As well as a critique on the world of crime, Scarface also provides a thought-provoking look at the journey of the outsider, those who society tries to keep from joining the privilege of the upper classes.
Coming to the US as a refugee from Cuba, Tony is treated as an outsider from the off. He is interrogated by several immigration officers when he first enters the country, being questioned on everything from where he learned English to where he got his scars. Instead, he is forced into a cramped, noisy camp with what feels like no hope of escape. Determined to break his way into the in crowd, Tony feels there is no choice but to take drastic measures to keep his American Dream alive.
Although it tackles some serious issues, and refuses to depict its protagonist as a hero worthy of support, Scarface is still an enjoyable, and often outright fun, gangster film. The script from Stone is consistently sharp and regularly amusing — giving the audience some genuine laughs.
Tony may never be a guy that the viewer is meant to root for, but Stone makes sure they at least establish some kind of fondness for him through his quick wit and cutting sense of humour. Several scenes, including one in which Tony is rather unsuccessfully taught to pick up girls by his best bud Manny, lead to some classic moments and delightful lines of dialogue.
The violence is used sparingly but effectively, too. Pacino is arguably one of the most influential actors in Hollywood history, starring in countless iconic blockbusters and helping to define an entire genre of on-screen storytelling, and he is at his peak in Scarface. From having to display utter helplessness as he is forced to watch his friend being dismantled by a chainsaw in the early stages of the film, to becoming an arrogant, self-centred and sociopathic control freak by the end of it, Pacino is tasked with an incredibly complex and layered role — and he masters it at every turn.
Tony is such a complicated figure, at certain times charming and alluring, at others utterly detestable and devoid of humanity, yet Pacino never puts a foot wrong. How he failed to receive so much as an Oscar nomination for the role is baffling — he should have won the thing.
For all the violence, deceit and mental disintegration that occurs in Scarface, the story is told using utterly gorgeous, stylistic visuals. From the extravagant set designs to the vibrant colours of the Miami coastline, this is a fine feat of filmmaking. Like What You Are Reading? Setting aside the sun-and-cocaine-soaked debauchery, what else made Scarface so appealing to Latino kids like me was that he was cool.
Latinos, accent and all, could be cool and do every cool thing that other, more assimilated Americans could do. His coolness soon delved into becoming a cautionary tale of capitalist excess.
Tony Montana bought into the idea of the American Dream, the sole individual carving out his economic fate through sheer will and cunning, until he finally isolated himself to the point that he could no longer live. Latinos and all of us still partially buy into these messages because we live in this system and we want a piece of what it has to offer as well, no matter how twisted or unjust, representation is still something to be fought for.
This is nothing new. Even genius dramas like the Sopranos had to contend with do-gooder Italian groups intent on upholding a historically squeaky clean and sanitized version of their American experience. A similar thing happened with the certain members of the community, who criticized Scarface for promoting the outlaw element of Cuban immigrants. But all of it is part of the immigrant experience, and no matter how ugly, these stories can help blend Latinos into the artistic melting pot of America.
Scarface is still something the community can look up to as a captivating representation of what some Cubans may have almost went through, even if it is a cautionary tale. In truth, there were only around 2, criminals among the , refugees who came to American in the Mariel boatlift. The over-the-top Cuban accents of the white actors playing Cuban characters have also been a point of criticism and don't do the movie any favors in terms of how it treats the ethnicity of its main characters.
Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, and independent filmmaker. He's currently in pre-production on his first feature, and has been for a while because filmmaking is expensive. In the meantime, he's sitting on a mountain of unproduced screenplays. You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. By Ben Sherlock Published Oct 10, Share Share Tweet Email 0.
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