Last night I watched the film Scarface. It was my second time seeing the film all the way through. The firs time was when I bought it in 2003. This is a film that has always been hyped up to me. As with the first viewing, I still feel the movie is overrated.
Unless something else comes along, The Godfather part 1 will always be the gangster film which I measure all other gangster films. Scarface has it's moments but it is no Godfather. Now I don't think it was ever intended to be the next Godfather, maybe it was. I didn't get that vibe.
The film to me is over the top in just about everything. As a result it is extremely dated. All of the music and clothing scream 80s. That's not a bad thing but it takes away from giving the film a timeless feel.
The acting is very over the top. Pacino overacts in every scene. Of course that is the essence of Tony Montana. He's an extreme person. Some scenes it works but others just feel silly. The best scenes to me were when Tony had a blank, glazed over look on his face. Those moments show the character is out of his element. He's either trying to process his situation or he's just not thinking about anything.
To me it's best to watch this movie as a time capsule. That is, view it as a slice of an extreme and extravagant lifestyle from a time period that has since passed. It's also a good study in greed and what it is capable of. That is what I believe has given this film a cult status. People seem to be fascinated by greed and this lifestyle of extravagance. And I suppose to some extent the story of an immigrant who achieves success by force has it's appeal as well.
While the film has it's moments and is by no means a bad movie, it doesn't work for me. The film has a long running time that just drags at times. It also feels choppy in progression. As I mentioned the flashiness of everything is distracting. I also feel some elements could have been explored more. Halfway through the film Tony sees a blimp that says "The World is Yours". This is after he takes over crime boss Frank's empire. It obviously has an impact on Tony. We see it again at the end of the film when Tony meets his fate. I think if we had seen that phrase in some form or fashion at the beginning of the film it would have given Tony a more clear goal we could follow. This showing up in the middle kind of felt like it came out of nowhere. This guy started with nothing and worked his way up. I think "the World is Yours" could have been a nice touch at the beginning of the film and then again in the middle after he's at full power then again at the end.
It will probably be a few more years before I see it again. Maybe my views on it will change or maybe not.
2 comments:
I've always found "Scarface" overrated as well. I didn't see it until the last '90s and by that time it had been built up so much it couldn't live up to expectations I had made for it in my mind. That happens to quite a few films with me.
I do like the film though. I just don't love it.
I could be wrong, but I thought Tony said something along the lines of "The World is Yours" in one of the club scenes, like right before Frank's goons try to make a hit on him while expressing one of those blank, stoic looks, drunk and alone in a booth. I also thought it was said at some point before that. I could be wrong. I've only seen the movie 0.75 times after all.
It was okay. I liked The Sandlot better.
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