 3 of 6



Enjoyed this one.

Crime Pays

1. Desert Fury (1947) - 6.5/10
2. Locked Up (2017) - 1.5/10
3. Animal Factory (2000) - 6.5/10
4. Radio Patrol (1932) - 6/10
5. Cry Danger (1951) - 7/10

[AB537]

1. Kiss of Death (Henry Hathaway, 1947) 7/10 - Burglary
2. The Irishman (Martin Scorsese, 2019) 9/10 - Arson
3. Escape from Alcatraz (Don Siegel, 1979) 7.5/10 - Attempted Murder
4. Atlantic City (Louis Malle, 1980) 8/10 - Assault

[sol]

Crimes and Misdemeanors

1. Hustlers (2019)
2. Uncut Gems (2019)

3. Logan Lucky (2017)



Described by some as a redneck Ocean's film, this heist comedy from Steven Soderbergh follows a similar formula to his trilogy but with a NASCAR track rather than a casino. None of the character chemistry matches Brad and George though, there is no charismatic antagonist and the revenge motive isn't as strong as in the Ocean's films. The movie is certainly slickly filmed as one would expect from Soderbergh though and there are clever bits and pieces.

[ororama]

2. The Flying Ace (1926) * 65 min. Robbery

Spoiler

1. The Gentlemen (2019) * 113 min. Blackmail

*First time viewing.

[cinephage]

01. Drishyam, by Nishikant Kamat (2015) 7/10

Quite a good crime plot... I'm surprised Hollywood didn't remake it yet...

[Lonewolf2003]

1. Guilty Bystander (1950, Joseph Lerner): 6.8 -Clearly a lowbudget B-noir; the direction is journeyman-like, the plot is convoluted and the dialogues feel Chandler-wannabe, the acting, apart from a passable Zachary Scott in the lead, is mediocre. But it's enjoyable because it has that quintessential mood of a noir about an alcoholic ex-detective stumbling through New York City's sleazy underworld. - BC#1: Smuggling

Bonus Challenge #1 - Crime Wave

Murder
Attempted murder
Assault (inflicting unwanted physical harm on another person)
Involuntary manslaughter (killing another person through negligence, such as drunk driving)
Burglary (Breaking into a residence or business)
Theft/Larceny/Robbery (Taking someone else's property)
Rape
Kidnapping
Arson
Blackmail
Bribery
Embezzlement
Extortion
Fraud
Computer Crimes (like hacking)
Counterfeiting (currency or consumer goods)
Drug Dealing (manufacture and/or sale)
Drug Use (illegal consumption)
Perjury
Tax Evasion
Smuggling - Guilty Bystander (1950, Joseph Lerner)
Espionage
Treason
Obstruction of Justice (jury tampering, witness tampering, destruction of evidence, making false statements to police)

Bonus Challenge #2 - Law and Order

Police Raid (an attempt by police to enter a private area/home/business by surprise)
Police Interrogation (of suspects or witnesses)
Fingerprints (dusting or analysis or identification or use in trial)
DNA (collection of evidence or analysis or use in trial)
Arrest
Police Brutality
Police Academy (including training or graduation)
Plea Bargain (a suspect agrees to plead guilty in return for a reduced charge)
Trial
Testimony (any statement by a witness during a criminal trial)
Opening Statement (by prosecutor or defense attorney)
Closing Statement (by prosecutor or defense attorney)
Conviction
Capital Punishment
Miranda Warning

[blocho]

1. The Highwaymen (2019) - Police Brutality
Better than I expected, given the tepid reviews. I love a period movie, and all the period details looked spot on. There was real tension in the action scenes. Costner and Harrelson were solid without trying to overact. And the more emotional scenes felt genuine. Costner's character, Frank Hamer, was a fascinating historical figure. And based solely on his wikipedia entry, which I don't fully trust, a man of contradictions--both a crusader against the Klan as well as a man who worked as a private goon for strikebreakers and tried to rough up a state senator who made inquiries into the Texas Rangers after the Porvenir Massacre.

2. Al Capone (1959) - Assault
There are two schools of thought on Rod Steiger: (1) He was an impressive and committed method actor who brought grit, texture, and passion to his characters, or (2) He was a ham who chewed the scenery. I mostly belong in the first school of thought, while admitting the appeal of the second. I love Steiger, and only partially because he has an astonishing resemblance to my father. And I don't think I've ever seen him more explosive than he is in this role. By all accounts, De Niro's Capone from The Untouchables was a rip-off. Is the movie any good? It's OK. The main appeal here is Steiger's performance.

[peeptoad]

*rewatch
1. Monster (2003) 7*
2. Tropa de Elite (2007) Elite Squad 8