Executive Suit In The Big Heat

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The last four films we watched showed how twentieth century film directors depicted various organizations, ranging from criminal organizations that operated on the docks, to big corporate organizations that oversaw large workforces, and how they affected the individuals that functioned within them. We also observed how success was obtained in these diverse films, what success meant for the main characters and how their perceptions of success evolved during the film. All of these films displayed success as related to individualism, moral integrity and honesty. This type of morality was usually achieved when the main character either went through a personal transformation, or when they finally took a stand and resisted the adverse forces imposed by the organizations that encouraged dishonesty, exploitation and sometimes-criminal behavior. The common thread of success in these films is that an individual’s morality is more desirable than an organization’s corruption, which was significant to Cold War audiences because they were left with a clear perspective on what really defines success and how to achieve it. The film Executive …show more content…

Sergeant Dave Banion ultimately achieves success by taking on and fighting against the entire syndicate virtually by himself. In the end, Banion gets his old job back at the police station and corrupt commissioner Higgins and Lagana are prosecuted. Although Banion initially loses his job and wife, he perseveres to fight corruption. He learned that many people within the police force were corrupt and worked for Lagana, so he fought against them by leaving the force. By taking down the syndicate he was successful in restoring justice. The way Banion’s success is portrayed is significant because it displayed how it is better to fight for justice and what you believe in, instead of remaining silent amongst a corrupted organization, such as the police

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