Over 40 years after 1983’sScarfacefirst premiered, the critical and cultural reception of the movie has gone through many evolutions. Watching the film today, what stands out almost immediately is the breadth of the project. In every sense,Scarfaceis an old-fashioned epic that’s donned the disguise of a gangster movie.Just under three hours long, the film is a commitment. It’s careful never to rush, slowly but surely tracking Tony’s rise to power. As the infamous Tony Montana,Al Pacino is unforgettable, even in his most campy moments.
Scarface
Cast
Brian De Palma’s iconic crime drama is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same name and follows Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who begins a life of crime after arriving in Miami. It chronicles his rise from a penniless thug to one of the richest and most ruthless kingpins in the world, amassing a criminal empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Certain aspects ofScarfacehave objectively aged poorly, as the film is a product of its time. Pacino’s Cuban accent and his portrayal of a Cuban character, despite his lack of ties to Cuba, are hard to watch. This was a problem that pervaded Hollywood during this period and is an example ofone of many elements that must be taken with a grain of salt throughoutScarface.Though the story relies on the history of the Mariel boatlift,Scarfaceshouldn’t be taken as a representation of this period but as an exploration of the deeper themes it touches upon.
Scarface Is Surprisingly Slow-Paced & Deliberate By Modern Standards
Despite Its Reputation, Scarface Is A Slow-Burn Character Study
What people often remember most aboutScarfaceis the bombastic action sequences and gratuitous violence. While this is an essential part of the story’s style, it’s not at all overwhelming by today’s standards. It could be the fact that the media has desensitized me, butScarface’s blood and gore weren’t what grabbed me. Tony’s character arc and what it represents did. Asa gangster movie,Scarfacesays and does little that hasn’t been done before and better. However,as a story about disillusionment with the American dream,Scarfacehas lost none of its potency.
From the first moments ofScarface, Tony is asked to compromise and capitulate to be deemed somehow “worthy” of immigrating to the U.S. How this ultimately plays into Tony’s trajectory as a crime boss versus his inherent tendencies toward violence are frequently juxtaposed. The question ofwhether Tony’s death and fall from grace was inevitable or if it’s a product of the impossible situationhe’s put in is debatable. These themes are just under the surface inScarface, and sometimes I wish it leaned further into this conversation.
Audiences go intoScarfacealready knowing some of Tony’s iconic quotes, and this can detract from the overall impact of the story.
Today,Scarface’s legacy almost does it a disservice, as some of the best and most pulpy moments in the film have become part of the vernacular. Audiences go intoScarfacealready knowing some ofTony’s iconic quotes, and this can detract from the overall impact of the story. Already,Scarfacewalks a fine line, as the movie takes itself a little too seriously to be considered pure fun. The depth and gravity of the performances and the dramatic Greek tragedies that populate the story are what prevent us from being taken out of the narrative.
The atmosphere and aesthetic of the film are as repulsive as they are appealing.Scarfaceis a time capsule of a cultural sensibilitythat is found in very few corners of the world today. Tony’s taste is disgustingly ostentatious but is perfectly suited to his situation and sensibilities. Michelle Pfeiffer’s styling as Elvira has come to be known as one of the most recognizable “mob wife” looks in cinema history.Scarfacedoes an excellent job illustrating the importance of the clothes, the cars, and the sprawling estates and how they signify power and control in the drug trade.
Al Pacino Is Firing On All Cylinders As Scarface’s Tony Montana
His Meteoric Rise & Epic Fall From Grace Could Only Be Brought To Life By Pacino
It’s not surprising that Pacino’s Hollywood legacy is so steeped in the gangster film genre, asScarfaceis only one of his many projects that require Pacino to portray a flawed antihero. It’s hard to go into the film with no preconceived notions about how Pacino will bring Tony to life or what it means to be a movie about the drug trade. However,Pacino helps ease us into Tony’s world as we get swept away by the intensitywith which he lives his life. WatchingScarfacealmost tricks you into wanting the glamorous life that Frank warns Tony about.
Fortunately, the sheen of Tony’s life fades by the end ofScarface, when all Tony has in his final moments are his gaudy house and his piles of cocaine and money. The final third ofScarfacemoves quickly compared to the establishment of Tony’s early years. I’m no stranger to long movies, and I don’t think there’s a lot to cut inScarface, but parts of the film are a little bloated. However,Scarfaceearned its status as a heavy-hitter of the crime genre, and watching the movie makes it more obvious that its influence is everywhere.
