In 1983 a film was released that would become more than just another movie. Scarface.
Directed by one of my favorite directors, Brian De Palma, with a script written by none other than Oliver Stone, Scarface has gone on to become many different things to many people. It’s a pop culture phenomenon. It is certainly Al Pacino's finest moment in a career that has generated more than its share of fine moments.
It inspired young fans such as Sean Combs and Jay-Z to not only become rappers but these men went on to build multi-million dollar empires. All thanks to a gun toting "political refugee" that went by the name of Tony Montana.
Scarface and its violent gospel spread through gangster overtones and beset by greed that comes immersed in piles of "yayo" and money was certainly the biggest influence on a genre of music known as gangster rap. Though not strictly gangster, Combs and Jay-Z have long touted the importance of this movie on their lives and careers. Snoop Dogg is as well a high profile fan.
No rap act, gangster or otherwise, can claim as large of an influence from this film and its namesake character as the Geto Boys.
Their first couple of releases are literally gorged with references and dialogue samples. Not to mention that one of their members actually calls himself Scarface.
Greed was fast gaining steam in the 1980's and the drug culture was in full bloom. Scarface brought these themes into the light and onto the movie screen in its depiction of a Cuban refugee who bursts onto the scene and begins his journey into a world filled with wanton avarice and riddled with brutality on the blood stained streets of Miami. He wants more than just his piece of the pie. In fact, not even the whole pie would suffice. Tony Montana wants the entire kitchen. He throws himself directly into the action and begins calling the shots overtop his bosses and far more experienced counterparts and before long, he is on top of the world.
But the huge contrast that Scarface had to earlier depictions of gangster culture was that where as the gangsters of films such as The Godfather stuck fairly closely to tightly wound agendas and commanded respect, Pacino's Tony Montana just didn't give a fuck. He wanted it all and he wanted it now and he didn't care how he got it.
Tony Montana was a far cry from the dapper dons of the Corleone family in the Godfather trilogy. Don Corleone and his family of well dressed gentleman might have made one an offer they can't refuse. But Tony Montana would ask you once and if you didn't listen to him he just might beat the ever loving shit out of you. One's unwillingness to comply with his twisted brand of self absorption and power hungry attitude just might get you on the wrong end of a shank or a gun.
The movie is actually a remake of a 1932 film. The original Scarface film was quite notorious in its day and considered violent and ground breaking. While both films are very similar in nature and share many themes, each ones overall message would be completely different. All a sign of the times I imagine. The 1932 Scarface was a call to arms for law enforcement to rise up and reign down their intolerance and affliction of justice upon the gangster lifestyle and its law bending alliances.
The Scarface of 1983 pre-dated the "greed is good" philosophy of Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko by four years with its own message that indeed maybe greed is good for a little while, but as Redd Foxx once said "you got to wash your ass." Greed might be fine and dandy, but eventually your greed will consume you and you will forget to wash your ass and everybody knows that a dirty ass is never a good thing.
While I did enjoy the 1932 Scarface film it has achieved nothing close to the magnitude of De Palma's vision. De Palma had just come off of a cinematic hot streak that produced such classic films as Blow Out, Dressed to Kill, The Fury, and Carrie.
Scarface would be met with much abnegation upon its release as critics all felt the film glorified violence. I found their denouncement of this film to be quite nonsensical as it is certainly not unheard of for a movie to do just that. After all, it’s the movies. In fact, I think that all movies built around violence glorify it in some way. Bigger is said to be better and what could look better than a beatdown or a shoot-out on a GREAT BIG screen?
Scarface could be considered to glorify violence no more than it might be accused of glorifying drug use for that matter. Scarface has a message and to properly convey this message the film felt it necessary to use the violence and excess of its lead character through an artful expression of bloodshed.
De Palma is a brilliant director and his films have done more than just showcased violence in a gratuitous fashion. He uses violence as a catalyst in his story and even though often times the brutal actions might seem to make sense to his characters at the time of initial onset, he proves that it does not in fact always equal vindication.
