A quintessential '80s work for its intact zeitgeist, capturing the debauchery and excess - the suits, the neon, the synth, the bling - all stylishly shot too. But once the characters open their mouths, well, there goes the ball game. Stone’s script is just corny in both its dialogue and delivery - even featuring a classic cheesy montage at one point - that the whole thing might as well be a cartoon. Some timbre is accumulated in its final act once things start falling to pieces for everyone, but it’s not enough to raise this beyond a diversion at best.
Stone's screenwriting was on-point and this story that he tells of a gangster was enticing and interesting; there's a desire to see whether he succeeds. But in the end, this film shows that crime pays but not for long, especially when one gets overly cocky(?). Montana played by Pacino: accent was horrid; I prefer his other roles.
It's like Greek tragedy as written by a complete dumbass. It's a movie about a rise and fall, see: Montana starts the movie as a shithead, but he dies as a RICH shithead. The very end deserves its status as an iconic movie moment, but that's all thanks to great set design and Giorgio Moroder's score.
Socialism's asshole turns into Capitalism's semi god "money maker" idol. Win-Win.
Scarface feels as if it were on another plane. The way the images flow is dreamlike, until they are interrupted by short and powerful bursts of violence. It's really sad to see in the new documentary on Scarface so many celebrities that love Tony Montana and look up to him. How can you look up to such a loser like Montana? Like Pfeiffer's character say: "We are not winners, we are losers."
I never understood it myself although I imagine it bottles down to what you aspire from life. Rappers idolise Montana because of his pursuit for power and (if limited) success in obtaining it. The rest I would say falls down to Al Pacino's excellent portrayal of the character. No one else could of done it as he did. Otherwise, I'd say Montana's as despicable as the real life mobster he's based on.
I had to use this film for a final in my aesthetics of film class. I used the final sequence, and before then I thought Scarface was just one of those generic movies that you can just view from the surface and that'd be it, but DePalma is just amazing in how he uses proxemics and color. You could watch this film on mute and still get it.
It's a great film. But it's sad, in a way, to see how much today's losers misinterpret this film, thinking that Tony Montana is the ultimate figure of power. He's just one of the most powerful losers in the history of cinema, a loser with all the money and all the coke of the world, who ends up all alone. That's what the film is about to me. It is incredible though.
Pacino on fine form. Perfect casting. The American Dream...or is that The American Nightmare.
If you look for them, there are elements of Macbeth and The Great Gatsby thrown in the mix of expletives and cocaine. Scarface is really a Greek Tragedy...except everyone is either Jewish or Cuban. Just saw the limited engagement screening this week. It looked and sounded the best! I can't wait for the Blu-ray release on September 6th.
Al Pacino con Brian de Palma dupla ganadora.....puta que pelicula tan mafiosa!!! y la mejor cuando Carlitos esta con la cara metida en un cerro de cocaina sabiendo que su final esta cerca.
En god film som forteller oppreisingen og forfallet til Tony Montana. Får noen 80-tallsvibber innimellom, men greier stort sett å unngå de verste fellene (noe The Untouchebles ikke gjorde). Dessverre sitter jeg nok igjen med å tenke på hvor mye mer jeg likte Al Pacino som Michael Corleone.
I have the same name as Tony Montana 's sister, but thankfully i am an only childXD
Great time capsule of the 1980 Miami crime/club scene. Pacino disappears in his role, an obviously personal performance for the former addict/alcoholic who grew up in a Hispanic NY neighborhood. It doesn't get more stylishly sleazy than this film. Its like a noir film in technicolor and pastels. Full or Stone's snappy dialogue, De Palma's clever camerawork and an never-ending assortment of cool supporting actors.
I...I just love how ridiculous this movie gets, it's...it's like a guilty pleasure with no guilt. I also can't get enough of stuff just randomly featuring Tony Montana on the side of it, like in a gas station in Malibu, there was a toy semi truck, with 'Scarface' written down the side and a big picture of Tony on the hood. It was...perfect, especially since the coked out guys with shades showed up at the same time.
