Here are some things you need to consider and the the questions you need to answer about the film.
Like most of the characters in the movie Dave/Kick-Ass is white - there are few characters in the movie that aren't - however what we have to do is analyse the representation of these characters and their role within the narrative...
- What non-white characters are in the film?
- Do the characters have speaking parts?
- How would you sum up their role within the film - i.e. could you consider them to be an archetype?
- Would they reinforce any recognisable stereotypes? Remember to look at appearance & behaviour.
- Are there any other representations of ethnicity even if the characters are white?
- How do the non-white and ethnic characters compare or contrast with other characters?
Make notes based on the questions when you have decided how you feel the group has been represented then write a paragraph that could either be an introduction to an essay or some concluding thoughts.
Leave your paragraph as a comment here...
The non-white characters in Kick-Ass are underrepresented and the few that are, are stereotypical views of that ethnicity. For example, the group of gangsters led by Frank D'Amico are all stereotypical Italian gangsters, they all wear smart suits with slicked back hair and speak with thick Italian American accents. They are represented as typical mobsters who kill people for drug money and carry guns. The leader, Frank D'Amico, lives in a luxury penthouse suite where he orders his men to find and kill people who have done him wrong. Another example of how ethnicity is represented in the film is through the Afro-caribean characters. These are represented as violent thugs who smoke and take drugs often. We can see this through the character of Rasul who is shown in his flat doing these things, it is also mentioned that he punched Katie showing his aggressive nature. He has very minimal dialogue in the film and is only on screen for a few minutes.
ReplyDeleteI think in the film the race & ethnic groups have been represented very stereotypically and meet audience expectations. There are two main groups of non-white characters in the film- Italian Americans and Jamaican. The Italian American's could, to a certain extent, be considered to be an archetype like they are usually represented and have been in the past with the likes of the film the Godfather as well as other fictional representations; in fact they do use intertextual reference as the line 'are you lookin' at me is used within the film itself. Not only is the American Gangster role portrayed stereotypically in the film the family orientation of Italian Americans is met due to the depiction of the D'Amico family.
ReplyDeleteIn the film race is under-represented, as we there are barely any named ethnic characters in the film. The only representations of ethnicity in this film are stereotyped, as the first ethnic character we see mugs someone, and later on is seen robbing a car. the other african american characters we see are at Rasul's place (drug den), selling drugs, and the final ethnic character we see is a thug, hired by a drug Kingpin. So the representations of ethnicity in this film are a negative, stereotyped representation.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, I think that non-white characters are very underrepresented, and any representation that has been made is very stereotypical. There are two groups of non-white characters and these are Razul's gang and Frank D'Amico's gangsters. Razul's gang are very stereotypical in the sense that they are Afro-Carribean and shown taking drugs and known to be violent. Frank D'Amico's gangsters are your typical Italian gangsters, which the stereotypical representation has derived from Mafia films such as Goodfellas and The Godfather. They wear the stereotypical mafia outfits, which the smart suits and the guns hidden inside the suit jackets. These ethnic groups have minimal dialogue throughout the film and are only shown when they are either killing someone, or being killed themselves. The non-white characters in the film are always shown to be the 'bad guys', and shown to be doing Frank D'Amico's dirty work for him. Although Frank is the head of the drug operation, he gets his men and other non-white workers to do all of the killing for him.
ReplyDeleteThe film Kickass has a very negative representation of ethnic groups in a post-modern society, there are limited characters from an ethnic background and when they are seen in the film they are involved in some sort of crime/conflict. This comes to light through the character Rasul, seen to be in some sort of drug den - his character is seen to be violent and harassing (through Katie), this is a negative representation of ethnic groups, as none of the characters who fit into this category have been presented positively. Ethnic groups are seen to be underrepresented in the film and stereotyped to meet audience expectations.
ReplyDeleteGenerally within the film Kick Ass, race and ethnicity is represented in a very generic way. The majority of the characters are white, and non-white characters in the movie (American-Italian mob and Aro-Caribbean) are both very underrepresented and very stereotypical. Frank D'Amico's character and his mob are represented in a exaggerated and generic way. They speak with heavy Italian American accent, and use language and slang which likens dialect used in Mafia and gangster movies. Furthermore, they are all men of a certain age with threatening yet non athletic physiques, with dark hair, dressed in smart suits and long leather coats. This representation is emphasised in the contrast between Frank D'Amico and his son, Chris, a scrawny teenager with a generic American accent. The representation of Afro Caribbean characters in the film is also stereotypical, albeit very brief. These characters are again lead by one main body, Razul, and are represented in a gang-like manner. Their one scene represents the characters to be criminals; who binge drink, take drugs and do nothing of real respect or importance. The fact that they also have a white prostitute in their flat strengthens a violent and negative representation, backed up by their actions in pulling knifes out to attack Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I believe that Kickass under-represents race and ethnicity. This is due to the fact that the characters that are black seem to have a huge involvement in street crime, this is seen where we see two men breaking into a car and stealing Dave's and Todd's belongings in the car park. We can also see this is Razul's apartment, the characters seem to be criminals who do drugs and happen to be carrying weapons on them. We see them pull out their knives and weapons on Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass therefore reinforcing this negative stereotype. It just happens to be that Razul (who is basically the main character who is black) is giving Katie a bad time and is abusing her. Another over-exaggerated stereotype is the Italian-American gangster. We see that Frank D'Amico has a huge crime syndicate and all of his henchmen (including him) are Italian-American, this is hugely exaggerated through the way they speak mainly. Another way in which we see the Italian - American representation is through the mise-en-scene, we see that all of the mobsters just happen to be wearing suits with slicked back hair.
