Rough and Rugged vs. Classy and Stylish
It’s also rewarding to keep an eye out for the style that the gangsters—whether they’re protagonists or antagonists—have in films.
In The Usual Suspects, one finds a great example of this. Dean Keaton looks the part of the wealthy, intelligent gangster, Fred Fenster, the classic New York mobster, Todd Hockney, the working-class gangster, Michael McManus a bad boy gangster, and Verbal Kint is completely unremarkable, save for his visible, physical handicaps. The film manages to assemble a broad range of stereotypical movie gangsters and have them work as a team, setting up some interesting conflicts among them.
Some films feature one type of gangster more than others, however. In Sexy Beast, the criminals all at least have the appearance of belonging to a professional organization, and Gal’s lounging by the pool with his shirt off demonstrates how far he has come from his glory days as a safe cracker and a stylish lady’s man. In The Crow, the villains all have unique looks, but all of them imply being simple thugs, rather than gangsters with specialized skills.
Gangsters can also be portrayed as being elite by making them look very professional. The gangsters in Reservoir Dogs, for instance, wear a uniform consisting of black suits, ties and white shirts, topped off with sunglasses. They look like solid professionals, like they have purpose and the skill to carry it out.
Some of these films also feature gangsters that are so elite, they are, for all intents and purposes, above the law. L.A. Confidential, with its corruption theme; The Usual Suspects, with its near mythical villain and Dark City, with its sinister overlords, are all examples of film noir offerings with these types of villains driving the sinister elements in the plot.
Oscar Night 