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Lowri Catryn (229 KP) rated Mindhunter: Inside the FBI Elite Serial Crime Unit (Now A Netflix Series) in Books

Jan 4, 2020

Psychology (3 more)

Theories

Criminal behaviour

Crime

Mysterious and exciting

This book was slightly hard to get into at first. I found myself reading a bit then putting it down, not to return to it for a while. But one Spa day and I took this book with me. I realised I needed no distractions to get tucked into this book to understand it. Learning about famous real life cases and about criminal profiling was exciting for me, especially as I have an interest in psychology. This book explores the psychology of criminals, from early in their childhood: before committing crimes. We get to understand the patterns of behaviour that lead individuals to commit crime, and how the different patterns match specific crimes. In this book you will explore different theories of psychology and criminal behaviour, as well as read about the detectives that hunt these criminals down. After reading this book I then went on to watch the series on Netflix which was also done very well!

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Pulp Fiction (1994) in Movies

Mar 2, 2020 (Updated Mar 3, 2020)

Is Pulp Fiction a gangster film? Well, if you define the genre as a morality tale about organised crime, then yes, it is. Of course, it is so much more than that. There is so much going on in Tarantino’s opus that it can’t be clearly defined – which is obviously part of the appeal. You can try not to enjoy every minute of it, but why bother? Once you are in on that amazing soundtrack, and the interwoven tales so unique it hurts, you are in to the end, no matter how many times you’ve seen it already. Incredible dialogue, naturally; colourful characters everywhere, it goes without saying; violence, remorse, betrayal, guns, cars, a gold watch, a samurai sword and a briefcase. A moment of decision or hesitation has a consequence that plays out in strange and mystical ways – as a theme, that in itself connects it to the gangster / crime genre.

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated City Of God (2002) in Movies

Mar 2, 2020 (Updated Mar 3, 2020)

City Of God (2002)

2002 | Crime, Drama

8.3

(16 Ratings)

Movie Rating

If there is one film I insist folk who don’t often go for a subtitled film watch, then City of God is it. Organised crime takes on a much different flavour in different cultures, and here we see how it is not merely a choice in search of riches and power, but a way of life that becomes a matter of survival. This exceptional film has everything: story, character, beauty, cruelty, ugliness, religion, morality and an abundance of heart and soul. Importantly it was co-directed, including a rare female eye in the genre, and it shows. There is a sensibility to City of God that transcends the trivial nature of many gangster / crime films. The violence is a means by which we feel genuine sorrow and empathy for a world gone mad. A highly polished work of art that resonates in human ways a lot of films on this list fail to do.

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated A Prophet (Un prophete) (2010) in Movies

Mar 3, 2020 (Updated Mar 3, 2020)

A Prophet (Un prophete) (2010)

2010 | International, Drama

7.0

(4 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Last, but not least, we travel to France and journey into a seedy and disturbingly real world of crime and society in modern Europe. We follow the life of Malik, a confused young Arab man forced into a life of crime by circumstance, as he grows from petty criminal to a man of real power and influence. The whole thing feels dirty, deprived and cold; there isn’t a lot of glamour here. The pinstripe is a leather jacket and a tracksuit; the weapon is as likely to be bare hands or a rusty knife as a gun. The power of this film is in wondering how this young man can ever attain peace and redemption, as he descends deeper into the mire; how he becomes both truly lost and at the same time somehow enlightened. A grim tale, told with a European eye that shuns fancy camera work in favour of forcing you to watch, and think. Not a pleasant film, but an important one.

Kudos

Chloe (778 KP) rated The Death Messenger in Books

Apr 20, 2020

Suspense (3 more)

Fast-paced

Interesting

Clever

Unusual offender

The Death Messenger sends videos of crime scenes with an narration. Each crime scene has no physical evidence only the narration and what's on the videos. The detectives only have a voice to go on.

The story and person behind the killings is unusual, I didnt see it coming and loved the suspense aspect of the book towards the end. This book is fast-paced with great characters that you really come to love. I haven't read any of the other books with the same characters but would consider it now.

There is a lot of backstory to unpiece around the characters. I felt at times this took a large proportion of the story but now I've read the whole thing I wouldn't say it was overpowering. Initially, I thought the case impossible to unravel but it was done well with enough details and suspense throughout.