Synopsis
From Brighton Rock, The Hill and The Long Good Friday to Manhunter, Clockwork Orange and Reservoir Dogs, this book focuses on 100 powerful films that have profoundly affected the portrayal of violence in cinema, be it in terms of influence, iconography, social response, media controversy or censorship. The 100 films are covered - and highlighted - within the following chapters, analysing the film's content and influence to illuminate the true meaning of the violence: - Influence and Iconography: violence and the art of cool from Alain Delon in Le Samorai, Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry to the stylisations of John Woo. - Taking it to the Limit: how filmmakers pushed back the boundaries from Bunuel's depiction of eyeball-slicing in Un Chien Andalou, Michael Powell's serial murder and voyeurism in Peeping Tom, to Hitchcock's dissonant editing techniques in the shower scene in Psycho - Amorality and Anti-Heroism: film noir, spaghetti westerns and the long hand of the Vietnam War - Censorship and controversy, including Natural Born Killers, Crash, Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Baise Moi.
- No Farewell to Arms: why filmmakers use violence whether it's to kickstart a revenge-themed thriller, provide thrills in blockbusters or as a response to social and political events. - Endpiece in the light of September 11th.
