was a great, understated verbal duel filled with unspoken threats and counter-threats, written superbly by Zaillian and shot without fanfare by Scott, who knows he is working with great actors,
and so never interjects himself into their affairs.
Therefore, the writer thought “American Gangster” really is that good that it can take two hours to build up a confrontation, and have that confrontation be a simple back and forth dialogue
scene between two actors in a room across a cheap table. Separately, Roberts and Lucas’ story can stand on their own, but together, they make for one of the best crime films in a long while.
The description of writer’s reasons and opinion about American Gangster above is enough to choose this film to be analyzed related to the theme of Crime that often appeared in this film.
B. Focus of the Study
This research will focus on “The Phenomenon of Crime Presented in American Gangster Movie Based on Montero and McDowell’s Theory”.
C. The Research Questions
Based on the background and focus of study above, the writer formulated the research questions as what kinds of crime are presented in the American Gangster movie?
D. The Significance of the Study
This research hopefully could give the comprehensive understanding about the social conflict in American Gangster movie especially the issue of crime. The writer would like to
describe the reader that beside the intrinsic elements, there are also extrinsic elements that can be analyzed from the movie or other things as a text object of analysis. Academically the research
also could enlarge the social knowledge in America especially for Students of English Letter
4
Department besides the History of America that has been learned in the class. This research seems to be “the other side” of Social life in America that often being controversy in the mass or electric
media in the world.
E. The Methodology of Research 1. The Objective of the Research
Based on the research questions above, the objective of the research are; to know the kinds of crime presented in American Gangster the Movie and how do they relate to the concepts of
Montero and McDowell.
2. The Method of the Research
The Research used the qualitative method with descriptive analysis explanation. It described and analyzed the phenomenon of crime presented in American Gangster Movie.
3 . The Technique of Data Analysis
This Research uses the descriptive analysis technique. Here the writer collects the data through watching the film and reading its script, then writer will analyze the data by using the
Montero and McDowell’s concept. The Montero and McDowells theory in the book; Social problems, the Sociological
approach used to analyze the Phenomenon of Crime in American Gangster Movie. The writer also needs some references from books and other resources to support the analysis. The writer also
watches the film for many times while checking the important part of the action and the conversation of the characters in the film. The Films Script also has the important role for the
writer to get the comprehensive understanding in analyzing the movie.
5
F. The Unit of Analysis
The Unit of Analysis of this research is the film of American Gangster and its scripts. The film was directed by Ridley Scott and released by Universal Studio in 2007 with performance of
Russel Crowe and Denzel Washington as the main character.
G. The Time and Place of the Research
This research has been conducted since the last of seventh semester and the place of the research is in the State Islamic university “Syarif Hidayatullah” Jakarta, Faculty of Adab and
Humanities, English Letters Department.
6
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Understanding Film
What do people mean when they talk about the film? The answers to this apparently straightforward question are not simple, not at all based in common sense, and go to the heart of the
complexities of the institutions, the practices, and the viewing of movies. Robert P. Kolker in ‘The film text and film form’ on The Oxford Guide to Film Studies said
that the preference to think of the film as a kind of self-constructed presence, full of story, characters, and emotion, is strong. A film is there, complete, full, and waiting for peoples gaze.
3
Kolker in his writing “The Film Text and Film Form” said further that the Film making is more difficult than it appears because the influence of film on the life of the society is so great,
therefore the film is important to be explained.
4
Understanding film seems to be something easy. Strictly speaking, just by watching the film until the end of the story, people could get what the film is talking about. But actually
understanding film is more than that. It’s all about the aspects that build the film it self as a complex object to be described. Therefore there’s no specific or a ‘real’ semantics meaning describe the film
3 John Hill and Pamela Church, The Oxford Guide to Film Studies New York: Oxford University Press Inc, 1998, p. 11
4 Ibid 7
