In the West, crime fiction (thrillers,
mystery, and suspense) makes up 30 to 45 percent of all fiction book sales.
This gives us a clear idea that the crime genre is one of the most popular. A
significant number of books and novels have been written on how crimes are
committed (Keesey 157). Similarly, dozens of films are produced every year
depicting what urges the gangsters or criminals to create a mess for the
public, as well as for the government. The purpose of these crime films is not
to motivate someone to commit crimes; in fact, they are meant to make people
realize their responsibilities toward society. It’s safe to say that the world
of crime is fascinating enough to attract many people toward it, and keeping
this fact in mind, Hollywood filmmakers took the genre of crime seriously and
began producing quality films on a regular basis. In some of those films, the
causes and effects of crimes are told, while in others, real-life stories are
shared in order to let the world know everything about crimes and criminals. At
the end of a crime story, the motive and fate of the criminal are always
revealed. One of the core reasons why some people do not watch crime movies is
that they think that these urge members of a society to commit crimes. However,
the truth is something that many of them have no idea of: no reputed filmmaker
would ever love to make the audience feel that committing the crime is
essential for their survival in this ever-changing and competitive world. In
fact, they present such films in order to make the audience understand that
every criminal or bad person is punished for their crimes sooner or later. In
some of those movies, issues like domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping,
and mass killing are shown in the form of beautiful and impressive stories.
Scarface is a good example of that. This gangster or crime film was released in
1983. The story is written by Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma is the director
of this project. Scarface is a remake of the 1932 movie of the same name, and its
story revolves around a Cuban refugee named Tony Montana (Al Pacino). He comes
to Miami with nothing in his pocket. With time, he becomes a rich and powerful
drug lord. Other important roles have been played by Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert
Loggia, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and F. Murray Abraham. The
crime movie genre is one of the best genres in Hollywood and various films have
been produced so far, with Scarface being a prominent one.
Hot Fuzz (2007), The Informant! (2009), Gone
Baby Gone (2007), Snatch (2000), and The Fast and the Furious (2001) are
amongst the top crime movies in the history (Mcbride 54). Hot Fuzz is the story
of a former London constable who finds it tough to adapt to his new project in
the sleepy British village of Sandford. The name of the constable is Nicholas
Angel (Simon Pegg); he misses some of the most exciting things about the big
city. At the same time, he is challenged to work with an awkward person (Nick
Frost) on a partnership basis. After a series of grisly accidents in Sandford,
Nicholas Angel smells something rotten in the idyllic village. Another
interesting crime movie that has a lot to learn from is The Informant! It is
the real-life story of Mark Whitacre, who was a rising star at the Archer
Daniels Midland (ADM) office in Illinois in the 1990s. He commits a crime and
then decides to confess to FBI’s special agent Brian Shepard. He secretly
collects hours of audios and videos to be submitted to the FBI and assists in
all possible ways. However, he ends up with a prison sentence many times longer
than any other criminal executive. What the audience discovers by the end of
The Informant! is surprising and full of entertainment. Gone Baby Gone is an
American mystery thriller movie by Ben Affleck. According to its story, private
detective Patrick Kenzie is employed to track the missing daughter of Helene
McCready. He is asked to work under tough conditions and in a Boston suburb. On
the other hand, police chief Doyle believes that Patrick Kenzie may not be able
to find the child as she has been missing for up to 77 hours. However, the
brave officer does everything that could be possible for him to locate the
missing girl. Snatch is a film by Guy Ritchie. It features Benicio del Toro,
Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina, Rade Šerbedžija, Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones in
important roles. One of the best things about this movie is that it contains
two different plots. One of them deals with the search for a stolen diamond,
and the second one deals with a boxing promoter who remains under the thumb of
a gangster who is always into creating a mess for others. Another interesting
crime movie is The Fast and the Furious, which has been directed by Rob Cohen.
The Fast and the Furious is the story of Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), who is
an undercover cop asked to collect evidence against a group of automobile
hijackers. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is the head of this group. The fact is
that there is a long list of crime movies. For many years now, such movies are
being produced in a large number, but none of them could impress the audience
as much as Scarface did.
Even when Scarface was released years ago,
this film is loved and remembered for its unique story and great performance of
actors and actresses. Through this film and other gangster movies, directors
and producers have tried to show the dark side of the world of crimes. There
are different types or forms of crimes, and it is a common observation that
most people do not know much about them. However, through gangster or crime movies,
filmmakers have always tried to make the target audience understand a variety
of things. The first form or type of crimes is terrorism. In a broader sense,
it is the use of violence as a means to create fear among a large number of
people. What do terrorists do? What are their motives? Which classes, religions
or backgrounds they belong to? Who they want to target? All of these questions
have been beautifully answered in Hollywood movies and international films.
