(VIDEO) "Scarface" (6/10)

[Brock Landers]

"Scarface" A Brian De Palma Film (6/10) A Brock Landers Overview of a Brian Depalma Film

"Scarface" is a corrosive morality tale of greediness and brutality similar in story dimensions to "Macbeth", tracing the rise and fall of a charismatic mobster. At times it borders greatness…but it falters, perhaps reflecting the descent of its protagonist, into mediocrity at the end…"Scarface" is at its best and most exciting in the beginning, when, like its hero, it is hungry…it has nothing to lose…nothing stands in its way…it is all new and fresh…

When we first see Tony Montana he seems to be a creature of extreme craftiness and cool…his self-esteem and will are ironclad…his reflexes are extraordinarily agile…As the scene begins, Tony (Al Pacino), his face mutilated to provide the necessary explanation about his nickname, his accent thick as dark Cuban java…is being interrogated by immigration officials. They don't buy his political victimization at the hands of the commie-fiend Castro story. (Castro has just exiled 25,000 other people from Cuba who are of various degrees of moral depravity.) It's a great scene, shot ingeniously. The camera moves around Tony, circling…but staying low to the ground. We see only the sitting Tony being attacked by gyrating guards who are thick-torsoed and faceless interrogators…and Tony plays them expertly…Tony is sent back to the jail-like pen where the exiles are stored as they await release into American society. Tony is cynical and ruthless about his fellow man…within minutes setting up a hit on a former castro official in exchange for his freedom. DePalma sets up the killing in such a way to explain Tony's soul to us…The hit is fast, merciless and effective…Tony moves into the frame like a bolt of lightning…striking without mercy. Soon afterwards, Tony hooks up with a sleazy cocaine dealer (Robert Loggia), the first of many cliches…and soon Tony gets dumped into a cheap motel as a payoff man with some Columbians…

Best scene in the flick: Ruthless and Crazy Columbians…A Rip-Off…Drugs…Guns…A Chainsaw…unfortunately, after this scene the film moves downhill…it turns into a condescending study of Tony's vulgarity…Oliver Stone and Brian DePalma take cheap thrills from Tony's wardrobe and bad taste…they turn Tony into nothing special, just a vengeful, violent punk...and the world is full of them...Pacino's performance, so invigorating in the beginning turns into a kind of catatonic exercise in drama…the decadence takes its toll…how does Tony survive? Dumb Luck…nothing more…take for instance the attempted assassination in the nightclub…Tony's old boss has hired two hitmen with machine-pistols to blow him away…from a range of about 15 feet…what happens? They miss…then Tony blows them away with two shots…(as the Churchlady would say, "How Con…veeeeeniant"…)

Then along comes a sister (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)…a little alluding to incest and obscure longings…that end up being overly awkward and underdeveloped (Oliver Stone's doing)…a useless Michelle Pfeiffer…and more stereotypes. Like Tony, "Scarface" hasn't any brains. No ideas come through the cursing and violence. "Scarface" is about machine guns and cocaine…plain and simple…it's about an hour too long…

[JoBlo]

Hey Brock, it's nice to see that you FINALLY rated a film less than 8/10, but then again, this movie ROCKS!!! Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to read your entire review but I would give it a 8/10...easily!

Pacino's performance alone deserves 6 points, add that to Bauer saying "mang" every three seconds, the cocaine, the aweosme "rise and fall" story, the crazy shootout in the end, the psychotic shower/chainsaw scene...just too many good things to mention. Great flick! Love it.

You bet, mang!! Look at those pelicans...

[*veers*]

yeah Brock 6/10 seems harsh for a quality film like this. I've seen you give some utter tosh a better rating than that.

As for Tony surviving through blind luck, well that could be Stone's comment on how in reality we achieve the American Dream.

[This message has been edited by *veers* (edited 12-06-2000).]

[Brock Landers]

I keep giving out high ratings because I keep reviewing great films...perhaps I should review some real crap (smile)...

I agree, as my review says, about Pacino being great and the shower/chainsaw/drug deal scene...as far as a "great" rise & fall story, I say it is so-so because I am comparing it to what could have been done...think "Boogie Nights"...plus, the film is not all that original, except for a few scenes, it is rather stereotypical and full of cliches...

[Jon Lap]

Very often when a film is being reviewed, the mental and emotional state of the critic has it's effect. I forget who exactly, but one critic preempted his review of "English Patient," by saying 'Before you read this, know that I was in the first row, getting a neck-ache over the course of 2 1/2 hours...'

Even more, many times a film begins with signs of brilliance, only to peeter out as the film concludes. The reverse also occurs when a movie's opening is so off-putting, that you are completely taken out of the narrative. All of this takes us to one particular result relating to Brock's alleged harsh review of "Scarface" - many times a film catches extra flack when disappointment is involved.

When I saw "Saving Private Ryan," I found the sentimental, A League Of Their Own-ish opening too disgusting to ever fully partake in the narrative -- thus I still ride the movie hard, though I have later realized some of it's ingenious too.

