American cinema has always been violent, and never more than now -- exploding heads, buses that blow up if they stop, leaking ocean liners, racial attacks, and general mayhem. From slapstick's comic fisticuffs to film noir, from the silents to Tarantino, violence has been an integral part of American on screen. Although violent media is a hot-button issue for public figures, political and popular, violence is traditionally a secondary concern of film criticism. Ranging from nickelodeons to The Matrix, VIOLENCE AND AMERICAN CINEMA is a pioneering volume that leads the discussion of film violence -- old and new -- to a far-reaching consideration of its nature, its effects, and its cinematic, cultural, and historical meaning.