Certainly Scarface would never have become what it has indeed become were it not for the electrifying performance of its star, Al Pacino. Pacino spent the 70's giving performance after performance of epic degree in films like The Godfather, Panic in Needle Park, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and . . . And justice for all. He had already proven to be one of the greatest actors of our time but his portrayal of drug lord Tony Montana has surely cemented his icon status forever as this performance and film will continue to enlighten and inspire movie fans for a very long time to come. As an actor Pacino has had more than his fair share of important film roles, but I often wonder if, at now 70 years old, he is still stopped on the street by fans and asked to exclaim "Say hello to my little friend!"
A great film requires an ensemble of talent and De Palma and Pacino crafted themselves a masterpiece no doubt. But the true star and ultimate ingredient of this films legacy is the dynamic script written by Oliver Stone.
In my opinion Scarface is one of the most important films of all time. It’s absolutely in my top ten best films and the dialogue, masterfully crafted by Stone, has become gospel to me. I quote movies all the time. But Scarface goes beyond just mere movie dialogue. This movie is life. It tells it like it is.
Almost 30 years later much of the dialogue that I know and love from this movie still rings true to this day, both upon a political and sociological scale. I think I find myself quoting Scarface more often than any other film as I feel like its words and message says so much about every day existence that it’s poetic in its magnitude.
"In this country you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the woman. "
Sad but true. Not a sexist statement at all. The truest gospel of affirmation and sexuality ever spoken.
"Who do I trust? Me!"
It’s no secret that if you want something done you gotta do it yourself. Friends and family are great. But nobody can look out for you better than you.
"All I have in this world is my balls and my word, and I don't break them for no one.”
There are many noble attributes in life. But loyalty trumps them all. Particularly when it's loyalty to ones self.
"You know what capitalism is? Getting fucked. "
Our worst enemy is the very thing that we need to survive. Greed mutates us into money hungry parasites and once the mutation spreads nothing good can come of it. The age old idea that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Besides, it’s kind of hard to get ahead anywhere in life when you're bent over all the time.
"I got ears, you know. I hear things. "
The best defense is a good offense. If you keep your head down and your mind open then you will always stay on top of things.
"The only thing in this world that gives orders is balls.”
This one goes hand in hand with another fundamental verbal bomb dropping-
"You fuck with me you fuckin' with the best.”
Nothing builds character and realized dreams better and more viable than self confidence.
"Nothing exceeds like excess.”
No matter how you slice it, the more you get the more you want. Greed is humanities most paramount psychological void.
"Every dog has his day.”
Or the more brutal variation that comes to call upon those who knock too loudly. . . . . He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword. In the case of Tony Montana swords are substituted for guns. The principles remain the same though.
"I always tell the truth, even when I lie.”
Everybody lies. But as long as you believe in your own bullshit everything will be alright. That is, until you get cornered by a bunch of angry Columbians and they blast you into Swiss cheese.
"I only tell you once. Don't fuck me, Tony. Don't you ever try to fuck me. "
I have lived my life by this nugget of wisdom. If my eyes are open and I’m ready and willing, yes . . . Fuck me good and do it hard. But if my back is turned and my guard is down, you best stifle that shit, Edith.
"The world is yours.”
This is certainly a comforting sentiment. But the truth is that the world is not yours or mine or even ours. It’s theirs.
As soon as we can figure out, and not a minute sooner, who the fuck "they" are we'll be alright.
"Say goodnight to the bad guy.”
The human race is pretty filthy when it comes right down to it. Even though we all might be aware of this filth the idea that somewhere out there is someone far more ruthless than we are is what allows us to sleep at night after doing piles of our metaphorical coke all day.
Scarface and its rebuttal of power beset by the excesses of gluttony besieged by violence has managed to become a sign of the times for all times. The names and faces have changed but its ultimate message has remained the same.
Greed might seem like a healthy concept to many. But with health comes transformation, and when such transformation finds itself funded by dead presidents one learns the most dangerous lesson of all. That you are the company you keep.
Still, some people believe in karma and as long as we can muster up enough energy to say goodnight to the bad guy we all just might sleep a little better tonight.
****Original post date 6/14/2010****
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