Scarface

This had been on my "To Watch" list for a very long time, but I finally had chance to watch it as I am very ill and have nothing better to do.

The film follows Tony Montana, a Cuban who wants to get away from the forces of Communism, so immigrates to the USA, where he is put in a holding cell. He quickly adapts to a life of violence and gets caught up in the world of cocaine. As he heads reaches the top, his paranoia and jealousy get the better of him, leading up to the final scene, where he has nothing but cocaine and guns, and his mansion is attacked by rival drug dealers.

The ending aside, the film is a mixed bag, some parts, like the first drug deal, are needlessly brutal, and other sections seem to there to fill time. This being a 2 Hour and 40 minute film, they seem entirely unnecessary.

The films general plot is outstanding, following Tony's rise to power through murder and double crosses. The film shows us a real criminal, rather than a Hollywood criminal, who will either take pride in his actions or feel guilty. Montana, shows nothing, only showing feelings for himself. He did what he did to get what he wanted.

The film has aged, mainly due to the setting of a sunny Miami, reminiscent of 1980's Cop shows, and the background story of communist Cuba, but this only serves to make the film all the more entertaining. The fact that it is more detached from our day to day life reduces realism, but in a film so unrealistically violent and over the top anyway, it creates an almost fantasy setting.

Now onto that final scene! There will be spoilers most likely, but the film was released in 1983, so its your own fault if you have yet to see it. Montana kills his best friend in a blind rage after he finds out he has moved in with his sister. He dumps his nose in a pile of cocaine, and fails to notice his mansion being over-run with rival drug dealers, all looking to kill him. His sister, angry that Tony killed her boyfriend also tries to kill him. Most of the film builds Tony up, showing his success and intelligence, but the ending shows that power corrupts. His sister is killed in a hail of gunfire, and Tony looks to take revenge. He takes out a number of the would-be assailants, before falling victim to superior numbers.

The ending redeems an otherwise powerful but drawn out film.

Positives
The ending is a fantastic piece of cinema.
The film as a whole is a great piece of escapist entertainment.

Negatives
Some parts are there to fill time in a long film.


Overall
The ending alone is enough reason to see this film. The film is a great showing of a real crime drama, shown from the point of view of a villain, who we are meant to accept as a good guy. It shows the corruption of power and the collapse of a man with power. Very few films portray this as effectively as Scarface, a modern(-ish) classic.