Unspectacular but satisfying

Rating: 8/10 (24 December 2003)

Small spoilers (I describe a few scenes in sparse detail).
Scarface, while it can claim no real originality (and indeed is based on an older movie which I have not seen), is an entertaining and well-done movie about the rise and fall of a crime boss. Naturally, the plot has been done to death, but Al Pacino helps as the consistently good and occasionally excellent lead, and the acting all around is reasonably bearable and convincing. The score, while a bit too 80s at times, fits well with Tony's rage, and generally adds to the suspense of the film.
The main merit of this film is its unrelenting portrayal of the criminal life. The camera somehow manages to maintain a sense of the headstrong stupidity which Pacino captures so well, accentuating the unpredictable and ruthless attitude of the protagonist. In no way does the film attempt to soften or to justify Tony's extreme and for the most part imprudent actions. He is not a good guy who has to do a couple of violent things to stay on top. From the beginning, he is a sadistic idiot, and as he says in the chillingly great restaurant scene, he is the bad guy. He is stubborn to the end, and it is partly his inane impenitence that makes his character so memorable. This is the way the film remains suspenseful, as well, because the audience never knows what this crazy guy is going to do next. The ending, while I won't spoil it, fits perfectly with his character and the film refuses to withhold a single blow from its audience even here in its dying throes. The reason this film is great is because Tony is not a hero, but a villain, and furthermore that it never condescends to give him any heroic traits. The movie itself is as ruthless as Tony, and it is the masterful relationship between film and character in this film that combines to leave a lasting impact. [8/10]