Great Film: Scarface
"You wanna play rough?? OKAY!"
"Scarface" has a major cult following even now, 22 years after its
release.
It has also been widely criticized as being very tacky, unrefined,
over-the-top and all bloated up! These are people who compare Scarface
to The Godfather movies. It is true that on the technical front,
(cinematography, screenplay, direction, etc.) Scarface is way behind
'The Godfather'.
But it is also true, that what Scarface has and some other gangster
movies lack, is the rawness, the sheer crude approach of the gangsters.
The Latino gangsters in this movie look much more menacing and real
than any of the polished Italian or Irish gangsters from other gangster
classics like 'The Godfather' or 'Goodfellas'. This is one of the major
winning points of Scarface and I strongly believe that this fact has
been written off as "tackiness" by most critics! I have seen the
original 1932 Scarface, and I must say that both these movies are way
too different from each other and should be seen as two different
movies instead of praising the original over the "remake"!
Al Pacino has been criticized to be over-the-top and loud in this
movie. But how about considering that that is precisely the way the
film-makers wanted Tony Montana's character to be! He is this angry
young man who takes hasty decisions and throws fits of tantrum every
other minute! He is not the calm Michael Corleone here. He is Tony
Montana, a very tacky, uneducated individual who doesn't really think
much and gets angry all the time!
There is definitely a very 80s feel to this movie. The soundtrack is
all 80s! I love some of the songs, including 'Gina and Elvira's theme',
'Push it to the limit' and the title track instrumental.
There are some memorable and beautifully shot sequences, including the
famous chainsaw scene, the Rebenga hit, the first meeting with Sosa and
Tony's visit to his mother's.
About the performances: Al Pacino is brilliant as the angry Cuban
refugee. He has reportedly mentioned that he enjoyed playing Tony
Montana the most in his entire career. And it really does seem like he
has enjoyed himself thoroughly in all his scenes! One wonders what
"Scarface" would be like without Pacino. I just couldn't imagine anyone
else portraying Tony Montana and in all probabilities, the film
wouldn't be as effective without him!
Steven Bauer shines as Tony's friend Manny.
Robert Loggia is wonderful as Tony's boss, Lopez. So is F. Murray
Abraham (as Omar) in a small role.
Then there is some eye-candy in the form of Elvira played by Michelle
Pfeiffer. She looks beautiful and is adequate in her role.
The director does go a bit overboard during a particular part in the
climax. Without revealing anything, I would only say that that was the
only little part that suffers due to improper handling.
"Scarface" is definitely one of the most entertaining and one of the
best gangster movies to ever come out. Enjoy it for what it is: a raw
portrayal of the Drug Lords and their gangland!
Cast
- Tony Montana played by Al Pacino
- Elvira Hancock played by Michelle Pfeiffer
- Chi Chi played by Ángel Salazar
- Mel Bernstein played by Harris Yulin
- Mama Montana played by Miriam Colon
- Frank Lopez played by Robert Loggia
- Manny Ribera played by Steven Bauer
