Scarface Analysis.

Scarface Analysis. 

This version of the movie focuses more on a distorted view of the American dream. The opening credits shows us a montage of Cuban refugees heading for America. The stand out moment in this montage is a Father pointing out the American flag to his son showing the idea of the American dream, wishing for a better life. Tony Montana, another Cuban refugee distorts the American dream by saying he "didn't come here to break my back" and wants all the luxuries he can get through corruption along a one way road of greed and excess. Being naturally ambitious, Tony makes himself known through a drug deal which is now infamous for its graphic violence. Tony and his unfortunate cousin are doubled crossed resulting in his cousin being cut to pieces by a chainsaw. Follows nextis a gory bloodbath where nothing but a mess of decay is left. 

This can be seen by some as excessive violence with no meaning but to entertain yet it is an early shocking reality of the life Tony is leading, which has no real worth to it and no one succeeds for long. Tony does not see this and is seduced by what such actions can reward him. He soon becomes surrounded by an atmosphere where state of the art designs excel in the homes of his criminal associates and the overly produced pop songs playing at Tony's regular night spot are as fake as the people Tony engages with. 

To the passive viewer this may seem like tacky 80s styles but more engaged viewers will realise the emptiness and the danger of this so called luxurious lifestyle. This emptiness mixes with Tony's growing possessive and dangerous nature. Once working with the big boys of the criminal underworld, Tony cannot help himself but attempt to take it all. Stealing away his bosses' woman along with taking down the boss himself shows the reckless nature of the drug business along with the grim nature of Tony's American dream, rising to the top of the food-chain in a string of violent acts. The sub plot of Tony's sister Gina gives the audience an insight into his possessive nature which later plays major a part in his downfall. The close ups on Tony's eyes watching Gina in an intimidating manner shows how extremely possessive he can be attempting to control everyone and everything with force. Unintentionally, he corrupts his sister Gina into his insignificant lifestyle leading to a great explosive confrontation where his Mother tells Tony that he is no good and puts hard working Cubans to shame, bringing back into focus Tony's distortion of the American dream. 

The general nature of Tony Montana brings him down along with those around him. His drug addiction, the materialistic mansion, stylish objects and dangerous behaviour are all factors to his decline yet the clinical moment was Tony ironically acting out for a morally good purpose. After Tony gains a moral conscience and aborts an assassination attempt in order to protect a woman and her children, some don't share Tony's moral view (his partner who he is business with) showing once more the violent reality of the drug business. This results in the famous climax where Tony is given a violently horrific death with the ironic sign 'The World Is Yours' being shown as a reminder that it never really was. He may have had all the money in the world and ambition but in truth, Tony was living on a dangerous edge where his surroundings only thinly paved the reality of his calamitous nature and the unsteady world he created for himself, the American dream corrupted.