Homework: A-A Clip Genre Analysis

Narrative

This movie follows Todorov's theory with a 3 part structure with Equilibrium, Disruption and Restoration. We are shown the equilibrium with the partners Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), when they are fighting crime. However almost immediately they are presented with the disruption that the supposed huge drug smuggling operation they were going to catch was in fact only 2 bags of drugs, and events develop from that point at which they are tracking down the bulk of the drugs that eluded them. Here they encounter a drug lord who claims to own Miami, with Marcus' sister Syd involved in a separate undercover mission to take him down. When trying to capture the drug baron, the operation takes a turn for the worse as Syd is kidnapped and Johnny Tapia escapes to Cuba. The restoration is when a team of elite commandos including Mike and Marcus arrive on Cuba and ambush Tapia's house. After a car chase, they successfully rescue Syd and kill Johnny Tapia.

• The movie features the typical themes surrounding a love interest between Mike (one of the heroes) and Syd (the princess), and the fight between good and evil between the police forces and the Johnny Tapia drug cartel.
• Typical actions and events include numerous shootouts as well as fast-paced car chases throughout, another common feature of many A-A films.

Iconography

Throughout the film we are presented with the common A-A iconography of guns and other weapons, military style clothing, blood and injuries as well as death, and the stereotypical clothing of characters such as Cuban drug smugglers in suits whilst Haitian gangsters are in jeans and mesh vests. These provide a key role throughout as they provide the power of suggestion with displaying the genre and general plot and progression of the story without having to use tedious dialogue. This is a very important feature throughout all A-A movies and is shown again in this case with the above mentioned typical iconography.

Character

Using Propp's theory, we can categorise many of the main characters into the categories of:

• Hero: Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) play these characters as the two crime-fighting special division police officers. However Mike fits the traditional hero role much more as he ends up with the princess character of the movie, and acts in a much more masculine and alpha-male way throughout with his fast expensive cars, designer clothes and driving/shooting skills, although Marcus actually pulls the trigger to kill Johnny Tapia.
• Villain: Johnny Tapia (Jordi Molla) plays this role as a typical villain with more modern twists involving the drug smuggling business. He also towards the end of the movie kidnaps the princess character and so fits with the traditional view of a villain character.
• False Hero: Captain Howard plays this role as someone who is always on the good side of the good/bad idea with movies, however he restricts the two officers during their investigations and so prevents them from possibly concluding the story earlier.
• Princess: Syd (Gabrielle Union), Marcus' sister acts as the princess character in the movie. She is rescued by the heroes and their helpers and donors in Cuba and then kisses the hero Mike. However she also acts as a helper earlier on when she is undercover compiling a case against Johnny Tapia.
• Princess' Father: Marcus plays this role from the older brother perspective in the movie and there is obvious comedy created by Mike lying to his partner about what has happened in the past and his and Syd's relationship.
• Helpers & Donors: These act as the same at the end of the movie when Mike and Marcus along with the other officers part of their squad, as well as the DEA officers and other CIA officers who join forces with them. They all know that the mission they are attempting could end horribly but they still agree and they put their lives on the line to save Syd for Marcus and Mike.

  
  

  Setting

  
  

  The setting of the movie is mostly in the urban environment of Miami and it's coastline with the ending sequences set in Cuba. These fit the A-A genre with a typically famous place such as Cuba which is hostile for one of the settings and then the wealthy drug baron lifestyle one may live in a city like Miami. There is also a strong military presence but mostly police presence where the movie is set and this again adds to the connotations of crime and a good vs. evil fight as is common in A-A movies.