<P> <i>Crime Films: Investigating the Scene</i> 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 <i>Law and Order</i> and <i>CSI</i>. Ever since Edwin S. Porter's <i>The Great Train Robbery</i> in 1903, audiences have been fascinated by films about crime and the world as seen from both sides of the law. <i>Crime Films</i> 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 <i>Basic Instinct</i> (1992) and neo-noirs like <i>Body Heat</i> (1981) and <i>LA Confidential</i> (1997). Also included are a number of close readings of enduring crime films, from <i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (1991) to <i>Seven</i> (1995) as well as such television series as <i>Hill Street Blues</i>, <i>Homicide</i>, and <i>CSI</i>. </P>