Scarface (1983) – Movie Review

One of my favorite internet celebrities is Doug Walker, the Nostalgia Critic. For those who don’t know, he reviews a lot of movies that can be considered nostalgic, from Demolition Man to A Troll in Central Park, and some films that are highly requested for him to review, such as the 2003 cult film, The Room (yeah, the Tommy Wiseau movie). So when I decided to start reviewing digital media for the fun of it I decided I wanted to review not just new films, but also some old ones as well. I’ve already done two reviews on new films, so why not do an old film this time? Well let’s explore the journey of a Cuban turned drug lord in the dramatic mob movie, Scarface!

I was first introduced to Scarface through a Payday 2 crossover, which kind of sucks in a way because there’s not much to it. I don’t know how they managed to have Tony Montana join the Payday gang and he doesn’t do too much in the story so far. It’s a rather weak crossover, but that was just a taste of the original because the movie was amazing! Great action and drama, with some tragedy mixed in, all while viewing a fictional story created from real life events made Scarface a highly memorable movie! Also swears, can’t forget the swears.

Before I start going into the movie I need to confess something: I hate “Based on a True Story” films. I just really, really don’t like them. I mean some are good like Hacksaw Ridge, but do any of you remember how the first Paranormal Activity was advertised as “Based off of True Events?” While it can be nice to retell a historical event through the power of movies, if want to tell a good historical story it works better if the events are far enough in the past that most people don’t know the true story and the execution of film should be as accurate as possible to what actually happened in that historical. That’s why I consider films such as Sully and Dunkirk to be iffy. Maybe someday I’ll write a whole article on this issue of mine because I really just want to discuss this idea with friends and movie goers and it’s too much put into this review.

So what does this have to do with Scarface? Well the film starts off with a wall of text talking about a real life event: During the 1980s, as many Cubans fled to Florida to escape the hard time in Cuba. During that exodus Castro decided to use this situation to rid himself of criminals, so during these migrations he shipped off some of these convicts with the rest of the Cubans to the US. That sets up the main story extremely well, as the movie’s main character, Antonio “Tony” Montana, played by Al Pacino, has been convicted for being an assassin in prison, is one of these shipped criminals. That instantly sold me on the film because of how it used a real event to create a fantastic fictional story. THIS is what I want to see more of in film. Well, that and people start recognizing that fantasy and animated movies can be definitely be worthy of Oscars. But right now I want to see people find ways to created appealing and engaging fictional stories and characters from real life events.

Tony is an epic character to watch. He’s got a strong personality with his strength, personal code of honor, vulgar language (seriously, there so many f-bombs dropped by him), and his unstoppable determination to make it big. He can also be reckless, obsessive, and greedy, all of which make him into a highly memorable person. We goes through so much in the, gradually getting higher and higher statuses in the group he’s in until he’s on top. His character and his journey make his eventual defeat all the more heartbreaking. We know he’s the bad guy throughout the whole film, but he has this side to him that continually shows him keeping his word and protecting those he cares about. There’s a particular speech he makes near the end of the film about how so many people continually hide their darker feelings and opinions that would make them stand out while pointing out bad people in attempts to hide their flaws. Tony has some very memorable quotes in this film, which further increases his appeal to the audience. When he goes against his character traits he loses himself and eventually loses his life. It’s like the final scene of Eddard Stark from Game of Thrones, throwing away his sense of duty and honor to protect his children only for Joffrey to have him executed anyways. In a ways, both Eddard and Tony brought about their deaths by going against what they stand for.

A complaint I do have about the movie is Tony’s love interest, Elvira Hancock, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Michelle is a great actor, but Elvira was such a bad character to watch. She’s not that attractive, both physically and emotionally. During this movie period, the love interests in drama and action films were often depicted with physical features such as big boobs, big butts, wide hips, and/or sexy faces to show that they’re attractive. Elvira had kind of a sexy face, but none of the rest. Now in the current times a person’s appearance is not the main factor in having a happy, healthy relationship, it’s more their emotional side. Too bad Elvira is just so emotionally repulsive. While Tony and his friend Manny Ribera, played by Steven Bauer, join their drug lord Frank Lopez, played by Robert Loggia, at a packed and exciting night club, Elvira is smoking a cigar and is bored to death. These men are having a wonderful time, trying to make her smile while everyone around them is having tons of fun, but she’s just acting like she’d rather be anywhere than there. And that’s how she’s like most of the film, bored out of her mind and uncaring of everyone around her. I don’t get how she’s a trophy wife or what Tony sees in her, she’s just plain boring and unattractive. Even one of her last scenes where she tells Tony she wants to have children and live a normal life isn’t that convincing. She continually smokes, drinks, and acts uncaring to everyone, all while giving the impression she’s hardly trying to get out of his crazy life and live like a normal person. This woman is just bad!

Beyond Elvira, the rest of the characters are pretty cool. Not as memorable as Tony, but they’re still fun and have some good moments. Manny is an upbeat man who often acts as Tony’s limiter, but also as moral support. The two are the closest of friends, bonding even more as they advance in the drug world. Tony’s sister, Gina, played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, is an innocent woman who, in Tony’s eyes, starts to lose herself to money and constantly gets herself into trouble. And Alejandro Sosa, played by Paul Shenar, the charismatic and powerful Bolivian drug dealer and the chief supplier of cocaine for Tony. They’re all super fun, with me wondering every time what’s going to happen to them in their next scene. All of them have some great contributions to the story.

And what a story it is. The locations of the film vary greatly while still matching the film very well. From a refugee camp to a hotel room to the night club to Columbia to Tony’s mansion, all of these places move the story well while keeping the viewer engaged. It’s a crazy trip of violence, drugs, and love, bringing in new conflicts at just the right parts of the story. I will say the amount of swearing and some of the depictions of Cubans can make the film uncomfortable, so this is definitely for an older audience and did hurt the movie when it first came out. However, it’s still a strong example of great character development with an engaging story. That, along with lots of great camera angles and shots, made this a memorable masterpiece of film that you got to see (if you’re 17 years or older).

Overall Analysis:

I am so glad I watched this film. I see so many films that are “Based on a True Story” that it feels that there is no way to show an original idea without it getting ignored or receiving bad reviews. This movie had a unique solution that fulfill both the true story and original movie ideas. Combined with great drama, memorable characters, and an engaging story, you got a classic film that will last! I found out recently that this film is also a remake of sorts to an old 1932 film called Scarface, which is loosely based on the rise and fall Al Capone. I would never have guess it with all the praise this 1983 version has gotten, but this newer version will definitely last longer than the first one. Scarface, from 1983, gets a 9 out of 10!

On a final note, it’s been recently announced that Scarface will get yet another remake and that this new one will be directed by the Coen Brothers, the people who brought us films such as Fargo and No Country for Old Men, and that the leading role of Tony will be played by Diego Luna. As the real story hater, I don’t know how I feel about this. Don’t fix what’s already broken after all and there’s not much broken about Scarface. Or maybe I need to discuss this with fans of the movie. From what I know the film is planned to be out on August 10th, 2018. Hopefully we’ll get some good trailers of it soon.