"Scarface" is a classical gangster flick, but there is much more to it than meets the eye.

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2011)

This is not what many people have built this movie up as—a violent, intense, foul-mouthed, classic gangster picture. "Scarface" is more than that. Without giving too much of the plot away, the movie is about Tony Montana, a small time crook who dreams of making it to the top. The film very explicitly follows this man's life as he starts in the slums of Florida as a Cuban immigrant with nothing who ends up climbing the ranks to a big drug dealer that owns a mansion. The morals of the plot are the American Dreamfor a gangster and how it tears a person apart. "Scarface" is in a sense a tragedy. A man who gets everything only to destroy what he truly loves.
People have regarded Tony Montana as Al Pacino's greatest role. I was somewhat skeptical about this role. I mean, an Italian actor playing a Cuba? C'mon. Yet, he pulls it off brilliantly, even retaining the proper accent. Pacino is completely over the top as Tony. He is brutal, selfish, paranoid, even an addict of the product he sells—just complete filth. Nevertheless, it is easy to sympathize with his character. No other actor could pull off Tony Montana as good as old Al.
Though Pacino makes the movie, he isn't the only great actor in the film. Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Mary Elizabeth Mastratonio make the characters their own. It is easy to either like or despise the characters.
Giorgio Moroder's score is simply breathtaking. As soon as I heard his score blast during the opening credits, I knew I was in for a ride. The cinematography by John A Alonzo is very unique; when a scene takes place during the day, it is bright, when it takes place at night, it is very dim. It seems that only natural lighting was used except for the indoor scenes, in which case the only lights present in the scene were used. Some may call this sloppy, but I think it fits the film perfectly—almost giving it somewhat of a low-budget look. De Palma's work as director could not have been better. This is the perfect film for him to direct, and he did so with finesse. Oliver Stone's script is also excellent. The other aspects of editing, production design, costumes, and even sound are sublime.
If I had to say one bad thing about this film, it is the pace. Scarface is a slow moving film with little action—most of which is saved for the big, bloody finale. This does not make the film boring. The plot and the characters interactions with each other is more than interesting enough to keep the movie going. I thoroughly enjoy this film, and I can definitely see myself viewing it multiple times in the future.
My rating: **** out of ****
"Scarface" is a classical gangster flick, but there is much more to it than meets the eye.