Cinematic Anti-Legalism: Recent Hollywood Movies' Rejection of the Belief in Law

Abstract

:American ideology has traditionally included a belief in law, and one might understandably have expected Hollywood movies to incorporate and convey this major ideological tenet. However, the most popular law movies of recent decades reject the belief in law and instead portray law as flawed and unreliable. This decided cinematic anti-legalism derives from Hollywood cinema's standardized forms and features, its political alignment, and its financial imperatives.