Character Convention of The Heist Film Subgenre in “Stealing Raden Saleh” (2022)

Abstract

In terms of genre study, film critics have engaged in lengthy discourses to figure out a consistent determining variable. Heist film is one of the genres that has also gone into overdrive due to the many variations that arise from the flexibility of its genre conventions. “Stealing Raden Saleh” (2022) is therefore chosen as the object of this research because it reflects the similarity of patterns with many films in the heist film subgenre. Furthermore, the film also markets itself as an action-heist film. This prompted the author to investigate how the characters in “Stealing Raden Saleh” (2022) are related to the heist film subgenre conventions. This study uses a qualitative method, particularly observation and literature studies, in which several sources discussing the conventions of the heist film are used as supporting theories. Through thorough comparison and analysis, it can be concluded that the characters in “Stealing Raden Saleh” (2022) are related to the conventions of the heist film subgenre, especially in terms of character roles and motivations. These aspects are instruments of social criticism that are generally contained in heist films, including class resistance and power relations.