Tony Montana – The American Dream Corrupted

Rating: Null/10 (30 June 2012)

Brain De Palma's version of Scarface shares the same views of greed and the shallow lifestyle its protagonist leads like its 1932 predecessor. Yet whereas the predecessor was a flat out call for the end of Gangster menace in America, this version focuses more on a distorted view of the American dream.
The opening credits consist of a montage of Cuban refugees heading for America. The most important moment in this montage is a Father pointing out the American flag to his son showing the ideal of the American dream, wishing for a better life. Tony Montana, another Cuban refugee distorts the American dream by stating he "didn't come here to break my back" and wants all the luxuries he can get through corrupt means along a route of greed and excess. Over the years Tony Montana has become a cult figure to some in the Hip – Hop community who see his rise from poverty as inspiring. However those people seem to be blind to the fact that Scarface is in no way glorifying Tony Montana or his actions.
Being naturally ambitious Tony makes himself known through a drug deal which is unforgettable for its graphic nature. Tony and his unfortunate friend are doubled crossed resulting in his friend being cut to pieces via a chainsaw. What follows is a gory bloodbath where nothing but a mess of decay is left. This can easily be seen by some as excessive violence with no meaning but to entertain yet it is an early shocking realisation at the life Tony is leading, which has no real worth and no one succeeds for long. Tony is oblivious to this and is seduced by what such actions can reward him.
He soon becomes surrounded by an environment where state of the art designs flourish in the homes of his associates and the motif of overly produced pop songs playing at Tony's regular night spot are as superficial as the people Tony engages with. To the casual viewer this may seem like tacky 80s styles but the more engaged viewer will realise the emptiness of this so called glamour and style. This emptiness coincides with Tony's growing possessive and covetous nature. Once working with the big boys Tony cannot help himself. Stealing away his bosses' woman along with taking down the boss himself shows the carelessness nature of the drug business along with the grim nature of Tony's American dream, rising to the top in a string of violent acts.
The sub plot of Tony's sister Gina gives an insight into his possessive nature which later plays a part in his downfall. The motif of the eerie electronic score and the extreme close ups on Tony's eyes watching Gina in a provocative manner shows how extremely possessive he can be attempting to control everyone and everything with force. Indirectly he corrupts Gina into his insignificant lifestyle leading to a great dramatic confrontation where his Mother tells Tony that he is no good and puts to shame hard working Cubans, bringing back into focus Tony's distortion of the American dream.
The general nature of Tony Montana evidently brings him down along with those around him. His drug addiction, the elaborate yet materialistic mansion, stylish objects and destructive behaviour all contribute to his decline yet the decisive moment was Tony ironically acting out for a morally good purpose. After Tony gains a moral conscience and derails an assassination attempt in order to protect a woman and her children, some don't share Tony's moral perspective showing once more the ruthless nature of the drug business. This results in the famous climax where Tony is given a horrific death with the ironic neon sign 'The World Is Yours' being shown as a reminder that it never really was.
He may have had wealth and ambition but in truth Tony was living on a dangerous edge where his surroundings only thinly paved the reality of his destructive nature and the unsteady world he created for himself, the American dream corrupted.