Scarface

Scarface   
Genre Crime Drama
December 9, 1983

Director: Brian De Palma

Writers: Oliver Stone

Main Cast: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer

 Runtime: 170 mins

Summary

Tony Montana (Al Pacino) a migrant from Cuba is sent to a jail for illegal migrants (Freedom Town), but after assassinating a Cuban government official for a Miami drug lord he is given a green card. He soon takes claim on the drug trade working his way up and taking out anyone in his way to the top. Tony Montana becomes the most powerful and feared drug lord in the state of Florida. The American Dream. In time the police, his cocaine fuelled paranoia and his Columbian Enemies leads to his downfall.

Genre
Crime Fiction, Drama

Codes and Conventions
Scarface is the most iconic of all gangster films in my opinion, next to the godfather.
The codes and conventions of this film is true to the crime drama genre, with a flip on good vs evil. This film has the audience routing for the drug fuelled cocaine dealer the character Tony Montana is somehow relatable and a lot of the target audience fantasise of being rich and powerful beyond measure. Violence is a key element to gangster crime films, this film features one of the most iconic scenes in cinema. When Tonys mansion is being stormed by rivals he makes his final stand wielding an automatic assault rifle he engages in a large scale gunfight in his mansion. Violence is used here to show how ruthless Tony is and the film makes it clear he won't come quietly. Another convention is the gang, although this film focuses on Tony Montana and his partner Manolo the film makes you aware he has soldiers that do his bidding and close friends who you see in the film rise to the top with him. The film even includes a montage showing passing of time as tony starts making more money, opening businesses, making more deals with his connect (cocaine manufacturer), getting married and eventually buying his mansion equipped with an exotic animal.

Montage Scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHoGH7_co0A

Final scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_z4IuxAqpE

Iconography
The gangsters dress code is crucial to a gangster film, gangsters are always well dressed and groomed, suave and slick. Tony is not only your typical gangster by the way he dresses he is arrogant and boasts about his wealth, his wife is perceived as an object and as he rises in power he looses respect for his friends. Gangster films often include a main office where business is carried out by the Boss, whether it be plotting murders, discussing money laundering commission rates or cocaine deals. Flash cars are a popular icon in this genre, Tony begins in a beat up car does his first drug deal, as he rises in the ranks he buys a cadilac that quoted by Poppy the films love interest "It looks like somebody's nightmare." he then goes on to buy a Porsche and a Rolls Royce. The Rolls Royce is an iconic theme in gangster themed features, it is featured in American Gangster (Denzel Washington) as well as countless Gangster Rap music videos.

Audience Expectations
Audience expectations often come from the trailer. The Scarface trailer full of violence and riddled with gunfire it prepares the audience for a one in a million story of money, power, women and drugs the recipe for chaos.   

Scarface Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pQQHnqBa2E