Assignment #11

In the world today, we have become increasingly aware of just how many ethical issues exist and are presented to us through many mediums, especially the media. With so many existing issues to choose from, the upcoming assignment my class has been presented with should present little problem other than selecting an issue itself. In looking over many ethical issues that are presented through film, I settled on one in the category of crime. Film often portrays the criminal in a somewhat truthful light, and it can show the consequences people receive for their actions. Many other times, however, film sheds a spotlight on the criminal and glorifies their position, turning them from a despised villain into a likable hero. These instances are almost always accompanied by a tragic circumstance that leads the audience to sympathize with the criminal, and such is the case in the film “The Sting” which follows a lowly con artist as he struggles to accomplish ‘the big con’ and enact personal revenge against the man who ordered the death of a dear friend. His actions do not always seem justified, and often-times we are reminded of his criminal background, but in the end his overall goal is achieved. With this epiphany comes an admiration for the man who did what the cops would not, and took the law into his own hands. His actions would seem unjustified to very few, no matter how wrong they really are. So even though the ethical issue of crime is presented, the audience feels little more than sympathy and admiration for a man who robbed a man, and handed him a one-way ticket to prison, or to an early demise… all because his friend was killed by this same man first.