ReplyDeleteIn the film Kick-Ass, non-white characters are stereotypical and generic. The character of Rasul is a typical 'black man', he wears gold chains, expensive clothes and the most stereotypical of all his is a drug dealer. He is represented as a gang man and very high up in the criminal hierarchy. In this film there is a limited amount of ethnic people and even the ones that are are exploited for humour such as Frank D' Amico's gang all being Italian/Hispanic due to their heavy accents an similar slang used by the Mafia and other gangster films.
ReplyDeleteThese things all meet the audiences expectations as we instantly know that by Katy saying she met Rasul at the needle exchange we expect him to be a drug dealer/ drug user himself and any people would have also expected to see a black actor play him as through the media this is constantly reinforced to us in films, it is very rare that we see a white drug dealer.
These characters offer a contrast to the white characters as Kick-As is a scrawny and innocent teenager thrown into a big world of violence and drug dealers with experienced aggressors and some how manages to fight them off with the help of Hit Girl and Big Daddy.
the film represents ethnicity stereotypically for the few it does have. One of the ways it represents ethnicity is with the character of Rasul, his character is extremely stereotypical of the 'Jamaican/ Afro-Caribbean' as he is represented as violent and lives in drug-den. His violent nature is portrayed as he carries a gun along with the other people in his place, they are all shown doing drugs. Frank D'Amico's character along with his 'gang' are stereotypical of 'Italian-Americans' as they all have heavy Italian American accents along with the clothing of suits, this shows them to fit with the stereotype as they fit the class of the typical mobsters, particularly Frank D'Amico, as he gets other people to do his work for him if someone disrespects him and his entire empire is built on drug money and killing people. This therefore shows a negative representation of both of these ethnic groups, as they are under-represented and in the few ways they are, it heavily relies on stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteFrom the start we lack in a diversity of representations of different ethnicities. Nearly all the main characters are white and American, these are the only characters that develop, even if it is only slightly. All the other character are not highly developed and seem to be stereotypes. For example the American Italians like Frank D'Amico is quick to tick all the boxes of the gangster stereotype. In appearance he has dark slicked back hair and dresses smartly, his accent is very strong. In behaviour he is the typical mob boss, involved with drug deals to killings, running a gang of men that are involved with power and crime. Although this is such a conventional stereotype, i don't believe that its meant to be offensive. In fact it quickly allows the audience to understand the narrative and is a shortcut to to letting us know who the villains are.
ReplyDeleteThe characters in Kick-Ass are all mainly white but there are two characters who are not and these are both antagonists.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, the main antagonist is Frank D'Amico who is quite clearly an Italian American gangster. We can see this from the smart suits that he wears along with his slicked back dark hair and thick Italian American accents. D'Amico is involved in crime throughout the film and is part of the underworld in the city in which the film is set. This character is shown to have a very violent nature but it always shown ordering his associates to carry out these acts of violence. As a result of many films following this stereotype we are used to this character type and we can make assumptions based on this characters appearance and behaviour that are linked with his ethnicity.
Another, less prominent, antagonist in the film is Rasul. Katie tells Dave about Rasul being violent towards her so Dave goes round to his house to sort him out. The house that he lives in reflects the kind of live he lives. There are drugs all over the table and there are women who are half-naked which we can only assume to be prostitutes. The character of Rasul does not have many speaking parts in the film and is only present in this one scene in which he gets killed.
Both characters who are not traditionally white are the antagonists of this film who lead lives of crime and are both ultimately killed by the heroic white characters.
