Say hello to Al Pacino!

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2006)

Brian De Palma is one of the most talented directors around, even if he hasn't done a really great film since Carlito's Way (Mission:Impossible was good, but not exactly the flawless thriller you'd expect from the man who gave us Blow Out, Body Double and other fine Hitchcock homages). Until a week ago, I thought that if I had to choose only one De Palma movie to watch for the rest of my life, it would be The Untouchables. Then I saw Scarface, and everything changed.
Like The Godfather, Goodfellas and Casino (whose tag-line, "No one stays at the top forever.", is perfect for this film as well), Scarface showcases a criminal's slow rise to absolute power, and the events which will lead to his inevitable downfall. It's a painful, very gory journey (it's not as bloody as Carrie, also by De Palma, but quite close), and the problem is, the audience likes it. But then, who wouldn't want to get the most by doing the least? If it wasn't for the carnage that derives, it wouldn't be such a bad idea. That's the best thing with these movies: they show you how cool it could be to live like a gangster, before shocking you with the downside of the whole story.
But Scarface's greatness isn't all due to De Palma's direction. No, we have two other people to thank too: one is Oliver Stone, who wrote the eternally quotable dialogue ("You know what capitalism is? Getting f**ked!";"You wanna play games? Okay. You wanna play rough? Okay. Say hello to my little friend!"). But it's Al Pacino's Tony Montana who made this film an instant classic. The crook who just wants to make things better for himself and his family and turns into the Cuban equivalent of Michael Corleone (another essential Pacino role) is the best work he's ever done, not to mention his own favorite of all the characters he has played, and while I was watching him, a thought started circling in my head, the same thought that showed up when I saw Reese Witherspoon in Election and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: where the hell is his Best Actor Oscar? The fact that he didn't even receive a nomination, just like the aforementioned actresses, is one of the worst crimes in cinema history.
Still, that inexplicable omission by the Academy doesn't prevent Scarface from being one of the greatest movies of all time. If you like gangster movies, this seminal '80s flick has to be seen.