Scarface (1983)

Scarface is arguably the most renowned and well known of Brian De Palma’s films, one that has become iconic in the pages of film history, its dialogue and action parodied and mimicked over time in any number of TV shows and other films. Following the rise of Tony Montana (Al Pacino) from penniless immigrant to drug lord it is a remarkable film, absorbing, gratuitous, ridiculous but compelling. As much as the Untouchables brought out the worst in De Palma’s various film fetishes Scarface embraces them and feels a perfect fit, it is a film of excess, about excess that embodies a time and place completely.

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Watching the film it is easy to see why Al Pacino’s performance has been so lauded over the years, he brings a swagger and a danger to Montana that is evident right from the start. His oft mimicked Cuban accent, like everything else about him, is verging on parody, and yet he never pushes that line. He is clearly having a lot of fun, but never betrays the character especially as the film progresses and we see how the greed and the power overwhelm his already fragile mental state. Those who rail against the film as glamorising drugs and violence clearly missed much of the films message, the lifestyle of Tony Montana is itself a gaudy sideshow that never satisfies and viewed in the stark light of day his empire crumbles. Ambition untamed is destructive, it seems to say, Tony’s habit of seizing what he wants always ends in failure, the lesson he never learns is to value anyone but himself. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Elvira Hancock, the woman Tony becomes obsessed with and ends up marrying. Again his ambition ruins not only his future, but hers too and Pfeiffer imbues Elvira with a great aloofness, but sadness too and it’s a surprisingly affecting turn.

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The great thing though is that the film manages to deal with some of these karger themes, whilst remaining a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable experience, on every level it just works, it is smartly paced and densely packed with great set pieces and performances. The over the top violence actually adds to this, heightening the reality whilst the scale of the film impresses even now. Thanks to Pacino’s performance (and the more than able supporting case) the story is constantly engaging, he is the prime example of an unlikeable protagonist that works, a fascinating character unpredictable and yet so very watchable.

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So the film holds up, and not just as a film of its time. It deserves to stand amongst (but not above) the swell of classic gangster movies of the 70s and 80s and its influence on modern culture is hard to ignore. More than that though it is what all films should ultimately aspire to be: a good story well told.