Gangster's Paradise

I went to see the good-but-not-great American Gangster on Friday, and yesterday spent some time reading Marc Jacobson's 2000 New York profile of Frank Lucas (on which the film is based) and his more recent piece where he puts Lucas together with Nicky Barnes for a chit-chat. This all made me think of Oscar Wilde's remark upon witnessing the scene at Jesse James' house following his death: "The Americans certainly are great hero worshippers, and always take their heroes from the criminal element."

There seems to be something to that. But is it really different elsewhere? I'm not all that familiar with the popular culture of any other countries.

Comments

Reggie Kray - do you know my name?
Don't say you don't
Please say you do.

Posted by monkey.dave | November 5, 2007 10:55 AM

I think the appeal of a strong confident self-made man is universal. its not just Americans.

Posted by 2cynicalbyhalf | November 5, 2007 11:05 AM

How else to explain Britain's continuing obsession with the talentless and wholly unappealing Pete Doherty?

Posted by Aaron S. Veenstra | November 5, 2007 11:08 AM

Roughly half the participating electorate sent Bush-Cheney to the White House TWICE. Any doubts people in the U.S. worship or idolize criminals was put to rest in '02 and '04.

Posted by steve duncan | November 5, 2007 11:09 AM

Oops. meant '00>'04

Posted by steve duncan | November 5, 2007 11:10 AM

I know in Brazil, people made folk heroes out of rural bandits. I don't know if they do the same with modern urban gangsters, but I believe they do.

And, um, Robin Hood. And Jonathan Wilde.

Posted by RWB | November 5, 2007 11:12 AM

If you read the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, a classic from the 19th century, it has a chapter on criminals/bandits as popular heroes. It's particularly interesting since all you could easily put many 1930s gangsters or Western bandits in the same text.

Posted by John DE | November 5, 2007 11:12 AM

Funny you should say so on Guy Fawkes Night. Oddly enough, when I first went to the UK I thought (or should I say assumed) that the point was to celebrate Guy Fawkes and his anti-establishment plot. Stupid American: the point is to celebrate the failure of his plot and the successful confession-by-torture that followed.

Posted by Marshall | November 5, 2007 11:23 AM

Unsurprisingly, the Ozzies are also known to mythologize their own criminal history - think Ned Kelly, Mad Dan Morgan, and other bushrangers. Having started as a penal colony, it's hard to blame them though.

Posted by Augie | November 5, 2007 11:24 AM

Australia has Ned Kelly as an outlaw folk hero, although he at least had the chutzpah to charge armed police while wearing 96 pounds of scrap iron as armor, which is more than Jesse James ever did.

Posted by cminus | November 5, 2007 11:25 AM

The English have recently not mythologised gangsters so much - the last were the Kray twins (gangsters) and the Great Train Robbers of the 1960's (Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels notwithstanding)

There are of course some truly legendary outlaws from further back - the highwayman in the late 18th century (of whom Dick Turpin is the most famous) and the grandaddy of them all: Robin Hood, way back in the C13th.

The Scots, like many mountain people, used to have a fondness for stories about half-bandits/half-rebels like Rob Roy.

Posted by JohnTh | November 5, 2007 11:29 AM

Jean Valjean? He stole a loaf of bread.

Posted by Bill | November 5, 2007 11:57 AM

Here's an easy one, from India: Veerappan!

Posted by Bill | November 5, 2007 12:06 PM

Synge's Playboy of the Western World is a satire of the Irish attitude towards criminality as long as they don't have to actually see it. The playboy is a hero to the crowd when they hear that he killed his father, but repulsive to the crowd when they actually see him do it. (His father is a resilient man and requires killing over and over again.)

Posted by Lon | November 5, 2007 12:55 PM

Irish folk songs, particularly "Whiskey in the Jar" and "Newry Highwayman", strongly imply that at least Irish culture is similar to American in that regard.

Posted by Richard Campbell | November 5, 2007 12:59 PM

I don't know anything about the film or the question at hand, but the Jay-Z video that goes along with it is pretty good.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wiuNd5SoU8E

Notice the prevalent use of 500 Euro notes? The right-wingers think it's a sign of impending economic collapse.

Posted by southpaw | November 5, 2007 1:07 PM

Well, this is ficton, but I would direct you to the sublime Odessa Tales of Isaac Babel, starring the unforgettable Benya Krik.

Posted by elle loco | November 5, 2007 2:02 PM

We often even select our leaders from the criminal element. Witness the outlaw Bush.

Posted by bob h | November 5, 2007 2:14 PM

those citing english and irish sources are likely double-counting (those sources likely are, at least in part, the roots of the american veneration of the outlaw, rather than proof that other cultures do same).

regardless, i wouldn't be surprised that a nation of immigrants -- who obviously weren't doing so well wherever they were from that they didn't think it made sense to leave -- would be more willing to view outlaws as heroes speaking truth to power. e.g., anyone know if japan traditionally has similar attitude towards outlaws? or germany? or india?

south america obviously shares much in common with US, and outlaws/rebels are venerated there, as well, so far as i know.

Posted by dj superflat | November 5, 2007 2:45 PM

Considering the amount of yakuza imagery in Japanese anime and manga, as well as mainstream Japanese film, I'll second Japan.

Posted by Richard Campbell | November 5, 2007 3:33 PM

Well one may - dending on who you ask - consider Robin Hood.

Posted by ET | November 5, 2007 4:28 PM

Here's the source for Matt's Oscar Wilde quote:

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2007/10/assassination-of-jesse-james-by-coward.html

Posted by Steve Sailer | November 5, 2007 5:00 PM

I'd count Hong Kong in on this count too, with all their gangster movies.

Posted by Persia | November 6, 2007 11:59 AM