Until a few days ago, I was the only person in the world who had never seen "Scarface." Somehow in the 21 years of my life I never got around to watching the movie, and I suppose the reason was that on some level I had already seen the film. Anyone with even a passing interest in rap or a general knowledge of pop-culture can tell you the entire story of "Scarface," and so I came into the film with previous knowledge of each plot twist and every memorable scene. Was it worth watching a movie then, whose most recognizable quotes and scenes I already knew? The answer is definitely yes.
There certainly isn't much left to say about "Scarface" that hasn't already been said. One thing I noticed was that even by the standards of today's ultra-violent movie world, the bloody action in "Scarface" still holds up amazingly well. The famous grisly bathtub chainsaw scene early on in the film is a testament to the film's dedication to gory violence, and the body count only piles up as the film chugs along, culminating in the spectacular final shoot-out in the mansion of Scarface himself.
Between these bloody battles, the film methodically chronicles the rise and fall of Tony Montana, the Cuban refugee with the scar on his face, played by Al Pacino. Working his way up from lowly immigrant dishwasher to Miami drug-lord, Tony's belligerent and uncompromising personality eventually leads him into multi-millionaire status. Along the way he manages to alienate both his best friend Manolo (Stephen Bauer) and his cocaine junkie wife (Michelle Pfeiffer), and by the end his own cocaine addiction and paranoia lead to a spectacular downfall.
"Scarface's" strength is not so much in its laborious plot, but rather in the film's vivacity and memorable expression. There are too many famous quotes from the movie, but two are so well known that they have become part of popular culture as a whole. When Tony Montana screams, "Say hello to my little friend" before firing a grenade launcher, it's impossible to not grin in sheer thrilled enjoyment.
As for the film's other celebrated quotation, I first heard it in parodied form on The Simpsons, when Homer gravely pronounced, "First you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women." The real quote of course refers to money and not sugar, but the parody points to the film's landmark effect on pop culture. From the missions and cinema scenes of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to the albums of countless musicians, "Scarface" has made its presence known in pretty much every media form possible.
The true measure of "Scarface's" influence in the rap world cannot be overstated. The film truly is a hip-hop bible, acting as source of innumerable references for rappers such as Fat Joe, Biggie Smalls, Ja Rule, Lil' Kim and too many others to name, who have all drawn from "Scarface" for lyrical content. Nas even cast his feud with Jay-Z in terms of the film when he stated "I was like Scarface, Jay was Manolo/ It hurt me when I had to kill his whole squad for dolo."
Then there's the case of Mr. Scarface himself, the rapper who essentially made a career off of references to the film, with album titles like "Balls and My Word" and "The World is Yours," each famous phrases taken from the movie. Hip-hop allusions to the film aren't just limited to lyrical content either, as Mobb Deep even sampled the movie's memorable opening theme for the beat of "It's Mine." In the end, the significance of "Scarface" in the hip-hop world is probably best exemplified by a Def Jam compilation album titled "Music Inspired by Scarface," which truly shows the depth and breadth of this film's impact.
Few could probably imagine in 1983 that Brian De Palma's movie about a drug-lord would become such a popular cult classic. Critics ignored the film as a poor man's "Godfather," which it basically is, but at this point, any sort of criticism of the film is somewhat meaningless. Rather than judging "Scarface" on its cinematic merits, it is more suitable to simply be inspired by the memorialized status of the film's many unforgettable scenes. Tony Montana has essentially reached iconic status as a gangsta's gangsta, and perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the film was the creation of this dynamic idolized character.
So even if a review of the movie is somewhat pointless, at least I can now say that I finally saw "Scarface"
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