In the film the white is american is represented as generic, very normal and nothing really different of note. The African Americans and Italian Americans are represented as very stereotypical version of themselves. Razoul who is black is a drug dealer and one of the only African Americans with a speaking part on the film. His henchmen around him speak a little bit however they're killed off rather quickly and disregarded as expendable. Razoul's only real importance in the film is that it allows Dave to meet Hit Girl and Big Daddy. The only other black character who features in the film is sergeant Marcus Williams who shows the other end of the spectrum as he's a police officer with a notable rank even with his skin colour. Frank D'Amico and his men are stereotyped as the typical Italian American gangsters in the style of Al Capone and The Godfather, just with more comedic effect. Frank serves as the main antagonist throughout the film. His appearnce is also very stereotypical as he wears a suit and appears smartly. His accent is clear and he is involved in crime and frug dealings all around New York city
ReplyDeleteThere are very few ethnic characters in this film, and there is only one with a main role in the film, that being Frank D'Amico who serves the role of the villain which could be said to be instantly problematic where it not for how he is represented. Frank D'Amico is represented as an archetypal Italian mob boss shown by his accent, love for his family and more than anything the torture seen in Frank's Lumber. He is mostly seen with his henchman who have black slicked back hair and wear suits. He is seen as a typical mob boss in the fact that he loves violence but delegates most of this to his lowers and lives under a guise of a business man to his family which is played upon. Most of his tendencies are shared with his associates and henchmen who are clearly Italian too, which means that their actions are a natural cause of their ethnicity which is a clear negative representation. Another character who unfairly represents ethnicity is Rasul, who is a non-white, gang leader who seems to be the enforcer of the lower half of the mob and manages drugs, shown by the cocaine bags and henchmen in his apartment when Kick-Ass visits. A clear indicator that this is an attempt to stereotype non-white people is that the comic book's original name for this villain was Eddie Lomas, however, it was changed during production to Rasul, which is quite clearly a name with more of an ethnic origin which gives the audience a shortcut to understand Rasul's character which is a very negative representation.
ReplyDeleteThe characters in kick-Ass are mainly all white, and American, and there only a handful of characters in the film who aren't one of these two. The obvious one is Rasul, a Jamaican-American who is involved in the coke trade. This is a huge stereotype of black people, as typically in films, black people are involved in a criminal activity, usually involving any drugs, and Kick-Ass is no different. Rasul also hires several (presumed) prostitutes living in his house too, another criminal activity but a huge stereotype of black people. But Rasul isn't just involved in the Coke Trade, he also is the one who is abusing and violating Katie, another stereotype of Black Guys in films that they always seem to be much more aggressive than their white counterparts. Kick-Ass tries to balance this out with Sgt Marcus, an African-American working in the Police, however he is not in the film for a huge amount of time, only being in approximately 5-8 scenes throughout the film, however his scene at the end is important, he is the one who looks after Mindy, like what he does throughout the entirety of the film, he was the one who was telling Damon to stop putting Mindy in dangerous positions, so they have tried to challenge the African-American stereotype, however Marcus' role is very small in the film.
ReplyDeleteAnother stereotype of a non White/American is the Italian-American stereotype. This is evident through Frank D'Amico, his appearance is very typical of the Italian-American, wearing formal suits and has a thick Italian-American accent. His role is very similar of the characters from the Godfather, who are also Italian-American.
the two main ethnicities displayed in Kick Ass are Italian Americans an African Americans, we could argue that both these ethnicities have been stereotyped through the character they portray and even fit into certain archetypes. I feel that the african american characters are seemingly underrepresented in this film, particularly Razul and a minor character that everyone overlooks, the african american criminal who hangs around the car park and insists on stealing Dave and his friend of their phones and money when they are passing through on the way back from the comic store, this character portrays the young thug and revolves around the developing stereotype that people of an african american origin are more likely to be involved in crime than white people. We see him breaking into cars as well as stealing from dave, wearing chains, a bandanna and smoking.
ReplyDeleteIn Kick Ass, mostly the characters are white except for two. One of the two is Frank D'Amico. He is an American Italian gangster which is emphasised through his thick accent. Frank D'Amico often wears smart, formal clothes such as a suit and has his dark hair slicked back portraying how he is wealthy. D'Amico is involved in crime throughout the whole film, he comes across quite aggressive; this represents ethnicity negatively as it shows how others can be violent and not approachable just because of their background.
ReplyDeleteThe other character is Razul, Razul is Katie's ex who won't leave her alone and Dave goes around to stop this from happening. When he arrives at Razuls, the house is a complete mess. There are women who we work out to be prostitutes walking around half naked and there is drugs and drink spread across the table. Razul is a stereotype of a drug dealer which are represented as often dangerous. Razul only makes one appearance in the film and in this scene he is killed. Razul's character represents ethnicity as often the crime leaders, they are the ones who are violent but often don't come out on top as demonstrated through Razul's death and Frank D'Amicos death.
Due to the main protagonists being under 20, the film Kick ass holds a variety of representation in relation to youth. At the beginning of the film we see Dave taking us through the set out of his high school and its inhabitants, this particular scene emphasises the typical and almost stereotyped structure of a basic american high school and the different groups of youth, we could argue that Dave fits himself into the "regular guy"
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to non-white characters, they aren't very prominent within the narrative. the only real example of non-white characters having any significance in the narrative is in the case of Razul and his gang, as they progress the narrative by cornering Kick Ass, allowing Hit Girl to enter and have her introductory fight scene. before this fight scene occurs Razul and his lot are shown to be very shady characters, fulfiling the archetype of an African American gangster. to give the film some credit, Razul does talk a bit with Kick Ass before responding with violence, this is only after Kick Ass threatens him directly (even then, the confrontation only escalates when Kick Ass tazers Razul). When it comes to other representations of ethnicity, the Italian American mobsters play a much more significant role in the narrative, making up the primary antagonists.
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