Scarface – Cocaine, Chaos and a Ridiculous Bathtub
Scarface is one of the most gloriously unhinged, over-the-top movie you’ll ever see. Which, if you’ve been to Boston family barbecue, you know that’s saying something
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Scarface ain’t exactly a trip to the grocery store. What it does is slap you in the face with its own brand of life in a hood with bullets zinging past your head way. When this movie was released in 1983, it was like someone got the biggest ghetto blaster available and then cranked up the volume past 11. The for good measure they dumped a mountain of coke on your kitchen table, and screamed, “Say hello to my little friend!” And no, my friends, we’re not talking about someone’s one eyed trouser snake.
So here’s the sitch: Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino (he of the smoky voice and intense eyeballs), is a Cuban refugee who rolls into Miami with nothing but a hunger for power and money. And hungry is an understatement, he’s ready to eat someone’s face off for 10 bucks. He’s a lunatic who goes full psycho within five minutes.
Scarface is brutal, sure but it’s also a nuclear bomb of ambition, excess, and tragedy. Kinda like a mascara-streaked love song with machine guns. The only people giving him a shot are drug dealers and corrupt government weirdos. So he takes that opportunity and builds an empire. Eventually he buys a mansion so gawdy that it looks like it was stolen from a mall in the 1980s.
This flick screams 1980s ! Miami looks like Billy Idol married a pink flamingo and hired Ralph Macchio to make the wedding decorations. It’s neon, pastels and palm trees with a synth beat. As for Tony, he looks like he mugged Disco Stu for his wardrobe. He’s wearing silk suits and shirts open down to his navel.
However this movie is actually a tragedy. Like most of us, Tony wants the American Dream. Only he finds out that it’s a bunch of false promises with only the elite making it to the top. Capitalism isn’t much better than communism so he tries to buy it with bullets. There’s one scene where he’s sitting in a huge chair, covered in money and drugs. But yet, he looks so miserable and empty.
And can we just give a shoutout to Michelle Pfeiffer as Elvira? Girlfriend is ice-cold fabulous. She struts through the movie in those slinky dresses like she’s got Blondie playing in her head 24/7. But even she gets swallowed up by the madness. Scarface isn’t kind to the ladies, lemme tell ya. Not a lotta girl power going on in that world—but it makes you think. Power without compassion? It’ll chew you up, spit you out, and leave your glitter on the floor.
Michelle Pfeiffer is in this movie too.
She plays Elvira, his girlfriend and she’s ice cold fantastic. She’s got the “I hate everyone” attitude and yet always incredible while being a bitch. In a weird way, you almost feel bad for her but then it hits you that all the characters in this movie are a psychological mess. The closest you get to a decent human being is a guy who gets out early and starts a sandwich shop.
Scarface isn’t a family friendly movie but that’s what makes it unforgettable. There’s actually a moral to the story about getting everything you wanted but losing everything that matters. It’s OK to chase your dreams but don’t lose your heart in the process.
For something different try RoboCop
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