Scarface (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Scarface' (directed by Brian De Palma) focuses on the rise & fall of Cuban-born gangster Tony Montana (Al Pacino). It begins with him arriving in Miami in 1980 along with his amigo, Manny (Steven Bauer). The 2 quickly see that small time work doesn't suit them & they make themselves available for a "job" for mob boss Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). A seemingly simple drug transaction goes horribly wrong, but Tony & Manny escape with the $$. Frank is impressed, although his right-hand man, the slimy Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham), certainly is not. Soon, Tony becomes one of Frank's few go-to guys. But Tony has dreams of surpassing Frank, being his own boss, and even stealing his current boss' girlfriend, Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer). Manny also has his eye on a girl but it's his bad luck that Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) happens to be Tony's sister, & that makes her "hands off." Mayhem ensues for one & all.
It's funny, I'm giving this movie a B+/3.5 out of 4 stars. And I don't know whether I'm knocking it down from an A because there's too much hardcore violence, unintentional parody & gratuitous profanity ... or ... If I'm giving it a score as high as B+ BECAUSE of the hardcore violence, unintentional parody & gratuitous profanity {haha}. It's just one of those movies that is SO bad in some ways, yet SO fascinating in other ways that you have to give credit where it's due; whether or not it deserves it.
As gangster stories go, this one is no different than most; though there's enough blood & gore to keep things lively. The big ending shows Pacino at his scenery-chewing best. The scene, though wildly entertaining, also borders on farce. So does De Palma want us to believe that this is Tony going out in a blaze of glory ... or is it a send-up of gangster film endings? Either way, your jaw will drop for the entire sequence. It's just batsh*t crazy. Pacino, known for his powerful portrayals, goes so over-the-top as Tony that he almost turns cartoonish. And yet, it's the campy nature that makes Tony so memorable & enjoyable – I just loved the wackadoo portrayal. So again, something bad actually winds up good (see how difficult it is for me to grade this accordingly?). I can only assume that Pacino's hamminess is a result of De Palma's direction. The only actor who gives a consistently great, 'in-the-zone' performance is Michelle Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer is as intoxicating as her character's intoxicated bloodstream.
Though the script doesn't flesh-out the characters as much as I'd have liked, it does contain some amazing stretches of dialogue, as well as wonderfully quotable lines. i.e., "Say hello to my little friend!" However, most of the appeal in quoting Tony stems from mimicking his accent, more than the actual words. From a visual standpoint, 'Scarface' is beautifully photographed, adorned & edited. De Palma's look-&-feel of the film is exceptional (with gorgeous South Florida locales). I enjoyed a certain chainsaw scene. De Palma directs this it brilliantly; suggesting some X-rated violence without actually showing anything explicit. The sound of the blade, some splashes of blood & a lot of frantic editing is all that's needed to convince us we have seen something truly horrific.
Another sequence that stands out is a 3rd act restaurant scene in which Tony realizes how pointless his life is. Had Tony been a better realized character & more grounded, this 2-minute take would have added an integral element of poignancy to Tony's downfall. As it is, it's still a 'wow' scene. If there's a theme in the movie, it would be that of the underdog slogging his way through crap to reach the pinnacle, then finding there's nothing at the top. The only trajectory is down. So for him, it's like ... what's left? Drugs, empty sex & lotsa $$. Nothing to enrich one's self. The dream he chased has turned into a nightmare. That's the price of power. That's an indictment on the 'American dream'. Crazy, crazy movie. But fun, nonetheless.
It's funny, I'm giving this movie a B+/3.5 out of 4 stars. And I don't know whether I'm knocking it down from an A because there's too much hardcore violence, unintentional parody & gratuitous profanity ... or ... If I'm giving it a score as high as B+ BECAUSE of the hardcore violence, unintentional parody & gratuitous profanity {haha}. It's just one of those movies that is SO bad in some ways, yet SO fascinating in other ways that you have to give credit where it's due; whether or not it deserves it.
As gangster stories go, this one is no different than most; though there's enough blood & gore to keep things lively. The big ending shows Pacino at his scenery-chewing best. The scene, though wildly entertaining, also borders on farce. So does De Palma want us to believe that this is Tony going out in a blaze of glory ... or is it a send-up of gangster film endings? Either way, your jaw will drop for the entire sequence. It's just batsh*t crazy. Pacino, known for his powerful portrayals, goes so over-the-top as Tony that he almost turns cartoonish. And yet, it's the campy nature that makes Tony so memorable & enjoyable – I just loved the wackadoo portrayal. So again, something bad actually winds up good (see how difficult it is for me to grade this accordingly?). I can only assume that Pacino's hamminess is a result of De Palma's direction. The only actor who gives a consistently great, 'in-the-zone' performance is Michelle Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer is as intoxicating as her character's intoxicated bloodstream.
Though the script doesn't flesh-out the characters as much as I'd have liked, it does contain some amazing stretches of dialogue, as well as wonderfully quotable lines. i.e., "Say hello to my little friend!" However, most of the appeal in quoting Tony stems from mimicking his accent, more than the actual words. From a visual standpoint, 'Scarface' is beautifully photographed, adorned & edited. De Palma's look-&-feel of the film is exceptional (with gorgeous South Florida locales). I enjoyed a certain chainsaw scene. De Palma directs this it brilliantly; suggesting some X-rated violence without actually showing anything explicit. The sound of the blade, some splashes of blood & a lot of frantic editing is all that's needed to convince us we have seen something truly horrific.
Another sequence that stands out is a 3rd act restaurant scene in which Tony realizes how pointless his life is. Had Tony been a better realized character & more grounded, this 2-minute take would have added an integral element of poignancy to Tony's downfall. As it is, it's still a 'wow' scene. If there's a theme in the movie, it would be that of the underdog slogging his way through crap to reach the pinnacle, then finding there's nothing at the top. The only trajectory is down. So for him, it's like ... what's left? Drugs, empty sex & lotsa $$. Nothing to enrich one's self. The dream he chased has turned into a nightmare. That's the price of power. That's an indictment on the 'American dream'. Crazy, crazy movie. But fun, nonetheless.