I Watched Scarface Again The Other Day, And Can We Please Talk About Why It's Still The Coolest Gangster Movie Ever Made?

If somebody snapped their fingers and asked, “What's the first gangster movie that comes to your mind?” I'd reckon that many of you would probably pick one of Francis Ford Coppola's best movies in The Godfather trilogy, or one of Martin Scorsese's best movies, Goodfellas.

However, if you were a hip-hop head back in the ‘90s (like I was), your answer would likely be the Brian De Palma-directed, Al Pacino-starring-crime drama, Scarface, which is undoubtedly one of the greatest remakes of all time.

I recently re-watched it since it's currently on Netflix, and let me tell you. It's just as badass now as it was back at the height of its popularity. Here's why.

It's A Different Kind Of Immigrant Story

One of my favorite classes in college was film study on the American western and gangster films. I thought this was an odd pairing at first, but the professor made it clear that both genres, at least for many of the great films in each medium, were essentially about change.

For the western, it was the march toward progress (which is why you often see railroads being constructed in western films) and the old ways being left behind. And, for the gangster film, it was the change people were bringing to this country, most notably because of America being the land of opportunity (which is why some people–namely immigrants–turned to a life of crime when they realized that they weren’t wanted here).

I got to watch some of the best western movies in this class, as well as so many great gangster flicks, but the one prominent gangster movie that wasn’t on the curriculum was the 1983 movie Scarface. Instead, my professor included the Howard Hughes 1932 original. When I asked him why he didn’t include the 1983 film, he merely shrugged and said, “Because everybody’s probably seen that one.”

And, to be fair, he’s not wrong. However, I think he missed a great opportunity to talk about how the 1983’s Scarface has a fairly unique immigrant story, which is very different from the one we typically get about Italian immigrants. In this Scarface, we get a Cuban refugee in Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino.

In the film, Montana is literally fresh off the boat and arriving in Miami. He gets into a refugee camp, but due to his former life of crime, is offered a green card with the task of murdering one of Fidel Casro’s henchmen. This ultimately leads to his ascension in the crime world. It’s certainly a different approach to the immigrant story, and it makes for an interesting companion piece to the 1932 original.

Tony Montana Relishes Being The Bad Guy

Another thing I love about Scarface – and why it likely connected with rappers in the ‘90s – is because Tony Montana just loves being a bad guy. Unlike, say, Don Corleone, who believes that power (and family) are everything, Tony Montana literally shoots his best friend out of rage after he finds him with his sister.

He also doesn’t operate in silence, which is funny, since Al Pacino also played Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, and in that world, he made connections and became legitimate in a way that allowed him to operate his business quietly. But, that is not Tony Montana.

Tony is the kind of guy who wears a white suit and a red shirt as if to say, “Come on now. Look at me. Don’t I look good?” He’s the kind of guy who even calls himself a bad guy. In fact, one of the best lines in the movie concerns that very topic:

And, that pretty much sums Tony up right there. Montana doesn’t hide behind a desk. He goes out to fancy clubs and grabs his wife by the hair in public. He is totally unfiltered, and a true antagonist. Tony Soprano, eat your heart out.

The Film Is Just Dripping In The '80s, Which Is One Of The Coolest Decades

One of the coolest video games of all time is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and one of the reasons for that is because it fully embraces its ‘80s aesthetic.

However, while GTA: VC revels in that era (even though it’s a 2002 game), Scarface lives in it. That’s why Scarface is undoubtedly one of the best movies of the ‘80s, and ultimately one of the best movies of all time. It practically marinates in that decade.

From the music, to the can-do attitude, to the sunny outlook toward the future, Scarface is 1983 top to bottom. And, this is important, since the time period of a gangster movie is almost like a character in itself.

Just look at The Godfather Part II. The story actually takes place in two time periods, and both of them are distinct from one-another. Michael’s story takes place in 1958. While a young Vito’s story takes place in the early 1900s.

This is very important thematically, since young Vito comes to the states at a very young age (and it is also where he gets his Corleone surname). We see the trials and tribulations Italian immigrants had to go through just to scrape by, so when we see his son, Michael, in the 1950s, we also see just how far he’s come, as well as the setting shifting along with him.

And, this is very similar to Scarface. The excess of the ‘80s runneths all over Tony Montana. So, when he’s sitting behind a mountain of cocaine on his desk, it feels very much of the time. What a decade to be alive!

Tony's Rise And Fall Is One For The Ages

Tony Montana is not a hero. I think I’ve already established that. From the very onset, you can tell he’s a very bad dude, and you know that things aren’t going to end well for him.

That said, he has charisma for days, and you end up liking him, even though he’s a terrible human being (I mean, at one point, he gets pissed off because somebody wants to kill a journalist with their wife and child present, to which Tony adamantly replies, “No wife, no kids.”

So, obviously, this is a man with a code. Things are good for Tony at the midpoint of the movie when he's building his empire. I mean, hell, even the blimp reads, “The World is Yours” (which is also the title of the underappreciated Scarface video game).

However, things quickly go south from there. Tony steps on a few too many toes, and he gets too big for his britches, as my mom likes to say.

He also gets hopelessly addicted to cocaine, which clouds his judgment to the point that he struggles to realize what's even happening when his sister gets shot to death. Oh, and speaking of which…

The Final Shootout Is One Of The Most Memorable In Film History

I once had a DVD back in the day from Costco of the best action scenes, which came from some of the best action movies of all time.

Now, of course you had your obvious picks, like Rumble in the Bronx, The Matrix, and Hard Boiled, but it also had the final shootout from Scarface, and I'm sorry. Is Scarface an action movie all of a sudden?

Obviously, it's not, but the shootout at the end is so legendary that it doesn't feel misplaced on that list.

It all occurs when a legion of killers swarm Montana's mansion. His sister comes to shoot her brother after he killed her husband (his former best friend), and after she gets shot herself, Tony loads up and gets ready for war, and man, what a scene it is.

I mean, Tony is killing pretty much everybody left and right. And since he's so high on coke, he gets pelted with plenty of bullets, only for him to just stand at the top of the staircase, shouting his head off. Eventually, he gets blown away from behind. Seriously, this scene never gets old.

And, that's why Scarface will always be the coolest gangster movie of all time. For more news on other gangster films, be sure to swing by here often!