Scarface - Film Review

Before I discovered the magnificence of Miami Vice, I found this film. I've probably seen this more than a couple of dozen times, however it had been a pretty long time since I'd last seen it. I was excited to give this one another go after all these years and I'm proud to say that it's just as good as I remember.

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Where You Can Find It: I saw this on Amazon Video where it is currently available for rent/purchase.

General Information 
Scarface is an American crime drama film that was released on 9 December 1983. It was directed by Brian DePalma and written by Oliver Stone with Giorgio Moroder composing. It was produced by Martin Bregman with Universal Studios distributing. The film's critical reception is incredibly divided as some critics found it incredibly compelling while others derided it for its shocking use of violence. Furthermore, the film's depiction of Marielito Cubans (Cubans who arrived in Miami during the Mariel Boatlift) has taken a good deal of criticism for stereotyping that sub-sect of people as criminals and drug dealers. With that said, Roben Farzad's book, Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami, reflects that the early 1980s were a hectic time for Miami's criminal underworld, which would make for an interesting film adaptation. Given its divisive nature, the film holds a 65 Metascore on Metacritic and an 82% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, and Giorgio Moroder all received nominations for the film at the Golden Globe Awards, while Brian DePalma was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Awards. More recently, the film is widely recognized in hip hop circles and was notably used as a reference for the video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as well as receiving two of its own video game adaptations in 2006.

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The original Scarface

Interestingly enough, this film is actually a remake of the 1932 Scarface, which was directed by Howard Hawks and co-produced by none other than Howard Hughes. The original is fairly similar to DePalma's work, however it is noticeably shorter and focuses more on Italian-American organized crime as opposed to the "Cuban crimewave" that was plaguing Miami at the time of its production. I've actually managed to see the original version and it's pretty good and worth checking out if you liked this one. Unsurprisingly, rumors in Hollywood abound that there is another remake in the works with studios seeking to produce a newer, modern version of Tony Montana's rise and fall. Last I had heard, Tony would now be portrayed as a Mexican cartel gangster, although that may change. Personally, I'm not all that enthused about another remake as DePalma's version is already good and dislike the misinterpreted view that it glorifies the very criminality that Howard Hawks sought to discourage through the original film.

The Story

Cuban refugee, Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino), comes to Miami as part of the Mariel Boatlift in 1980 with the goal of becoming rich and powerful. Along with his friend, Manny (Steven Bauer), he tries to fulfill his dreams of wealth by climbing the ladder of the criminal underworld while leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Along the way, Tony will fall for the beautiful Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) and struggle to keep his kid-sister, Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), away from the influences of his dark world. By the end of the film, Tony will have to come to terms with the American Dream and whether it's all it is cracked up to be.

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Elvira and Tony have a chemistry that's about as healthy as cocaine

Tony is a fascinating character, as the story surrounding him is very much a tale about humanity and greed. He's charismatic and believes in qualities like loyalty and honesty, but he's also prone to fits of rage and lives in a world that sorely tests his belief system. Although this level of humanity is examined in numerous scenes, the arguably best scene of the film is near the end when he reflects what he has accomplished and whether or not his success truly led to a satisfying life.

Like Chinatown, there's a solid use of foreshadowing in this film that is really quite something to see when viewed on more than one occasion. Although I'd argue Chinatown executes foreshadowing better (some of Scarface's is a bit on-the-nose), I can appreciate Scarface's characters more. Beyond Tony, the majority of the characters aren't as deep, however they function exactly how they're supposed to, which makes them perfect for better framing Tony's journey.

Special Effects/Atmosphere

When it comes to set design and atmosphere, DePalma does a fantastic job of conveying 1980s Miami. The interior shots of the Babylon Club remain some of my favorite scenes in film history as everything from the costumes to the mirrored walls works perfectly. Beyond the club, there's some excellent cinematography during a particularly harrowing adventure at the Sun Ray Hotel, while the layout of the multiple featured mansions is equally impressive. In a way, the camera work makes it feel that DePalma is speaking to the viewer via the lens and conveying a whole other message so that exposition and dialogue isn't needed. The scenes at the Sun Ray Hotel are likely some of the most visible instances of this cinematography, but they're hardly the only ones.

