Crime: A Series of Extraordinary Interviews Exposing the World of Crime―Real and Imagined

by Alix Lambert

How much do criminal acts and their representation in cinema, literature and music really have in common? Is the execution of crime in everyday life as appealing or as inspired as creative artists have made it seem since, say, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Professor Moriarty? Does the film industry continue to learn from the real-life Mafia, or have the imaginings of scriptwriters had their own effect on organized crime? And what experience do these people who mold our perceptions of crime and criminals have of the real thing? This remarkable book is the first to explore our images of crime by interviewing those involved on, in and around all sides of the law, both real and fictional, and often somewhere in between. Through a series of exclusive interviews with artists, authors and actors such as Ben Affleck, David Cronenberg, Elmore Leonard, Viggo Mortensen, Ice-T, David Mamet and Takeshi Kitano, as well as real life bank robbers, gangsters and current prison inmates, editor Alix Lambert (artist, photographer of Russian prisoners’ tattoos and writer for HBO’s Deadwood ) explores the gaps and overlaps between real crime and its representation in the arts, each commenting on and assessing the impact of the other.

Genres: True Crime, Crime, Nonfiction

448 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by this impressively bound book of photos and interviews which is very Studs Terkel-esque in its approach to the subject. Alix Lambert went around interviewing people directly associated with real-life crime as well as directors, writers, and artists whose works deal with fictional crime to gather an interesting compendium of the culture and mythos around these subversive acts. At the center of the work was a question of why crime is so compelling to us in the first place, which ultimately leads into further questions about how crime really happens, why it does, and how it effects us. While it's by no means a comprehensive work and there are no definitive answers to these questions, there is a great humanity which emerges that is fascinating and I was disappointed when it ended. Definitely worth reading.

[Justin]

This is a one-of-a-kind epic of research on crime, and the focus is more on the inner worlds of crime and transgression than on the procedure of crime and police work. Essential stuff, and I'd also recommend Alix's amazing documentary film, The Mark of Cain, about tattooing in Russian prisons - but really, like this book, also about so much more.

[Rachel Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting for those of us fascinated by crime and criminals. Short but intense interviews with crime writers, actors, directors, cops, criminals, and victims.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Won't be finishing this one... Too many actors talking about playing criminals, and not enough criminals!