small-time criminals

His films like Goodfellas and Casino intimately portray the lives, psychology, and consequences of small-time and mid-level criminals operating within organized crime hierarchies.

His signature style in films like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction centers on ordinary criminals and small-time crooks caught in violent, darkly comedic circumstances.

His socially conscious films like Kes and I, Daniel Blake explore how poverty and desperation drive ordinary people toward petty crime and moral compromise.