Gangster - Old Movies

There's a certain level of notoriety that accompanies the 80s version of 'Scarface'. Whether it's remembered for Al Pacino's performance, the excessive use of the word 'fuck', oft-quoted dialogue about the ‘badguy’ and getting ‘the power’, or unprecedented levels of violence in a mainstream film, 'Scarface' (1983) is definitely a one-of-a-kind.

A loose remake of the 1930s film of the same name, 'Scarface' follows the rise of Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Pacino) to Miami-based millionaire druglord, and his subsequent downfall. Never has a tagline for a film seemed more appropriate to me; 'He loved the American dream. With a vengeance'. If Brian De Palma should only be remembered for directing one film (which would be a crime in itself) than it should be this one.
Eschewing the dark and noir-ish undertones of other gangster films, De Palma embraced the 80s and made his entry in the genre a gaudy, pastel-coloured affair; resplendent with palm trees, white suits and crumbling beach apartments. It's an original vision, a world apart from the mafia, and it benefits immensely as a result.

One can't review this film without mentioning Pacino. This is probably his greatest performance; forget his Oscar-winning 'Scent of a Woman', this is Pacino keeping it real. The accent is flawless, and Tony Montana's confidence and assertion is a sight to behold. He's not an intelligent or charming character, but nonetheless holds a charisma all of his own. The supporting performances are satisfactory and mostly inconsequential - Pacino owns this film, his character is the film.

As I mentioned before, it's a unique view of a genre than can become very tired. Accompanied by a great score, and intelligent and memorable direction, 'Scarface' is unrelenting in it's own destructive passion - much like it's lead character.

Yo guyz we are gonna party!

HIGHLIGHTS: The infamous 'drug-deal' scene around the half-hour mark. It made me feel sick, but it's certainly memorable, and establishes the distance that the film is willing to go.

TRIVIA Written by Oliver Stone, who did extensive and harrowing research with the Miami drug-squad in preparation.

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Gangster

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Once Upon a Time in America

May 23rd 2006 14:01

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

'Once Upon a Time in America' is an interesting and unique film. Clocking in at nearly 4 hours, it's hardly mainstream material. It also happens to be the last completed film by Sergio Leone, a celebrated Italian director who made some of the most famous 'spaghetti' westerns (IE. 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly'). 'Once Upon a Time in America' is a New York-set gangster film, but it has a style of it's own that truly sets it apart from the rest of the genre...

The story isn't anything particularly new - some Jewish-American hoods form a gang and promise to stick together and work for nobody. From here we follow their 'career' as gangsters-for-hire throughout the prohibition era. Whatever the plot may lack is made up by the film's engaging structure. It starts with the collapse of the gang, flashing forward to it's sole surviving member thirty years later, and then flashing back to their beginnings. At first it misleads the audience and risks serious dangers of losing them, but as the film continues the audience is shown various gaps in the narrative - spots open to interpretation that surprisingly enhance the quality of the film. It's hard to explain without giving anything away, but it isn't as complex as it may sound, and it's a triumph of filmmaking that it works as well as it does.

The performances are capable, but don't take centrestage. De Niro underplays, letting a lot of the more colourful supporting players step up. James Woods is in fine form, and Joe Pesci dominates in a small part that's not really anything more than a cameo. All this is secondary though, the driving force of this film is it's direction - Leone has an operatic eye (if not a little melodramatic in parts) that lends an epic feel to even the smallest and most inconsequential of scenes. The dialogue didn't really do much for me, but it’s intermittent at best, lending the film an opiate dream-like quality.

James Woods and Robert De Niro

This isn't a film that will be to everyone’s taste. Indeed, it starts rather slowly, and relies heavily on visuals to hold it's audience. But there's a sort of magic at work here that is seldom seen in 'gangster' movies. The final shot (before the credits roll) burnt itself into my brain so badly that it changed the way I thought I'd feel about this film.

TRIVIA: Studios of the time forced Leone to make extensive cuts to the film so that it would be short enough to show to audiences... after nearly unanimous praise from critics and the like the original cut was restored.

DIRECTOR: Sergio Leone
WRITER: Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone
ACTORS: Robert De Niro, James Wood, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Danny Aiello, William Forsythe.
SOURCE: “The Hoods” by Harry Gray.

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Gangster

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