Mug Shots are often associated with convicted criminals. Quite often no expression is shown in these shots, making the subject look fearsome, as if they do not care about the crimes that they have committed. Having the photo taken in black and white also highlights the shadows that the face casts and so make the subject look even more crafty.

The use of the words ‘Girl Gangster’, taken from an old newspaper headline challenges the conventions associated with mobster movies. Usually, the people associated with mafia films are men. It is very unlikely that a woman would be seen playing a criminal role in these films.

The image of a man, digging a hole out of the soil, can show what measures the mafia go to in order to cover up their crimes. This is usually seen in the setting of a forest or a graveyard under the cover of night. People can often go missing for no reason because they have been murdered and buried in a remote or unsuspecting location. In this image, one man is over watching another dig the hole, showing the hierarchy that the mafia revolves around. The dirty work is often left to the soldiers rather than the boss.

An establishing shot of the city often shows where the film will be taken place. In mobster films, the main setting is in a large urban environment, such as New York City. These settings can often be associated with real world mafia organisations as well as make a dark and shady location for criminal events to take place. With the many back streets, forgotten where houses and hidden basements, it is a perfect environment to set up a crime.

In crime films, someone is always being tied up, whether it be the cops interrogating a criminal, or criminals torturing other criminals. These scenes often use low key lighting and reveal certain amounts of information to the audience and to the characters. They can be very graphic scenes, reflecting how violent a mobster lifestyle can be.

The word ‘Mystery’ is one that can sum up the mafia as a whole. Considering that it is a criminal organisation, a lot of what they do must be kept secret and very often, no one out side of the organisation will ever know, leaving the question ‘What are they up to?’. Even inside the organisation, the only person that knows everything that is going on is the Boss.

Violence is a main convention found within mobster films. I used the image of blood splatter to give the effect that there had been blood spilt over the image. Crime is always associated with the presence of blood at some point and often it is because of someone else pulling a trigger or wielding a knife on the subject. This is shown in the image that was placed underneath.

Women usually play small parts in mobster films due to their lack of involvement in the criminal organisation. However, they are often seen playing parts that involve providing sexual satisfaction to a man. This could be because the man has gone to a prostitute for these very reasons as family life and relationships are very risky to have in the criminal underworld. Prostitution can also be seen as something to be considered as dirty and unlawful, linking in with criminal activities.

The casting of a silhouette can often create a sense of fear in the audience as we cannot see who that person is. The silhouette also shows there to be weapon in the criminal’s hand, a knife. This can make the figure seem all the more threatening. Often, these shadows are cast by something lit in the background. For this image it is a cars headlamps showing us that this may be the only source of light, meaning that the scene is set in a remote place.

The use of a silhouette to present the boss of the mafia organisation would create a mysterious aroma around the character. Since this character is the head of the organisation, he is someone that should be kept safe, and out of the picture when it comes to accusing people of certain crimes. The Boss is always the man who makes the decisions behind closed doors, leaving the dirty work to the common mobsters and mafia soldiers.

This image of a common mobster represents the stereotypical character that is usually portrayed in mobster films. Here we can see that the subject is wearing a dark suit and tie, with a matching fedora hat. This outfit can also resemble the era the film was set as it was the fashion trend in the 60s. The cigarette can also represent the gangster’s status in the mafia hierarchy. This is because it is cheaper than what higher ranked member can usually afford and prefer, the cigar.

The image of the alleyway shows the sort of settings that could be used in filming mobster films. Places with low lighting make them seem suspicious and dangerous to embark through. Using settings like this can cause the audience to feel tense until a climatic action occurs. Dark urban areas are often associated with crime as they tend to be the places that no one would go down, making it a good place to do things you don’t want people to see.

The word ‘Guilty’ is significant to the mobster genre as we often know who is guilty of committing the crimes that take place throughout the film. Even though the criminals are proven guilty, quite often, they do not feel guilty of their crimes showing how ruthless these people really are. We also see mafia bosses that have been proven guilty, serve time in a luxurious prison cell rather than a confined inmate cell. Despite being guilty of such crimes, true justice is not served due to the absolute corruption that can sometimes link the police and the mafia together.

Car chases and drive by shootouts are seen to be something that can liven up a crime film. We often see police chasing criminals in cars, trying to shoot out the tires and the driver. Often, car chases are a result of a criminal act being carried out previously but the criminals were not fast enough to get away without detection. This can sometimes be the mistake that brings a mafia boss down, especially if everything is meant to be kept quiet.

The Tommy Gun is a weapon commonly known to be used in Mafia films on the forefront of crime. Showing this gun in a movie will instantly spark a link between the movie and the mafia as this prop is so closely associated. It could be argued that this gun is one of the most commonly known weapons to be used in such films making it a must have in any mafia movie.