Said simply, I think Brock's disappointment with the latter part of "Scarface" may be the cause for what some consider to be a slighted review. Am I correct, Brock???

Lata fellas

[doctor drew]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who appreciated Al Pacino's over the top, drug induced, great one liners.

"Fly pelican fly!"

That scene in the bathtub gets me every single time. Bauer was great too. ("Lllllesbian!") I'm pretty much in total agreement with JoBlo on most of his points. It's probably one of the greatest character studies put to film, slowly showing how one man can slowly rise to unbelivable power but suddenly come crashing down back to earth.

A powerful and compelling look, spliced with just the right touches of humour. Al Pacino's performance proved why he's the greatest actor of our generation. (In my honest opinion)

If I could just change one thing about this movie, it's the terrible score (by Giorgio Morodor I think). That whole song montage in the middle reeks of cheesy 80's pop.

[Brock Landers]

I think "peeter's out" is exactly right...Jon Lap. Don't get me wrong, this is an American Classic and Pacino gives the viewing public a memorable, if somewhat flawed character (Screenwriter's fault...not Pacino's), that sticks out in my mind as one of his best performances. I was extremely disappointed with the lackluster attempt at drawing the story to a conclusion that actually meant something... or even made sense... but instead the writer's (Stone & DePalma) decided to prey upon our "bloodlust" and deliver a anti-climactic climax that is both inappropriately timed and over-the-top for the sake of being over-the-top, dig?

With that said, I love to watch "Scarface"...but I usually have to skip some scenes in order to not lose interest...My real problem lies in the editing process used by the filmmaker...they may as well have made it a ten hour film...

[Jon Lap]

No diggity... can I kick a rhyme for ya mind...

[Achilleos]

You guys should all check out the original Scarface. Now thats pure classic american cinema at its finest. If you havent seen it yet you are seriously missing out.

[Brock Landers]

Brian DePalma said that he got the incestuous overtones and some other family plot points directly from the original Scarface film...DePalma & Stone also took a lot of info from the James Cagney flicks, "White Heat" & "Public Enemy"...

[Jon Lap]

I know all about the original... AND I know it's SUPPOSED to be a classic - but I thought it was thoroughly outdated. AND... some of my favorite films are silent's, like Yvgeny Bauer's films; F.W. Murnau's films; Sergei Eisenstein's films. For my money the best 30s ganster flick is "The Public Enemy" with James Cagney. I even like "Regeneration" (Raoul Walsh, 1915), better than "Scarface" (1932).

Aside from lacking any form of resonance, the film is ultra heavy-handed, and has a "tinny" sort of feel, where life seems contained with in the confines of the four edges of each frame (rather than having offscreen life present). De Palma's "Scarface" is much better for my/our? generation -- though the original made it's contributions at the time.

Lata people

[This message has been edited by Jon Lap (edited 12-08-2000).]

[rupert_pupkin]

Brock - although I loved this film for pure enjoyments sake, I agree with many of the flaws that you pointed out about this movie.

[JoBlo]

<moderator bump>

[Schilachi]

I heard Joblo say that your review of this film was blasphemous, so i had 2 check it out!
Come on 6 outta 10? this is atleast a 9!!!!!!!

[Brock Landers]

okay...okay Schilachi...I'll change to a 6.5/10 /ubb/wink.gif Man, I am too easy...

[Deckard]

Brian De Palmas Scarface is close to perfection, as many have argued all I have to add is
SCARFACE 8.5/10

P.S First time Ive disagreed with your rating by more than 1 point, good review though.

[Jimmy Da Gent]

I loved this movie!

Great acting by Pacino and Beaur(spelling?) and I love the line: "Say hello to my little friend".
Pacino summed up the whole role of a violent drug dealer who loved the American dream just a little too much!

(10/10)

[This message has been edited by Ender (edited 11-15-2001).]

[MementoOtnemem]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Brock Landers:
"Scarface"(6/10) A …</font>
Wow! A 6/10? Boarder greatniss? Nah,in my view the whole movie is great. One of the greatsest movies of all time. A 10/10. A FUCKING CLASSIC!!!!

[bankholdup]

Oh, look. A review of my favorite movie. How cool.

SCARFACE

I watched this movie for the first time about 7 months ago. I LOVED it. It ruled everything ever. It kept me entertained the whole way through. Pacino did fantastic, and so did the rest of the cast. The rise and fall story is perfect, IMO.

Short review, yes, but fair.

10/10 easy

[Scarface98.9]

I would've written a review, but although this may or not surprise people, I've never seen the whole movie, I just liked the movie

[Jacker]

This is a very over rated film that uses drugs, sex and violence to entertain our sick minds for a while. First things first, Alpachino's accent drove me crazy. I know I shouldn't knock it because it was done well, but I just kept thinking about him talking in The Godfather and him talking in this one. Also, everybody except Pachino is just sort of their taking space. All the other characters were under used in my opinion.

