A Pacino Classic

Rating: 7/10 (25 November 2006)

An All-American gangster movie in the grand tradition. Al Pacino's Tony Montana might be a coke-snorting low-life and remorseless killer, but he's big on honor and family values so the audience can identify with the character to some extent even if we are shocked by his ruthless methods. The film contains some memorable highlights that made it a real winner at the time of its release and it still holds up pretty well despite the dated automobiles and bizarre clothes. The violence is extreme and makes even the most jaded audiences tend to set aside the popcorn and pay attention. Tony has a psychotic, and in due course, murderous jealously of his sister and we are not left in too much doubt as to the incestuous connotations. He suffers rejection by his mother, who regards him as being beyond redemption; surely the hardest of rods to bear for any villain in the traditional mold.
We actually start to feel sorry for Tony and EVERYONE in the movie house cheers when he summarily dispatches the Columbian asshole who is about to blow up a target's car with the kiddies on board.
My favorite scene is the famous "bath" segment , where Tony sounds off at length about the ills of the world while soaking himself in the biggest bathtub in America, coked up to the eyeballs. The message comes through loud and clear: You can have all that money, power, and the woman of your dreams, but if mom won't talk to you, then you're going to be just one sorry pilgrim.
Al Pacino dominates the film in a similar manner to the way Eli Wallach took control over proceedings in "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" , but unlike the latter film,"Scarface" tends to suffer from not having a effective foil for the principle character. However, the supporting players all put in some serviceable performances. Michelle Pfiefer is quite effective as the bored trophy-wife and the other hoodlums are all pretty good. As in all the best gangster flicks, the cops have a minor role to play, and are basically just there to tag along and tidy up after the gangland carnage.
Like in those old classics where Jimmy Cagney or Edward G Robinson did their stuff, we all know that that Tony has to get it before the end of the last reel. The finale doesn't disappoint, as he takes his leave us in the traditional style, screaming defiance at his multitude of enemies while blazing away at them with a "Chicago Piano". As with Cody Jarrett in "White Heat", Tony Montana the loner, doomed by his life-style and lack of self-control, is retired undefeated and unrepentant.
A good take on the standard "down side of the American dream" theme, and I found the film more enjoyable than the more sophisticated, but convoluted and laborious "Once Upon a Time in America" My main criticism of "Scarface" is its tendency, probably unconscious, to push the vibe that "crime may not pay, but its a good buzz while it lasts". However, its certainly not the only film with that characteristic, and if gangster movies didn't glamorize the underworld to some extent, would we pay money to go and watch them ?
R. B.