Review: Scarface (1983)

'Say hello to my little friend.'

★★★★

This is kind of B-movie version of The Godfather. But instead of story centered around a Maifa family, the story is about a man who loves the American Dream. It's still a serious film, but it's also fun. You can have a lot of fun watching this. This film is a essentially a remake of the 1932 film, with the same name, and in my opinion, one of the best remakes of all time.

Tony Montana is an interesting character; he rises and falls thoughout this movie. He starts off small, as an immigrant, but later learns about how to make money and gain power in America. When offered a job in selling drugs, mainly cocaine, he got what he wanted. But as it goes on, he becomes stubborn and selfish. Money can by happiness, but it can buy greed and selfishness. For those who are asking why did he change? Well, the answer is in the movie. Brain De Palma does an excellent job in story telling. We understand who Tony Montana is, what his desires are, his interests, and goals. But also, Al Pacino makes this work. He can play Michael Corleone, Sonny Wortzik, and Tony Montana. He makes them convincing. For those who don't like this film or Pacino's peformance, to that I ask, what were the critics of Pacino hoping for? Something realistic and inward? Simple? Above all, Tony Montana is a performance artist—a man who exists to brilliantly express who he is.

Montana is a Cuban punk. The movie opens with a sequence that tells us that Fidel Castro took his own small secret retaliation when Cuban refugees were permitted to enter the United States in 1981. He cleared out his prison cells and sent us criminals along with his exhausted and huddled masses. We see Montana trying to fake his way through an interrogation by US federal investigators, and that’s basically what he’ll do for the whole movie: bluff. Although cocaine provides him the appearance of courage and character for a brief period of time, he lacks both.

Like The Godfather, this movie is quotable. Specifcally, "Say hello to my little friend." Which is a phrase that men use in bed. Quite sad, but true. There are also other lines that are often quoted by fans, espeically anything Al Pacino says. That just proves my point on how he killed it with this role. I don't think anyone else can play Tony Montana, other than Al Pacino and although Al Pacino does not create a sympathetic figure for us to sympathize with, we can nevertheless relate to Montana in a terrified sense because of his very reasonable reasoning. Everyone wants to be wealthy and successful, have attractive partners for sex, live in a mansion, have devoted staff take care of them, and not have to work very much. Okay, well, you bring it up now. Such a lifestyle is possible if you deal drugs, but it also means selling your soul.

With its connections between ruthlessness and laziness, grandiosity and low self-esteem, pipe fantasies and a persistent inability to be happy, "Scarface" captures the essence of this criminal mindset. It's also a thrilling crime film in the vein of the 1932 production. Similar to the "Godfather" films, it features an impressive cast of supporting roles, including Steven Bauer as a sidekick, Michelle Pfeiffer as a drug addict who falls in love again and again, Robert Loggia as a mob boss who isn't quite vicious enough, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Pacino's younger sister, who wants the freedom to end her life however she pleases.

Watching "Scarface" from the beginning to the end, you can truly appreciate how great of an actor Al Pacino is when you watch this after The Godfather Trilogy. But that's just the tip of the iceberg; the film is a fantastic journey in and of itself. This is a Pacino's film. It's all about him, well, at least the character he plays.