The story of the poor Cuban refugee who becomes the head of the organized crime in United States is indisputably part of American culture, speaking for the outsiders, foreigners and the marginalized who, just like Tony Montana, dream of earning respect and power through money. Brian DePalma’s “Scarface” was classified as a B series movie, which abounds with violence, stereotypes and the hyperbolic representation of the American Dream (“Sometime It Fun”). However, considering the fact that the movie was released in 1983 and is influential for all generations ever since, indicates “Scarface” is in fact a good production, a film that sticks in viewers’ minds years after watching it.
Looking at the script of “Scarface” there are not many elements that would differentiate this production from other mobster – movies. Even more, DePalma aggressively accentuates the mobster lifestyle with the atrocious executions that implies cutting people to pieces, receiving the death punishments for treason or developing a mundane habit from snorting cocaine, which makes the movie look like a cliché. Nevertheless, the acting performance of Al Pacino moves far beyond a B series movie, as the actor vividly appropriates the role of the poor refugee who becomes an important man, but in doing so, he admits that he is the bad guy. “You need people like me so you can point your [] fingers and say ‘That’s the bad guy!’” (DePalma, “Scarface”, scene 5, 1:53). Pacino’s performance and his identification with Scarface character is actually the top quality of the movie, the attribute that traveled across time, making the movie representative for the American culture. The actor denotes consciousness of the Cuban migrants’ identity, being a reflection of Fidel Castro’s Communist production, hence, another reason for which “Scarface” is a good movie.
Young people nowadays still praise the memory of “Scarface” by purchasing t-shirts, posters, DVDs or video games and listening to hip hop lyrics that worship his legacy (“Un Unfortunate Icon”). This popular culture statement indicates that the movie, through Al Pacino’s embodiment of Scarface character, manages to transpose the everlasting American dream. Although Scarface is an antihero, he is nevertheless admired and praised because he has the power to achieve what he desires, while still remaining faithful to his own identity. The no women, no kids self – imposed policy denotes that he has principles that his thirst for money and power cannot overcome. A bad guy with principles is a mobster with a soft soul, although his external behavior hides his tender qualities to perfection. These are timeless human values that make Scarface an American hero again and again, denoting the high quality of the movie (“The Six Qualities”).
Finally, “Scarface” abounds with memorable scenes, which is another criteria to state that this is a good movie (“The Six Qualities”). The visa interview allows Montana to produce a memorable scene, speaking about the limitations imposed by the communism reign. The scene in the restaurant, when he judges the diners for their hypocrisy is another memorable moment that introduces the concept of the honest bad guy, who tells the truth even when he lies (DePalma “Scarface”). The moment when Montana decides not to kill a wife and two children is also memorable, speaking of human principles that even a cold blooded mobster possess.
While the script of “Scarface” is rather a trivial reflection of the U.S. criminality, the plot produces memorable scenes, merely due to Pacino’s performance, who asserts his role of a Cuban migrant with consciousness. Along with the presence of the timeless human values, these attributes make “Scarface” a good movie, influential and inspiring for all generations.
Works Cited
An Unfortunate Icon. [Online] 10 December 2008. < http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/dec/10/scarface-al-pacino-anniversary-latinos>. 25 February 2016.
DePalma, Brian. Scarface 5/8 Movie Clip – Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy. [Online]. 16 June 2011. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yky4QtRX_DI&list=PLZbXA4lyCtqoK-5lSGrpjKeMdAzjgh0iC&index=5>. 25 February 2016.
Sometime It Fun: Scarface Blu – Ray Out Today. [Online]. 6 September 2011. < http://www.blooddirtandangels.com/index.php/2011/09/06/sometime-it-fun-scarface-blu-ray-out-today/>. 25 February 2016.
The Six Qualities that Make for a Great Movie. [Online] 19 August 2014. < http://blog.dolby.com/2014/08/six-qualities-of-great-movies/>. 25 February 2016.
