Review: Scarface (1983)

Genre: Crime, Drama

Director: Brian De Palma

Cast: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Robert Loggia, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Paul Shenar

language: English

Runtime: 170 min.

Scarface is about the rise and fall of a small time crook fuelled by greed, and fall of Brian De Palma fuelled by the same greed - greed to create an epic crime saga out of virtually nothing. Just a long running time and some skillful camera movements alone cannot make an epic. Without the faintest hint of emotional underpinning, this movie is just an empty vessel that creates too much noise.

Tony Montana (Al Pacino) is a Cuban refugee cum criminal with a big aim - he wants the world itself. His opening comes when he gets a chance to run a deal for a mid level drug dealer, Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). When the deal goes awfully wrong, he and his friend Manolo (Steven Bauer) escape with the money and cocaine. Frank is impressed and Tony starts working for him but not without laying eyes on his mistress Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer). Shortly, a profitable but risky deal from Bolivia comes their way, Frank feels it’s too risky but Tony wants to accept. Frank warns, “the guys who last in this business are the guys who fly straight, lowkey, quiet. And the guys who want it all chicas, champagne, flash - they don't last”. So we now know what to expect; dispute leads to Tony leaving Frank. Later, Frank comes to know of Tony's intentions towards Elvira and tries to kill him. But Tony escapes, kills the ex-boss and marries Elvira. He accepts the Bolivian deal, starts ascending the underworld and goes on to build a drug empire. Though, he doesn’t remain at the top for long. Trouble brews and then starts his descent.

The problem with this movie has its roots in the lead character. Tony is an utterly despicable character with not a single redeemable quality. He is a dispassionate killer and a man who’s drenched with greed. He is tender towards his mother and sister, but that doesn't make him a normal man. With no way to emotionally connect with such a character, it becomes very difficult to watch his rise or fall for three hours, accentuated not by a lesser degree that he fills the screen for almost its entire running length and that he’s an irritating chatterbox.

But he's a man of guts. During his first drug deal with Columbians, the double crossing Columbians tie his companion to a pole in the bathroom and saw off first his arm and leg using a chainsaw. When they tie him next and bring the chainsaw near him, he shouts "F--- you!". It is this admirable quality that makes the first 100 minutes that illustrate his rise, relatively engaging compared to the later part. An hour before the end, it becomes too tiring to sit through and the incessant flow of the f-word makes it all the more irritating. It is surprising that the characters talk our mind. Elvira tells “Can't you stop saying "f---" all the time? Can't you stop talking about money? It's boring, Tony.” Exactly. This and other scenes towards the end make us wonder if De Palma intended the entire movie to be a sort of parody.

The above mentioned chainsaw encounter is the only memorable instance. A few shots of horrified expression in the eyes of the gagged victim, chainsaw nearing his arm, spatter of blood and the utterance of “now the leg", put together form a montage that evokes an acute sense of horror. It is a perfect example of the dictum that true horror is not in the eyes but in the mind. Only if the present day gore-fest directors could learn this valuable lesson.

As Tony, Al Pacino proves himself again, as he did earlier as the diametrically opposite Michael Corleone in Godfather series. Michelle Pfeifer has the thankless job of playing a literally dimensionless role. Her character could've very well been a doll. In a scene near the end her blank expression when simultaneously using cigarette, drinks and cocaine together, epitomizes the futility of this character. Others adequately fill in their roles. Paul Shenar stands out among them as the Bolivian drug manufacturer. His soft spoken and mild mannered behavior oozes an evil charm that makes him immensely watchable.

Technically there is nothing outstanding. The usual camera movements and sets of De Palma films are present here too.

Scarface is a 3-hour-long scar on the audience’s time.