Scarface: The American Dream Gone Bad

Essay by milkman6908High School, 11th gradeB, March 2005

download word file, 3 pages 3.0

Downloaded 55 times

"What goes up must always come down. When it comes down in Scarface, the crash is as terrifying as it is vivid and arresting." Such are the feelings of New York Times' Vincent Camby that I also share about the classic film, which is not easily forgotten. Scarface, written and produced by Brian DePalma and Oliver Stone, has always been dubbed as being controversial and non-traditional, since its release in 1983. The film shows the American Dream gone bad where a Cuban immigrant (Al Pacino) rises to wealth and power through the cocaine industry, and his eventual fall from grace. With much violence involved in the movie, many people tend to shy away from it and overlook the underlying themes and performances it contains. Scarface does a tremendous job of providing captivating characters, new perspectives for movies, and emphasizing the effects of greed and wealth.

Al Pacino did not just "play" the part of Tony Montana, but he was Tony Montana. Pacino proves to be so convincing in his part as the "American Gangster," that one begins to almost side with the "bad guy". Being the veteran actor that he is, he is able to take control of his part and go over the top, giving all of the viewers a look into the world of a madman. The film consists of numerous scenes in which Pacino's character, Tony Montana, shows drastic changes in emotion, varying from calm, cool, and collected into fits of rage and anger. He also has a soft side, in which he is extremely protective of his sister. In one instance of his fits of emotion, he killed his best friend because he announced that he was marrying his sister. His emotions get the best of him and lead...