XIa PROJECT The Perfect Crime

Start Thinking Criminally

Getting away with it or getting what they deserve?

“In real life, criminals tend to be caught and punished. In fiction, however, charismatic criminals literally get away with murder, as we cheer them on from the safety of our sofas.”

How true do you think the above statement is? How important is it that criminals “get what they deserve”, in real life and in books and films?

Top Crime Scenes

Discuss the scenes which have been nominated for Top Crime Scene. If you have seen it, tell your colleagues what happens. Do you agree that it is a great crime film moment?Which crime scene would you choose for the number one spot? It could be one of the ones mentioned, or maybe you’ve seen another film with something better! If you don’t watch crime films much and don’t know any of these scenes, listen to your colleagues talking about them and ask questions to help you get a better idea of what happens. Come to an agreement as a group on which scene is the best.

Planning The Perfect Crime

So, what are the ingredients of the perfect crime? A handsome hero? An unexpected twist? An evil villain?

A cunning plan? A foolproof getaway? Lucrative gains?A seemingly impossible task? No violence / extreme violence? A car chase? Revenge? Team chemistry?

Now, you and your gang need to decide on the Perfect Crime. You might want to choose a crime that someone else has already committed, either in real life or in a film. Or you might prefer to come up with your own plan! Decide on the crime and discuss the following aspects together:

profile of the criminals who carry out the crime the objective, eg to steal the crown jewels, and why this is important to

the criminals preparation involved how the actual crime is carried out the getaway how to make sure the criminals cannot be caught

Reporting the Perfect Crime

You know a crime has made it big time when it gets written about in lots of different media. Your gang now needs to create various write ups of your Perfect crime. Each of you should choose to do one of the following:

* a police report * an article for a top online news publication* a psychologist’s profile of the criminal (or leader if a gang is involved)* the crime written up as a story, with a view to getting film studios

interested in purchasing film rights (NB Do NOT write a script)

Crime Idol

Finally, you’re going to appear on SIC’s latest reality show, “Crime Idol”. In the first round, you have to present the story of your criminals and their crime to the panel. The most intriguing / interesting / amusing / daring crimes will make it through to the final round, where you will have the opportunity to re-enact your Perfect Crime!

* When you are listening to other groups’ presentations, you will be acting as the panel of experts, and will have a chance to comment on their “performance”.

Crime movies have always been an obsession of fans and critics alike, but many still find it hard to identify 10 of the best crime scenes in movies. There are just too many to choose from.

1. Clive Owen walks out the front door in “Inside Man.” Criminal mastermind Dalton Russell (Owen) tells both the audience and his nemesis Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) exactly how he’s going to get himself out the bank he is robbing; by walking out the front door. And then we spend the next two hours watching him do just that. Brilliant.

2. Tom Cruise steals valuable data in “Mission Impossible.” Special agent Hunt (Cruise) goes from hero to outlaw trying to clear his name by breaking into the very place hunting him down in one of the greatest and most parodied crimes scenes in movies.

3. Vito Corleone takes charge in “The Godfather: Part II.” Here audiences finally get to see how a small-time immigrant from Sicily became the great Vito Corleone by making friends and killing everyone who got in his way as he does with Don Fanucci, just moments after striking a bargain with him and become a Don himself.

4. Sonny Corleone gets shot in “The Godfather.” Sonny was always the hothead of the family, so luring him into a trap while he is attempting to avenge his sister’s honor was simple. As Sonny stops as at a toll station on the road, enemies of the Corleone family riddle him with bullets in what becomes one of the most classic crimes scenes in movie history.

5. Michael Corleone’s daughter pays the ultimate price in “The Godfather: Part III.” The last surviving Corleone pays the ultimate price in this great crime scene as his daughter is gunned down by a bullet that was meant for him, thereby destroying any chance of him ever repenting for his sins.

6. Johnny Depp takes the bank in “Public Enemies.” In one of most underrated roles, Depp plays real-life gangster John Dillinger. One of the best crimes scenes occurs early in the film as he and his gang robs a bank with precision timing and quite a bit of style.

7. John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson in “Pulp Fiction.” There are so many great crimes scenes in this movie, it’s hard to single out a favorite, but anything that involves Sam Jackson quoting Biblical scripture right before he blows away a guy has got to be high on anyone’s list.

8. Joker robs a bank in “The Dark Knight.” In a role that would wow even hardened comic book fans, the late Heath Ledger took away any doubts fans might have had about his portrayal of the Joker in the scene where he and his band of thugs rob a mob-run bank. Its stands as a great crime scene for what turned out to be the highest grossing movie of all time.

9. Leo DiCaprio and crew in “Inception.” Director Christopher Nolan went from doing brilliant crimes scenes in “The Dark Knight” to this crime scene movie where technology and savvy can be used to invade people’s minds to either steal information or implant ideas.

10. George Clooney and crew in “Ocean’s 12.” Classy is about the best word to describe this crime caper that reunites and recreates the Brat Pack of the 60’s. Clooney (Danny Ocean) and his crew have to outwit a brilliant thief with a fake heist in order to save themselves from a mobster looking for revenge. How they go about this provide moviegoers with one of the best crimes scenes to be put in film in decades.