Crime Films: Investigating the Scene analyzes the wide body of films that fall under the rubric of crime, from the gangster film to the film noir to classic whodunit television series like Law and Order and CSI. Ever since Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery in 1903, audiences have been fascinated by films about crime and the world as seen from both sides of the law. Crime Films approaches a crime scene from the standpoint of the criminal, the crime, and the crime-solver, revealing the master plan behind the world of crime on screen. The criminal underworld takes on many forms, and this volume delves into recent developments in erotic thrillers like Basic Instinct (1992) and neo-noirs like Body Heat (1981) and LA Confidential (1997). Also included are a number of close readings of enduring crime films, from The Silence of the Lambs (1991) to Seven (1995) as well as such television series as Hill Street Blues, Homicide, and CSI.