Scarface

Scarface (1983) Brian De Palma

Scarface is a mob film that has become an instant classic. The movie follows the story of Tony Montana, an immigrant from Cuba. Tony learns that life in a capitalistic country is not as easy as he thought. When the opportunity arises for him to make more money doing drug deals than the backbreaking low paying job he is working as a dishwasher, he takes it. Pretty soon Tony learns about the world of drugs in Miami in the 1980’s and the more he learns, the greedier he becomes. Although his boss, Frank Lopez, warns him of the pitfalls of greed, Tony doesn’t listen. He falls in love with his boss’s girlfriend and begins to resent Frank even more. When visiting Bolivia, he meets Alexander Sosa who offers him a chance to become a huge dealer and bring in millions of dollars. When Frank hears about the business Tony set up without his permission he is furious. Tony decides to venture out on his business by himself bringing his best friend Manny with him. Tony also proposes to Frank’s girlfriend, Elvira. Frank sets up assassins to try and kill Tony, but after the shootout Tony escapes and instead kills Frank. Once Frank is dead, Elvira finally decides to marry Tony and his business starts flourishing. Soon he is making more money that he can handle, but with this his cocaine habit gets worse. Tony and Elvira’s life together becomes a miserable mix of just getting high and being greedy. This movie is a 80s movie because of the themes it covers and because the mob and gangster genre became extremely popular during this time period. The film has stood the test of time with everyone still recognizing the line “say hello to my little friend!” Although this movie may be a bit violent and graphic for some, I would recommend it to anyone who likes films like Goodfellas or The Untouchables. Brian De Palma’s work is brilliant with a story about greediness and its consequences.