What is it about the characters Mickey and Mallory that likely contributed to their influence on misguided young people who subsequently committed violent acts?

There have been fifteen copycat murders directly influenced by the motion picture Natural Born Killers (NBK) – more than any other film in history. Why has this film had such an impact on young copycat offenders, exactly? Why is it well-suited to help us understand how particular media content increases the likelihood of copycat violence? In other words, what is it about the film’s production, script, and characters that explain its copycat effect?

The movie is called Natural Born Killers

In the essay, which should be at least 500 words and written mostly in your own words, be sure to reference information from the reading by Helfgott, “Criminal Behavior and the Copycat Effect,” and refer to specific scenes from NBK to provide in-depth explanation of the points you make. When referencing the reading, make sure to refer to page numbers to indicate where you got particular information.

You may want to consider some of these more specific questions to guide your analysis. (You don’t have to answer all of them, but they may be helpful as a guide to think through your response to the above prompt.):

What is it about the characters Mickey and Mallory that likely contributed to their influence on misguided young people who subsequently committed violent acts?
How does the film distort the boundary between fantasy and reality, fiction and non-fiction? How did the filming and editing style in the movie in particular, help blur the distinction between fiction and reality? How might this contribute to the film’s copycat effect?
How is violence in the film portrayed? How might this contribute to the copycat effect?
How would you categorize the genre of the film? Why may this be important for understanding the film’s copycat effect?
How is the violence of Mallory portrayed differently from the violence of Mickey and other (male) characters? What cultural meanings are reflected by such differences?
What do you think is the message producer and director Oliver Stone wanted to convey with this film, with respect to matters of celebrity and infamy? Do you think he was successful in this regard?
What cognitive distortions are conveyed by Mickey and Mallory (and other violent characters) that are also common among real-life mass shooters and copycat killers?

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