Critical scenes like cheese that does not age well

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2004)

Overall, Scarface is a very entertaining and engaging movie. However, there is a critical them that was presented in a very dated fashion, which makes it come off as ridiculous.
I'm talking about Tony's relationship with Gina. Now this is an interesting angle: Tony's strong obsession with his sister proves to be his undoing. However, there are three or four shots in the film in which Tony trains his intense gaze upon her. He is worried that her virtue might be sullied, or that she might become part of his crime world. For instance, it happens in the Babylon club, when Gina is dancing with a man that Tony does not like. Tony looks on from the sidelines.
Each time one of these "staring scenes" begins, some horror-synth music ramps up, and the camera zooms on on Tony's eyes. Giorgio Moroder supplies the music throughout. The zoom-and-music effect tells us nothing about the nature of the obsession -- is it lust? Possessiveness? It causes us to break out of the fictional dream and think, "hey, this is like a cheap horror film," and "oh yeah,it's Brian De Palma and his old habits."
In my opinion, the flaw is damaging, but is discretely contained. De Palma should release a "director's cut" that (at the very least) gets rid of the cheesy synth music. Then, the real drama can carry the scenes, the film can rest as a timeless (if overwrought) classic, unmarred by fads and over-dramatic effects.