Introduction
Crime has become one of the significant issues in the modern world due to different aspects, such as advanced technology and lack of job opportunities. Many countries have recorded an increase in misconduct, with many people losing their lives during a robbery. Gun violence has also become common in such countries as the U.S, with many young people being part of various guns. These issues have led to many films that focus on crime and deviance in the community. Directors have used the movies to depict their message regarding crime and how it has impacted people’s lives in society. One of the movies that involve crime is “Gangs of New York,” directed by Martin Scorsese. The film was released in 2002 and reveals how crime is a major issue in the United States. Various themes, such as murder, conflicts, revenge, and gun violence have been used by the director to make the movie more fascinating and educative. Therefore, one can analyze “Gangs of New York” to show how crime and deviance are depicted in the film.
Murder
Murder has primarily been experienced in the movie as it involves the disputes between criminal groups. For instance, many people are murdered in clashes between the Irish and the natives. Children in the film watch as their fathers are killed as they watch the two groups clash (00:01:37-00:02:07). Women also watched their husbands being slaughtered as they fought for their forces. The issue of murder has also become common in many states, with many people losing their lives due to various aspects, such as race, theft, and religion. Therefore, the movie reveals that the criminal justice system should limit murder in the community by introducing strict policies.
Conflicts
“Gangs of New York” portrays violence experienced in the years between the 1840s and the Civil War. Conflicts led to the deaths of many people, as shown in the movie. The film opens with a scene showing an Irish-American leader named Priest Vallon preparing for a battle where he puts a collar on his neck to protect his neck. He moves with his son, the protagonist, Amsterdam, and picks his forces to fight the forces of a rival American-born gang, the Nativists. The conflict theory shows that social and economic factors are the causes of crime and deviance. For instance, immigration is involved in the conflicts as the natives confront the Irish-American forces. Thus, the disputes are steered by the differences regarding the social and economic factors between the two groups. Vallon leads his forces to attack his rivals using different weapons, such as guns, knives, and cleavers. The theme of conflicts reveals how various crimes are encountered in the community, such as murder and rape.
Gun Violence
Gun violence is a significant issue in the community and has been used in the movies by Scorsese to show how crime has impacted the community. In the film, gun violence is experienced as different gangs use firearms to rob civilians. William, one of Vallon enemies, leads his gang to attack the enemies with guns, creating violence in the streets. These scenes depict what many people are facing in the streets. Additionally, street crime has become common in the modern world, with many young people being influenced by their colleagues to join the street gangs as depicted in the movie (Bauchner et al. 1195). Social control has been used to regulate crime in society, which has also been revealed in the movie as the authorities try to introduce policies to curb violence in the streets.
Different approaches have been introduced by governments to prevent illegal activities in society. For instance, the criminal justice system has been used to enforce a legal code, which involves the police, the courts, and the correction systems (Neubauer and Fradella 13). Therefore, the authorities in the movie have been used to reveal how governments uses the police to control gun violence. Police in the movie are also attacked by gangs with guns, whereby some are shot, which shows how crime involving gun violence has become a significant issue in American society. Deviance and control is also another common issue in criminal justice that entails the violation of norms as depicted by pickpocket named Jenny Everdeane in the movie.
Revenge
Revenge has primarily been involved in the movie by Scorsese, whereby conflicts are escalating due to hatred and revenge between the groups. Vallon seeks revenge by encouraging his forces to face William. However, these clashes led to Vallon’s death on Paradise Square by Cutting, as Amsterdam watches helplessly. Revenge has also been portrayed in the movie where Amsterdam befriends his father’s killer, Bill Cutting. He gains Cutting’s trust and later saves his life while plotting his revenge for his father. Street gangs have also engaged in many fights with others seeking revenge, which shows that deviance arises from the reactions of others. Violent crimes are some of the common issues that have been experienced in many countries and have also led to sanctions. Means of enforcing rules in the movie have been revealed where police ensure that revenge between the Irish-American and the Natives is not encountered.
Social injustice in America has been analyzed since it involves the disparity between the rich and the poor. Conflicts have also been encountered in many communities involving the oppression of the poor by the rich (Smith 220). These disputes lead to groups emerging that seek revenge to guarantee that the government considers their opinions. In the film “Gangs of New York,” Scorsese has used the two groups to show how social injustice leads to crime, whereby the Irish-Americans feels that they are oppressed and had to seek revenge. Moreover, William argues that he does not see any Americans, and all he sees is trespassers and Irish harps. Therefore, these issues show that social injustice is portrayed in the movie to educate the audience about how people experience community challenges due to race and origin.
Conclusion
The movie “Gangs of New York” is one of the famous movies that involves crime and deviance. The film shows that many people can face challenges in the community due to their financial status, origin, and race. For instance, the fight conflicts are steered by the differences between the Irish-Americans and the natives. Crime is also revealed in the movie as people engage in clashes and murdering one another. Correspondingly, revenge is a common issue in the community and has been portrayed in the film as Amsterdam tries to revenge his father’s death. Social injustice is revealed in the movie and has led to many criminal cases as the poor claim that they are opposed by the rich. Therefore, the movie has different themes that involve misconduct and can be used to educate people about crime and deviance in many countries and how it impacts the lives of individuals.
Works Cited
“Gangs of New York: Fight Scene.”YouTube, uploaded by 666GUTS666, 2017.
Bauchner, Howard, et al. “Death by Gun Violence a Public Health crisis.” JAMA Psychiatry, vol. 74, no. 12, 2017, pp. 1195-1196.
Neubauer, David W., and Henry F. Fradella. America’s Courts and the Criminal Justice System. Cengage Learning, 2018.
Smith, Paige Hall. “Social Justice at the Core of Breastfeeding Protection, Promotion and Support: A Conceptualization.” Journal of Human Lactation, vol. 34, no. 2, 2018, pp. 220-225