A Time to Kill - Hollywood Crime Thriller - Research Paper Example

Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx 9 November A Time to kill A Time to Kill is a 1996 Hollywood crime thriller movie starring Samuel L. Jacksonand Matthew McConaughey. This essay critically analyses the movie in terms of the criminology theories explained in chapters 5,6,7 and 8 of the book Criminology. The film revolves around a crime committed by Carl ((Samuel L. Jackson) who is a middle-aged man. There are a few criminology theories that tend to focus more on teen delinquency. Hence, a cautious approach will be taken and only those theories shall be chosen that are relevant for this film analysis. In the above mentioned chapters there are many theories explained. The theories explained in these movies shall be used to shed a light on the deviance or the crime committed by the Carl Lee and the two rapists who were killed by Carl. Carl Lee is shown to be a hard working man who is earning livelihood for his family by legitimate means. He has a family and he cares for them. Hirchis’s Social Bond theory is partially successful in explaining the crime of Carl. According to the theory the four bonds that promote socialization and conformity are – 1- Attachment. 2- Commitment 3- Involvement 4- Belief In the case of Carl he was definitely attached to his family. No reasonable doubt exists about his Commitment and Involvement. But at the end of the movie, Carl clarifies his outlook over his Belief. He believes (rightly or wrongly) that White people and Black people are not part of the same community. He tells Jake, his lawyer, that the case would have been different if the girl raped was a white girl. Whatever the truth may be, his belief did not confirm with the present structure of the American society. In a similar vein, it can be highlighted that Carl lacked belief in the judicial system. After the rape of his daughter, he thought that the rapists would walk free. This is the reason why he took law into his own hands. The Social bond theory successfully provides the reason for Carl’s crime on the basis of his weak beliefs. But one question that should be asked here is that does the Social Bond theory accommodate for the trigger factors which lead to crime. It can be argued that Carl wouldn’t have killed those two men if his girl wouldn’t have been raped. Tonya’s (Carl’s daughter) rape proved to be a trigger point or a catalyst for his lack of faith or ‘Belief’ in a getting justice. The other theory that comes under the Social Control Theory domain is the Containment Theory. According to this theory, Carl’s inner containment failed him when he became enraged at the crime committed against his daughter. The inner containment has many features such as well-developed conscience and high frustration tolerance. This theory of inner containment explains why Carl committed the crime. The rage in him forced him to deviate from a conforming behavior. This deviation resulted in him killing the two men. It can be seen that Carl was a law abiding citizen who was forced by rage to commit the crime. His transition can also be explained by Howard Becker’s Developmental Career model. There were many situations that which led to the crime. There are many factors that preceded the crime which contributed to the killing of the rapists – 1- Rape of his 10 year old daughter. 2- His knowledge of acquittal of rapists in similar cases in the past. 3- His successful procurement of a gun. 4- Prejudice against Black people. The above model also highlights the limitation of using all the theories of criminology in crime committed by Carl. There are too many situational factors that are outside the control of Carl. These factors directly or indirectly contributed to the murder. For the rest of the theories the essay shall turn to the two rapists who committed that heinous crime of raping and torturing and a 10 year old girl. Experts on Criminology believe that violence in a place is directly linked to the complexity in the population of that place. Factors such as Immigration, Industrialization and urbanization create a complex structure which threatens the status quo of the society through the phenomenon of violence. The State of Mississippi, where this film is based, is also an example of such a complex societal structure. There were many African Americans who had to fight for their right in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. Even in the famous ‘I have a Dream’, Martin Luther King mentioned the state of Mississippi many times. In such a situation there is social disorganization. This happens when societies become disorganized and many criminologists believe that this leads to social disorder. The social disorganization theories see crime in a different manner. It holds that uneven development in society leads to change and conflict resulting in crime. Durkheim’s Anomie theory explains the behavior of the two young men who raped the girl. The theory says that as societies become more complex, people are not bound to a social norm and whatever the bonds are, they are impersonal. This explains the brutality with the black girl was raped and tortures. The word impersonal here highlights lack of feelings or sentiments towards other members of the society. The film was based in America but this phenomenon of lessening of personal bonding can be seen in almost all of the urban societies. Some community or the other (mostly minorities) is targeted and also stereotyped. Then the members of that community are harassed and tortured. This is what led to the formation of China Towns in America. In the initial years Chinese people were targeted and their shops were looted. In order to have protection for themselves and their business, Chinese people started living in communities together called China Towns. This theory explains the deviance but doesn’t shed light on the importance of individual opinions in reference to the crime. While it gives an overall picture of the trend of crime in an evolving society, it doesn’t address issues such as inner containment and outer containment. In the film the two rapists did not have any feelings for their victim. They viewed them as ‘niggers’ worth to be beaten up and killed. But this attitude wasn’t supported by the majority in the community. Other white people were living in peaceful co-existence with the black community. This leaves a gap in this theory. Differential Opportunity theory explains the background of the rapists. They were not living in a business area or the city center where they would have become a Criminal Gang as per the definition of the theory. These two men represented the second type of gang called the conflict gang where there is less integration with businesses and more emphasis on violence and destruction. The next theory that explains the ‘Klan’ in the movie is the Cohen’s Subculture of Delinquency theory. According to Cohen, Delinquent subcultures have opinions and values are in conflict with the dominant culture. He points out that these delinquent subcultures thrive in the slums of the country’s largest cities. The basis for their differentiation is often class, parental aspirations and school standards. In the film the Klan had its own principles which were in conflict with the constitution of America and the judicial system. The members of this Klan were ready to take any means to achieve their goal. The whole film depicts the clan devising new methods to terrorize and even kill people who were opposed to them. The difference between this clan and other delinquent sub cultures is that in the formers case there was no money involved. The Klan shown in the movie is a real life sub culture which has emerged many times in the past of America. The thing that kept the Klan together was their ideology of hate against black minorities. Other issues they had fanatical views over were the following issues – 1- They were passionate about establishing supremacy of white people. 2- They wanted immigration to be stopped. 3- Eradication of communist elements in America. The last theory that needs to be mentioned is the Labeling Theory. This topic needs attention because this labeling is a very harmful activity which segregates people and creates outsiders or outlaws. If the stamp of a ‘junkie’ or a ‘whore’ is put too soon then people feel isolated and seek the company of similarly isolated people. This exacerbates the problem and makes them into hardcore criminals. The black people still have that stereotype. In the movie Carl was tried and his plea for insanity wasn’t accepted because of various technical reasons. But one of the reasons can be the labeling of young black males as violent people. So when a black guy is accused of a crime then it becomes very difficult for the jury to give him benefit of the doubt. This was what happened to Carl in the courtroom because of labeling. It can be observed that most of the Criminology theories find their relevance in the film. There is presence of social disorganization which leads to social disorder. When, the disorder erupts after a buildup of tension, the society experiences civil war. In quieter times the disorder manifests itself in different ways. But there are a few questions that are left unanswered by the theories. That is the theories don’t explain the reasons behind brutality one human being commits towards the other. The degree of brutality and the ways of killing can also tell a lot about crime behavior. May be Criminology can explain the human psyche with the help of Biology and Psychology. Then the theories will be able to explain how the modus operandi manifests itself. And most importantly what propels people to commit such heinous acts. References Adler, F and Laufer, W. Criminology. New York: McGraw Hill, 2005. Print Read More