Scarface
Posted by martinteller on April 17, 2008
No, not the silly one that all the rappers love, this is the hugely influential original version. You can see its mark all over the place, from De Palma’s remake to the “What do you mean I’m funny?” scene in GoodFellas. You would expect a great script with Hecht as the writer, and he delivers… not quite as snappy as one would hope for, but pretty good. There are some impressive cinematic techniques as well, like the use of “X”s and so forth. On the down side, the timing is occasionally sluggish (surprisingly, considering this is Howard Hawks) and the “message” is clearly shoehorned in. As one character rants about glorifying gangsters and turning them into “colorful characters”, you have to be amused because that’s exactly what Hecht and Hawks are doing. And the appeal for people to encourage tougher laws (made directly to the camera at times) is terribly awkward and ruins everyone’s good time for a few minutes. Other than that, though, a great flick with a great cast. Rating: 8
