Because Montana is such a scumbag, and not at all like Don Vito, “Scarface” is at times a tough movie to watch. He is fascinating, if not at all likeable, but he does show one brief shining moment of conscience, in his debilitated way. We know that the end is near because we find ourselves feeling a drop of sympathy for him. The movie belongs to Pacino, who was nearing the end of his “young” period, when he and Dustin Hoffmann looked so much alike. The “young” period meant a new and challenging role every year, including the first two “Godfather” pictures, “Serpico,” “Author! Author!” “Cruising,” “Bobby Deerfield,” “And Justice For All,” and “Dog Day Afternoon.” The debacle “Revolution” led to Pacino’s four-year hiatus from the screen, and when he returned he was the “older” Pacino we know and love.
“Scarface” also sports a fine supporting cast, including Steven Bauer as Montana’s second-in-command, who would seem heartless and ruthless in any other movie; Robert Loggia as the “soft” gangster who takes Montana under his wing; Michelle Pfeiffer as the listless, coke-snorting moll Montana steals from him; and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as his sister, of whom he is suspiciously overprotective. In the role of one of Loggia’s goons is F. Murray Abraham, whose every screen performance will be forever greeted by someone in the audience saying “hey, it’s Salieri!”
About a decade later De Palma and Pacino reunited to make “Carlito’s Way,” a sort-of unofficial sequel to “Scarface.” Carlito can be roughly described as an older, wiser Montana who has seen the errors of at least some of his ways. Although “Carlito’s Way” contains neither the sweep nor the watershed popularity of “Scarface,” it is perhaps the more polished of the two films, more concise and light on its feet while the earlier movie sometimes meanders. It is easier to watch because there is a soul living behind the Montana-esque façade of Pacino’s Carlito Brigante, as opposed to Montana, who is just pissed, empty, and greedy. And Carlito can dance, which Montana cannot. While “Scarface” belongs to Pacino alone—Montana’s carelessly fabricated personality wouldn’t have it any other way—“Carlito’s Way” gives a positively delicious supporting role to Sean Penn as Carlito’s groveling, coke-snorting sleazebag lawyer. For those who weren’t blown away by Penn in “Mystic River,” think of his Oscar as a make-up that he missed for this movie.
What do I mean by a “watershed?” How many rehashes of “Scarface” have we seen since 1983? (The movie is, of course, a direct descendent not only of Howard Hawks’ 1932 “Scarface” but of slightly older Greek tragedies.) Every gangsta rap video looks like Montana’s house and is said to have “Scarface” playing on a TV in the background. It also the kind of movie that needs to come along every generation or so, not to promote tough guy attitudes, but to decry how hollow they are, and how much hard work they are to maintain. And it has some really juicy uses of a certain “f” word.
Finished March 13th, 2004
Copyright © 2004 Friday & Saturday Night
Page one of "Scarface" (1983). Back to home.