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Scarface
(1983)
4.38
1

Plot/Story

3.00

Characters

3.00

Acting

5.00

Cinematography

6.00

Production Design

8.00

Sound

5.00

Execution

3.00

Emotional Impact

2.00

Overview: After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

Director: Brian De Palma

Release Date: 1983-12-09

Genres: Action Crime Drama


4.38
3
3
5
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5
8
3
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Full Review Page

Scarface, like its protagonist Tony Montana, is erratic and confusing. It simultaneously feels too long and like its missing an hour worth of story. We spend way too much time focused on Al Pacino's dead, droopy face and we skip forward in time over Montana's rise. We get a couple of title cards that mention how much time has passed, but quite a few times we move to a new scene and we are clearly a significant amount of time later but it is never addressed. We are told Montana is doing stuff on the side, but we never see it or even know what it is. He shoots up the drug trade rankings rocket fast, but we don't really get to see that. We rarely see him do drug things and we skip tons of steps in what should be a gradual rise through the hierarchy. The story is so fragmented that it's hard to follow and we don't even get a solid character arc with Montana because he doesn't change and his career path is nonsensical. I don't know if Pacino is a super limited actor (I haven't seen him in anything else) or if Montana is supposed rapidly and unpredictably switch from dazed Prozac to unreasonable volatility. Most of the time, Pacino seems to be half-asleep and he mumbles his lines to the point that subtitles are sometimes a necessity and there is no emotion or energy in anything he says as he slumps in his chair. The other quarter of the movie, he just yells, most of the time for no reason. Whether it's the intention or not, Montana is irrational to the point where he just snaps for no logical reason. The rest of the movie isn't much different. The score has some really good tracks that elevate the scene and others that feel like up-beat Cuban vaporwave and it's so contradictory to what we are seeing (and not in a purposeful juxtaposition). The cinematography does a great job in capturing the mood of the scenes, but then we randomly get these horror movie-esque sequences that are out of place. Loyalties and relationships skip thirty steps and go from one to one hundred in twenty minutes. Michelle Pfeiffer (who might be the only person actually acting other than Steven Bauer) is introduced and Montana knows nothing about her and within fifteen minutes of movie time, he wants to marry her. Why? He still doesn't know anything about her and she pretty clearly hates him. Montana has no real personality other than arrogance and uncontrollable, unpredictable rage, so why does she even talk to him. Montana isn't a hero or an anti-hero. We don't even get to see any political maneuvering or business acumen. We are just told that he's more important and has more money in this scene than in the last. There is nothing likable or relatable about him. It's a unique feeling watching a movie where our protagonist is a vile garbage pile, but there is nothing for us to latch on to. He has no charisma. Tony Montana is easily the worst part of the movie, some of it may be Pacino's fault, but he is poorly written. I'm not sure what people are seeing in this movie. There isn't enough violence (and what we do get is unrealistic) or action to be enjoyable in that way and there is no intrigue in the drug world element. The only character I cared about was Montana's friend Manny and after the first half hour, he's pushed into the background. There are a handful of "quotable" lines, but the number is small and they aren't even the weighty lines in the film. Most characters make no sense and none of the film making elements are consistent enough to be commendable either. Scarface is bloated and boring with very little even worth noting to keep you watching.

By : Greg Mueller | Date : 4 years ago




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