Scarface Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Scarface
Year: 1983
Director: Brian De Palma 
Country: US
Language: English

 When critics, film commentators and casual moviegoers enter a conversation about the greatest "post modern" gangster films of all time, their list usually consists of Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and Brian De Palma's Scarface. De Palma's film is quite a commentary regarding the nature of success and the self-destructive nature of masculinity. It is incredibly violent, but the violence is used in a morally purposeful manner. Oddly enough, I first saw this film in my grade 10 French class, and it made quite an impression.

In Scarface,  Tony Montana (Al Pacino) and his friend Manny (Steven Bauer) arrive in the United States and start in small time jobs. Soon, they are hired by Omar Suarez (F.Murray Abraham) to pay money to a group of Colombians. When the deal goes wrong, Tony and Manny leave with the money and succeed in their job. Soon Tony meets with drug kingpin Frank Lopez (Robbert Loggia) and falls for his boss's girl, Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer). Eventually Tony will know that those who want it all, do not last forever; that is the price of power.

Brian De Palma's remake of Howard Hawkes' 1932 version of Scarface is almost Shakespearean in the way the film concerns a man who is doomed from the beginning. Much like Macbeth, we see a character who is blinded by his lust for power and will do anything to reach the top, even if it means killing the king/drug kingpin. Scarface is an urge against greed and the need for power, it is a more adult version of Will Success Spoil Roch Hunter? Tony Montana consistently states "I want the world, and everything in it" In the end he has nothing, not even a soul. Ironically dying next to a globe that says "The world is yours".

Al Pacino plays this modern Macbeth perfectly, energetic and restless. Even if you adore Pacino the actor, you will absolutely loathe the character Tony Montana. A character who is never necessarily shown in a good light, he is always a snake. In many ways Montana is the exact opposite of Pacino's other character Michael Corleone in The Godfather. Another point De Palma is trying to make in this film is regarding the self-destructive nature of masculinity. In our society the typical male is supposed to be aggressive, ambitious and confident to the point of cocky. Here we see the embodiment of that ideology in Tony Montana, and it definitely does not work out for him. A good man needs some typically "feminine" traits as well to balance things out.

In conclusion, while this film is almost excessively violent, the violence is used as a warning against violence and therefore is morally responsible. Scarface is filled with excellent cinematography and suspenseful moments. The soundtrack is decent and the dialogue is memorable.  Unfortunately some of the messages in this film seem to be lost on modern youth and Montana is becoming more of an icon than a warning. Though there are better films with similar messages (Sweet Smell of Success) I would still recommend seeing this film at least once. 3.5/5