Some of the best examples are Toy Soldiers (1991), True Lies (1994), Zero Dark
Thirty (2012), The Hurt Locker (2008), Die Hard (1988), Speed (1994), The
Kingdom (2007) and Face/Off (1997). Through these and other movies, producers
and directors have always tried to target young audiences, adults, and
teenagers, aiming to make them understand that terrorists are likely to belong
to any group, class, race or religion (Smyth 58). This means those who think
that only a particular group of people is involved in this type of crime are
absolutely wrong. Some of the terrorists are white Americans, and sometimes
they can be Africans or Indians. Another prominent form or type of crime is
assaults. It is the act of inflicting physical harms upon an individual. It is
not only a crime but also a serious form of torture that can take the life of a
person in no time. Sexual assault is the most popular form we have seen in
Hollywood and international movies. Some of the best examples are Rashomon
(1950), The Quiet (2005), Swept Away (1974), Precious (2009), The Hateful Eight
(2015), Boys Don’t Cry (1999), and American History X (1998). Robbery is
considered a big crime; it is an act of stealing someone’s personal items or
valuable things. Robbery is done with the use of force, and the victim is put
in fear temporarily so that their precious things can be stolen and brought
away (White 55). The top and most famous robbery films are The Town (2010),
Lupin the 3rd (2014), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Before the Devil Knows You're
Dead (2007), The Ladykillers (2004), Nine Queens (2000), Ocean's Thirteen
(2007) and Ocean's Twelve (2004). Another favorite type or form of crime is
rape. Just like sexual assault, a significant number of films have been made on
this topic; some of the best examples are I Spit on Your Grave (1978), Ms .45
(1981), Sudden Impact (1983), Rape Me (2000), Outrage (1993) and Irréversible
(2002). This act is carried out by physical force, and it is a common
observation that the victims of this crime are women (Colletta 19). Murder is
the most common and famous type or form of crime that is depicted in almost
every movie in one way or the other. It is the unlawful killing of an
individual or a group of people, with no valid excuse, justification or
explanation. All over the country, hundreds to thousands of people are murdered
every month. In Hollywood movies and international films, the possible causes
of murders are also discussed, which are jealousy, property issues, lack of
money or unemployment, marital problems, medical conditions, and others. These
types of films are often regarded as serial killer movies, and the best
examples are Se7en (1995), Zodiac (2007), American Psycho (2000), The Brave One
(2007), Mr. Brooks (2007), Red Dragon (2002), Monster (2003), I Saw the Devil
(2010), Death Proof (2007) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
(2007).
Capitalism is a political and economic system
in which the trade or power of a country is controlled by a person or private
organization (Cohan 10). Scarface is one of those very few movies that depict
how an individual can influence the lives of others with or without power.
Despite its mixed critical reception, this film has loomed large in the popular
imagination. It is because of the clear depiction of the concept of capitalism.
Scarface shows how ethnic or racial tensions can be resolved, as well as sheds
light on the burgeoning drug wars that are impacting the United States for long
through a capitalist framework. On the basic level, Scarface follows the
formula and plot of traditional crime movies of Hollywood; however, on the
broad level, it stands outs as one of the first few movies that have featured a
non-white immigrant protagonist. After talking about his desire for the
economic strength at the start of the movie, Tony Montana can be found working
hard to improve his lifestyle and to raise himself up from poverty as soon as
possible. For this purpose, he opts for two ways: entrepreneurship and criminal
capitalism.
Though all characters or roles of this movie
are great, the character and personality of Tony Montana (Al Pacino) have been
carefully shown. He is one of those
124,000 Cubans who wound up on the Mariel Boatlift to Miami. Tony Montana (Al
Pacino) reaches there, U.S. officials begin asking him a number of questions.
He keeps saying that he was a political prisoner (Connor 20). In addition, he
says that his father belonged to the United States, so it is his right to get a
green card. Just because he has a trident-style tattoo on his right hand, Tony
Montana’s request to get a green card gets rejected, as this tattoo indicates
that he has been an assassin in prison. The journey of his aggressiveness
begins when in August 1980, Tony Montana (Al Pacino) receives an offer by Omar
Suarez. He is primarily asked to smuggle marijuana and is offered $500. At the
same time, he is promised that no risk of arrest or gun battle is involved.
This amount does not seem to be sufficient, and Tony Montana (Al Pacino) begins
asking for more pay. Then he is offered $5000 to buy cocaine from one of the
top suppliers, which is a risky task because Tony Montana (Al Pacino) may have
to deal with violent Colombians. In a fight with Columbians, Tony Montana (Al
Pacino) kills some of them and becomes a murderer. Tony Montana (Al Pacino)
sees many ups and downs in both his personal and professional lives, and this
urges him to become a drug dealer. With time, he transforms himself into an
aggressive, negative-minded and demanding person who wants nothing but lots of
money and power.
