Say Hello To My Little...review

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2008)

Previous to watching it, I'd only ever heard good things about 'Scarface'. But to be honest, it did not live up to the hype. Its major flaw being that in comparison to other gangster classics such as 'Goodfellas', 'The Godfather Part 1 & 2', and 'The Untouchables' it suffers greatly. There is no compassion in any of the characters, none of which are very likable.
Obviously my expectations were high, after all, the film is directed by Brian DePalma, written by Oliver Stone and stars Al Pacino. And all three men do well in their respective departments, with the slick script being punctuated by Hitchcock-esquire panning shots and a tour-de-force turn from Pacino. But it is Pacino's performance which makes the film. Without his charisma it would be a diminished and deficient movie. His ability to show Montana's incestuous lust for his younger sister through implicit eye movements is amazing.
The film also does well in embodying the excess of the eighties, and showing the audience how this excess does not satisfy; the more Montana gains, the lonelier he becomes. However, like the eighties's, the film too becomes bloated and boring in the middle section, a section which drew a yawn or two from this viewer. However, the bloody battle at the end, although completely over the top, seemed a perfectly fitting way to end the film.