Ah hell! It's not like anyone will read this so I'm giving this a 6/10. My favorite part was the ending. If it wasn't for that It would probably be a 3/10.

[This message has been edited by Jacker (edited 04-14-2002).]

[inglourious basterd]

Guys...I have seen Scarface, but I didnt really think it was anything special. For all of you who gave it a rating over 8/10, can you tell me WHY it deserves to be called a classic?

I could tell you that Godfather was a film that was worthy of a 9/10 or 10/10. However, I do not think that this film warrants it.

[The Heart Collector]

Why?

Scarface has one of my favorite characters ever: Tony Montana. Now, he may not be the most developed character ever, not the most sympathetic one, but he's a bad motherfucker. Few actors can create such a character, but Pacino does it perfectly. The accent, the dialogue, the attitude, the expressions, everything... the character is damn near perfect. A similar character played by Pacino (Carlito Brigante) maybe gets a better connection with the audience, but he's nowhere near as interesting as Tony Montana, this psychotic man who considers himself better than he is.

The movie has many, many memorable scenes: The interrogation, the killing of Rebenga, the chainsaw, Tony taking full control, killing the assassin in the car, the speech at the restaurant, and the brutal finale. All these scenes are perfectly played by Pacino and are very well directed.

The movie is pure 80's, and that's another one of the fun aspects of it. We've got flashy clothings, cheesy music, and a musical montague with that "push it to the limit" song. It sounds pretty fucking stupid, but once you get used to it, it works perfectly.


A cool character + a cool story + cool scenes = cool movie to me.

It's not perfect. It has many flaws. But I can't help but LOVE this bad motherfucker.

[PorcheRacer]

"What are you lookin' at? You're all a bunch of fuckin' assholes. You know why? You don't have the guts to be what you wanna be. You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your fuckin' fingers, and say "that's the bad guy." So, what'll that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth... even when I lie. So say goodnight to the bad guy. Come on. The last time you gonna see a bad guy like this again, let me tell you. " - Tony Montana

Simply put, Scarface is the best movie that I have ever seen. It just has that perfect feel to it that makes the great movies great. The music, the acting, the directing, the script etc; just all come together flawlessly. Brian DePalma, Oliver Stone and Al Pacino are the three main forces that drive this movie to perfection. Brian DePalma holds back on his usual over the top style of directing. Sure, there’s still a few of his trademark shots but he basically just puts the camera on Pacino and lets him do his thing. Oliver Stone penned the screenplay and does a top notch job. The characters are all three dimensional and the dialogue is well written…even if there is 200+ “fucks.” The funny thing is, I hardly noticed all the “fucks” on the first viewing but when I watched it again I definatley noticed. I liked Michelle Pfeiffers line “Tony, will you stop saying fuck all the time?!”. The swearing isn’t in the movie just for the sheer fact the filmmakers can say they put over two hundred fucks in one movie. It’s there because it’s a part of Tony. He’s a Cuban refugee with no education…he doesn’t have a large vocabulary. The drugs, the swearing, the violence; it all makes what Tony Montana is made of. He’s the most lively, energetic and all around cool characters to have ever graced the silver screen. Al Pacino give the best performance of his career. He’s subtle when he needs to be, he’s over the top when he needs to be. It’s a balancing act that not many actors could handle but he does it with ease. Michelle Pfiefer also gives a great performance as Tony’s troubled, unhappy wife. The rest of the cast is also great.

The movie is full of great scenes. Especially the chainsaw scene, I wish it shown more though. Sure, there was lots of blood but some actual shots of the chainsaw cutting flesh would have been gnarly! Also, the final shootout just has to be the best one ever. Either that or the lobby shoot-out in The Matrix. I warn you though, this movie is nor for the weak of heart. It’s extremely violent and profane. There’s one particularly brutal throat slash and the aforementioned chainsaw scene. Also, when people get shot in this movie…they bleed!! Besides all the memorable scenes of bloodshed, there’s also some funny, lighthearted scenes. The part when Tony and Manuel (great job Steven Bauer by the way) were trying to pick up chicks was hilarious. I also thought the “disco pig” was quite funny. Apart from the violence and killing, there is some poignant drama at the movies heart. Tony’s relashionship with his sister and mother, his rise, his fall and everything in between. At three hours, you’d think the movie would drag but it doesn’t. I didn’t think so anyway but I could see how some might. I was engrossed the whole time and felt for Tony even though he wasn’t a Saint. He has a good heart and that’s apparent in the scene in the car and that Cuban guy in particular.

Scarface is my new favorite movie. It has a truckload of memorable scenes, solid direction that doesn’t hold back, a smart screenplay, an amazing performance from Al Pacino and good jobs from everyone else and a pumping 80’s soundtrack. If you don’t like movies with lots of blood and swearing, I wouldn’t recommend it, in fact, that would be the last possible movie I’d recommend. On the other hand, if your not weak of heart I highly, highly recommend it. 11/10

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