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The Babylon Club is a fantastic piece of set design

Paired with the awesome atmosphere is the incredible music that pumps it up even more. Giorgio Moroder's somber synthetic tunes are great to hear and amplify exactly how Tony is feeling. Beyond Moroder's own work, there is plenty of licensed music, which is also topnotch. I really liked "Shake It Up" by Elizabeth Daily, and I highly recommend checking out the film's soundtrack if you can track it down.

The Acting

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about some of the accents used in this. I haven't met enough actual Cubans to say whether or not Pacino's attempts at a Cuban accent are good or cartoonishly bad. The same could potentially be said for Mastrantonio's and Robert Loggia's accents. With that being said, I absolutely applaud the actual acting as I think everyone does a fantastic job. Pacino delivers a bombastic and loud performance that directly conflicts with his previous roles in quieter films like Serpico or The Godfather. His ability to convey Tony's rage and joy is phenomenally well done and really helps the character shine.

Michelle Pfeiffer is equally fascinating to see and I think it's a bit of a shame that she never got nominated for her performance as Elvira. The fact that she's visibly skinny to reflect her coke-addicted character is only enhanced by the line delivery that presents Elvira's overall lack of interest in much of anything. The explosive monologue she gives near the end of the film is Pfeiffer at her very best and it works even better mixed with Pacino's own style.

I'd lastly like to point out Robert Loggia's performance as the drug dealer, Frank Lopez. Loggia's always done a good job of coming off gruff and dangerous, but this film puts him in a position where he's playing a bit of a motormouth past his prime. There's a scene about halfway through where we get to see him at full range and it's impressive to behold.

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Robert Loggia probably turns in one of his best performances here

The Best of the Best: Al Pacino's performance in the scene where Tony tells everyone to "say goodnight to the bad guy."

The Worst of the Worst: As much as I love the ending, it's a tad over-the-top.

Calhooey Score: 9/10 - fantastic

Would I Recommend?

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Scarface is a fascinating examination of the greed and excess of the 1980s and the overall aspiration of materialism. It remains one of my favorite movies of all time, however it's a divisive film to be sure. It's likely that a viewer will either hate or love this movie. If you like gangster movies, you need to see this. If you're squeamish about swearing and violence, I'd approach with caution, but still recommend.

Spoiler Comments

• Apparently, they're big fans of octopus in Cuba.
• I think Lopez's home is the only one I've ever seen that had its own elevator.
• Based on what I've read from Roben Farzad, the Babylon Club was either based off of the very real Club Mutiny or actually filmed inside it in Coconut Grove, Miami. The stories of what happened at the club make the events of Scarface seem like a regular Friday night.
• I know this movie struggled with the ratings board, so it surprises me how much they were able to show of Angel dying by chainsaw.
• That quip made by Lopez about "not knowing what to do with all the cash" was very prophetic.
• I'm curious how different this film's final act would've been if Manny had gone to the Seidelbaum meeting instead of Tony.
• One of my favorite observations about this film's use of cinematography is that we learn that Tony invests over ten percent of his drug profits into security, but it's either completely useless or outright ignored throughout the film's runtime.
• Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

References

(1) Rotten Tomatoes. (n.d.). Scarface film image. Retrieved from: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scarface.

(2) Film Affinity. (n.d.). Scarface 1932 film image. Retrieved from: https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film124591.html.

(3) Bowles, S. (2008). Elvira and Tony image. Blogger. Retrieved from: https://www.divinedecadencedarling.blogspot.com/2008/06/scarface.html.

(4) Trumpisgood. (2019). Babylon Club image. Reddit. Retrieved from: https://www.reddit.com/r/VaporwaveAesthetics/comments/atxm7r/the_babylon_club_from_scarface_1983/.

(5) Wagner. J. (2020, April 23).  Al Pacino with Robert Loggia. Twitter. Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/jeremyxwagner/status/1253431727462076417.

(6) Rebloggy. (n.d.). The world is yours gif. Pinterest. Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/588142032569430887/.