Oversaturation of gang-related projects in Boston?

Here's an interesting e-mail exchange with one of my readers:

Q: I just wanted to write to thank you for your blog as I find it very informative regarding the movie scene here in Boston. I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on the recent surge in Boston mob/crime films and TV projects that have been produced lately or are soon to be. Do you feel that the genre at least in Boston has been oversaturated or do you feel that there are still original stories to tell? Has it reached "been-there-done-that"? --Bill H.

A: While I feel like Boston continues to be an untapped resource of material for writers and filmmakers, I do believe that there's an oversaturation of Boston mob/crime films. In fact, I chronicled a majority of the thug-related productions here.

I feel like the success of "The Departed" and, of course, Dennis Lehane's series of books including "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone" unleashed this fascination with the "dark side" of Boston ... specifically material related to the Whitey Bulger, the so-called Irish mob and the "Winter Hill" gang.

There are several productions in the works including "War of '04," "Boondock Saints II" and "Code of Silence" and fallen TV shows like "Brotherhood" and "The Black Donnelly's" revisiting the material that was already done well in "The Departed."

However, as we've seen with Scorsese's work, folks can't get enough of gang-related material, especially if it's inspired by reality and is reworked by master storytellers.

With "What Doesn't Kill You" slotted for limited release on Friday, Dec. 12, for example, Brian Goodman explores his South Boston roots and gives a more realistic account of what Southie was like which includes a duo of street thugs pulling off small-time crimes to make ends meet. "What Doesn't Kill You" is, in essence, a cautionary tale following a man who seeks redemption after being incarcerated.

I would like to see more films from Goodman, especially his soon-to-be-shot film with Samuel L. Jackson called "The Fallen." While his work explores the darker side of Boston, he's approaching it as an insider telling it like it is ... or was.

Pop culture impacts society's perceptions of reality. And, based on what we see on both the small and silver screens, Boston seems to be this hotbed of shoot 'em up, gang-related action which is simply not true.

Long story short, there's a bevy of untapped potential for Boston-set material that we're just beginning to experience with the films inspired by Lehane's novels, Goodman's work, Scorsese's films, etc.

However, I'm hoping to see some diversity in the future. And, I'm not talking about drivel like "My Best Friend's Girl."

My fingers are crossed that the slew of upcoming set-in-Boston flicks like "The Surrogates" and "Edge of Darkness"--albeit crime related but manage to deviate from this Southie mob fixation--will showcase the Hub in a different way.

In the future, I would like to see more of the upbeat, non-thug movies that were shot in Boston (like "The Women" and "Bride Wars" were made here but set in NYC) to showcase our city in a different light.