The American Anti-Hero

To start off, an anti-hero is the protagonist of a story who isn't a perfect self-sacrificing person, they have realistic flaws and personal dilemmas. These people tend to be looked down on by society, and don't socialize well with other people. These characters usually start off being very negative, but end up finding something that they care about which changes them.

These characters have been around for a long time, but began to rise in American Cinema around the 1950's. Not only was this a period of great change in the United States, but it brought many influences to create anti-heroes. People like "John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, and Malcolm X" are important figures who fought for something in a rebellious way. Similarly, these figures ended up dying for what they fought and believed in, something anti-heroes usually end up doing. The general public also thought differently, films had to mean something, giving an opening to these new character types. Anti-heroes aren't perfect, they truly like are regular people. They have realistic opinions and issues, sometimes it makes the audience feel bad for a character.

This scene if from Gran Torino a film starring Clint Eastwood as a bigot, worn down by war and other family issues. In this scene he has just beaten up a gang member and is holding a gun to their face, all to try and protect his neighbors. He is putting himself at risk attacking a gang member, but part of his character is being fearless and above all, determined.

These rebellious figures tend to the fit the role of a "very likable rebel who was almost always the underdog." The way these characters, and people are portrayed make them seem likable since it is their perspective and their story. This means that a character who may not necessarily be likable becomes likable to an audience. People like Martin Luther King Jr. are seen in a positive light despite their rebelliousness. What it comes down to is that these characters aren't bad people, they are usually worn but very much human.

Part of creating these new characters is their environment, a perfect example is Travis Bickle from the film Taxi Driver. It take place in New York, and city itself "is a substitute for the wild west of earlier cinema..." This basically means that the world has changed, today people live in cities rather than the towns portrayed in westerns.

New York, big city, bright lights, millions of people, the city that never sleeps. Big cities like New York have become a crucial part of films. New York is important in real life, and more importantly it is iconic. Modern films have replaced the typical western with large cities.

This old western town has been seen in every western. People know what to look for, the saloon, the town drunk and horses. The simplicity of these towns match the characters of the time. The characters, more specifically anti-heroes tend to be drunk, with a high level of proficiency with a gun. The setting of a story is an important tool in characterization.

Anti-heros exist so much today because they are more realistic, and thus easier to believe and relate too. Audiences like these characters, and they are just one part of this time periods cinema.