Scarface contains a number of scenes in which
the ugly truths of the drug industry have been unveiled (Barbas 139). For
example, its opening scene has been set in a bland room with no or a few props,
and this has been done to not take the attention of the viewer from the main
character that is present in the middle of the room. Al Pacino (Tony Montana)
is in a bright and colorful Hawaiian shirt. The connotation of this could be
that he is feeling happy and relaxed. The audience can see him in a good mood,
giving a glimpse that he is on holidays. In this particular scene, the ugly
reality is highlighted in a way that drug dealers or criminals pretend to be
smiling, but deep inside, they feel restlessness and loneliness. Scarface is a
typical male movie, with typical scenes that are meant to create awareness
among the audience regarding how to identify criminals around them and how to
avoid uncertain situations to an extent. In one of its scenes, Frank sends Omar
and Al Pacino (Tony Montana) to cocaine kingpin Alejandro Sosa to finalize a
deal. Al Pacino (Tony Montana) begin negotiating the deal without bringing
things to Frank’s notice and gets angry at Omar, who then decides to contact
Frank. This particular scene depicts that the crime industry is where one
people do not trust their best friends and companions too. This is because here
everyone wants power and money, and for this purpose, they forget about their
identities, true friends, relationships and everything. Al Pacino (Tony
Montana) fails to do justice and cheats on Frank and Omar in one way or the
other. The fate of Al Pacino (Tony Montana) is shown in almost the last few
scenes of this movie. He is shot by attackers and continues taunting them till
his last breath. This makes us understand that every criminal is either shot by
the police or by their own colleagues. Sometimes, their rivals or competitors
kill them for the sake of money or power they have had held for some time.
Another similar scene shows that by 1983, Al Pacino (Tony Montana) becomes
restless and dissatisfied with what he has. He does not like the idea of being
a cocaine addict for long and shows abusive behavior at some points. Those who
commit crimes or become drug dealers eventually find their fate in the form of
restlessness. They want to change their lifestyles, and for this purpose, they
are ready to take the lives of others or can give tough times to anyone without
any major reason. This ugly truth of the world of crime often remains hidden
from the common people, but in Scarface, it has been shown beautifully and a
good message has been conveyed. In another scene, we can see Al Pacino (Tony
Montana) having expensive objects like a car. This gives us an idea that
gangsters or criminals love buying expensive things. They want to lure people
around them with their money and have an intention to dominate the world with
their power. For them, money is everything, and to get it, they are ready to do
any sin. Al Pacino (Tony Montana) believes that money equals power, and this
wrong mentality brings him to a world that is full of darkness. This specific
scene also reminds us of how much money gangsters or criminals have. They get
millions of dollars for every job they successfully do, and in return, their
life remains at risk and the amazing thing is that they are little afraid of
this. There are four people in this shot, portraying that Al Pacino (Tony
Montana) has gotten people working for him. He acts as a boss due to the fact
that he is standing in front and other guys are following him. Being obeyed is
what most of the criminals or gangsters like, and Al Pacino (Tony Montana)
seems to have the same type of mentality.
One of the most interesting aspects is that
the audience is provided with plenty of surprises, and the core focus is on how
becoming a criminal or drug dealer proves to be worthless for the main
character (Osborne 21). From his friends to his beloveds to the trust of his
seniors, Al Pacino (Tony Montana) loses almost everything. Initially, he does
not pay any attention to how his life becomes difficult in the near future, as
he becomes blind for materialistic things (money) and power. The way his life’s
story has been told is quite interesting for the target audience, and there are
a lot of things to learn from. First of all, the message that the fate of every
criminal is bad has been delivered in a beautiful way. Secondly, we can see how
an ordinary person becomes an enemy of his own friend and cheats on Frank,
which indicates that no one in the world of crimes is trustable. Every person
fights their own fight and they become selfish and arrogant with time, with
main focus on how to earn a lot of money overnight and how to gain power while
dominating others in one way or the other.
In conclusion, we can say that it may not be
possible for all Hollywood movies and international films made on the genre of
crimes to get popularity. However, they are meant to make people realize that
he who enters the world of crimes is eventually killed or punished. After the
release and success of Scarface, it became clear that the crime movie genre is
one of the best genres, and this paved the ways for young producers and
directors to come up with far better crime movies. However, Scarface is and
will be remembered for its powerful story, amazing dialogues, and of course,
the performance of stars especially Tony Montana.
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