A popular genre that focuses on criminals rather than the police is the gangster movie. Francis Ford Coppola's famous gangsterseries that begins with The Godfather is about an Italian-American crime family while Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas is about low-level gangsters who work for the mafia. Movies about gangsters and other criminals can also be called crime dramas, and one of the most violent crime dramas is 1983's Scarface in which Al Pacino plays the part of a brutal cocaine dealer. One of the most realistic crime dramas is City of God, a powerful film about teenage drug dealers in a Brazilian slum, while dramas like Drugstore Cowboy and The Basketball Diaries teach us about the dangers of using hard drugs. But not all crime dramas are as serious as these. American director Quentin Tarantino has made highly-acclaimed crime dramas like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fictionand the Kill Bill series that mix drama, action and comedy in exciting new ways.

Other popular genres related to crime include the courtroom drama and the prison drama. 12 Angry Men and To Kill a Mockingbird are classic courtroom dramas, while more recent examples include The Verdict and A Time to Kill, one of many courtroom dramas based on the novels of John Grisham. Prison dramas tell stories about prisoners and their guards, and two of the most highly-rated are Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman and The Shawshank Redemption, an award-winning movie about an imprisoned lawyer who helps corrupt guards while planning his escape.

Movies about espionage and spying are also very popular. Good examples include The Conversation, Fair Game and A Most Wanted Man, a suspense-filled drama about an espionage agent who's investigating terrorism. Many action movies like the James Bond series are also about spying, but espionage dramas are usually more realistic than these action movies.

Most dramas about crime and espionage are pure entertainment, but dramas about serious issues like violence, racism, bullying and sexual harassmentcan teach us something important while they entertain us. Fritz Lang's terrifying movie Fury, and dramas like Wake in Fright and Straw Dogs, teach us about the dangers of mob violence, and in Sleeping with the Enemy and New Zealand's Once Were Warriors we learn about the problem of domestic violence. Dramas that teach us about bullying and violence in schools include Larry Clark's 2001 film Bully and Gus Van Sant's 2003 film Elephantin which boys who've been bullied take guns to school.

Dramas set in the workplace like The Salt of The Earth and Made in Dagenham show us workers being treated badly before they go on strike, while in North Country we see a woman fighting against sexual harassment in an iron mine. Many dramas have also been made about medical issues like mental illness, AIDS and abortion. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Jack Nicholson plays a likable character who's being treated for a mentalillness he doesn't really have. In Philadelphia and Dallas Buyers Club we learn about AIDS, and in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake and the award-winning Romanian film 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days we see what can happen when abortion is illegal.

But not all dramas are about serious topics like these. Many movies tell inspirational stories like the one in Sylvester Stallone's sports drama Rockyabout an aging boxer with one last chance to become the world champion. Another uplifting movie is the British drama Billy Elliot about a young boy who wants to be a ballet dancer even though his father hates the idea. Other inspirational dramas about the arts include Lust for Life about Vincent van Gogh and 'Round Midnight about a jazz musician who finds success in Paris.

Romantic dramas like Before Sunrise and Samson and Delilah can also be uplifting, while others like Romeo + Juliet and Titanic begin with happiness and romance but end in tragedy. More and more dramas about same-sex romance are also being made, and one of the most famous is Brokeback Mountain about two American cowboys who fall in love. Others include the British film Weekend, the French film Blue Is the Warmest Colour, and an inspiring Brazilian drama about two teenage boys who fall in love called The Way He Looks.

series [´siəri:z]   n.连续；系列；丛书   (初中英语单词)

violent [´vaiələnt]   a.强暴的；猛烈的   (初中英语单词)

dealer [´di:lə]   n.商人   (初中英语单词)

realistic [riə´listik]   a.现实主义的；现实的   (初中英语单词)

director [di´rektə]   n.指导者；….长；导演   (初中英语单词)

lawyer [´lɔ:jə]   n.律师；法学家   (初中英语单词)

entertainment [,entə´teinmənt]   n.招(款)待；联欢会   (初中英语单词)

violence [´vaiələns]   n.猛烈；暴力(行)   (初中英语单词)

entertain [,entə´tein]   vt.招待；娱乐；使高兴   (初中英语单词)

medical [´medikəl]   a.医学的；医疗的   (初中英语单词)

mental [´mentl]   a.精神的；心理的   (初中英语单词)

illness [´ilnis]   n.生病，不健康，疾病   (初中英语单词)

character [´kæriktə]   n.特性；性质；人物；字   (初中英语单词)

champion [´tʃæmpiən]   n.冠军 vt.拥护   (初中英语单词)

romance [rəu´mæns]   n.中世纪骑士小说   (初中英语单词)

comedy [´kɔmidi]   n.喜剧；喜剧场面   (高中英语单词)

related [ri´leitid]   a.叙述的；有联系的   (高中英语单词)

classic [´klæsik]   a.第一流的 n.杰作   (高中英语单词)

corrupt [kə´rʌpt]   a.腐败的 v.败坏；贿赂   (高中英语单词)

dancer [´dɑ:nsə]   n.舞蹈者，舞蹈演员   (高中英语单词)

musician [mju:´ziʃən]   n.音乐家，作曲家   (高中英语单词)

gangster [´gæŋstə]   n.歹徒，强盗   (英语四级单词)

brutal [´bru:tl]   a.兽性的；残暴的   (英语四级单词)

brazilian [brə´ziljən]   a.&n.巴西(人)(的)   (英语四级单词)

sexual [´sekʃuəl]   a.性(欲)的   (英语六级单词)