'Make way for the bad guy''Scarface'
Greg BurghardtTony Montana stares blankly at the cocaine piled on his desk like sawdust, as sporadic machine gunfire erupts in the distance.
His nose is already powdered white; his eyes glazed over with the burning realization that his dream has ended. This is goodnight for the last bad guy, a man who had the world in a noose but hung himself in the process with his lust for power and greed.
Death is literally at Montana’s doorstep, grinning through the peephole.
Broken bodies dot the blood-drenched crimson carpet of his plush mansion but Montana isn’t ready to be sent to hell by a murder squad of Colombian cockroaches.
Not until he sends them there first.
Director Brian DePalma’s gory remake of the 1932 original “Scarface,” paints a disturbing portrait of the violent nature churning in every male’s mind. It’s the story of a repressed peasant who finds the American Dream on the sun-splashed shores of Miami, but realizes it’s more of a nightmare.
Montana (Al Pacino) is a “political prisoner” from Cuba who fled Fidel Castro’s tyranny to the milk and honey of America. After doing a job at a refugee camp for a green card, Montana becomes irritated with the stale role of being just another law-abiding citizen. He wants what he says is coming to him: The world.
“Scarface” was the classic rags to riches story that sent shockwaves of controversy through the “Me Generation” with its brutal carnage and disregard for F-bombs. It was the movie made famous for its endless pages of one-liners. And now, it’s the movie males age 13 to 30 have been salivating over with the anniversary re-release on DVD.
Pacino gives a chilling performance as the embittered, egocentric, trigger-happy, sister-loving Montana.
He climbs the top through murder and deception, but his reign at the top is shorter than his burning cigar.
The two-disc DVD is loaded with special features, including, cast interviews, which highlights the original Howard Hawks film and making Montana as believable as possible.
In the interviews, Pacino, DePalma, Oliver Stone and producer Martin Bregman discuss making “Scarface” the quintessential gangster movie of all time.
Also included is a glimpse at how “Scarface” has contributed to the modern rap industry, which seems to serve no purpose but fill space and give rap artists like Snoop Doggy Dogg something to do, other than video tape co-eds.
There is also a sleuth of deleted scenes that lend to more character development, but were unnecessary for an already powerful film.
Say good night to the bad guy. “Scarface” is rated R for graphic violence, profanity. **** out of ****.
