Along with Little Caesar (1930) and Public Enemy (1931), Scarface was instrumental in making mobster crime dramas one of the biggest movie genres of the 1930s.

The film was obviously based upon the life of the most famous crime boss, Al Capone. Capone's nickname was Scarface, and he was responsible for the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" that is re-enacted in the movie through the use of shadows. Allegedly, Capone loved the film, which supposedly had several underworld crime figures serving as extras and technical advisors.

Scarface is possibly the most violent film from a major American studio made during the 1930s. (Although at least it lacks the chainsaw used in the ultra-violent 1983 Brian De Palma remake.) There are some two dozen murders depicted, usually accompanied by heavy symbolism of the letter 'X'. Car crashes and tommy guns abound, and Scarface's use of violence is repeatedly rewarded until the finale.

Scarface is much more lurid than its preceding landmark mobster films, with its protagonist far less sympathetic than were James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson. Paul Muni plays a complete monster, whose only emotion beyond ruthless ambition is a nearly incestuous obsession with his sister Cesca (Ann Dvorak).

The story goes that director Howard Hawks and producer Howard Hughes were at odds during the making of the film. Hawks, who mostly got his way, wanted the film to be filled with exciting, fast-paced, exaggerated action scenes. Hughes, who had a greater interest in the film's distribution, wanted to soften some scenes and add moralizing to please censors.

Eventually this resulted in two versions of the film, the original in which Scarface's inevitable demise is cowardly and gruesome, and another which replaces the ending with that of a hanging. This latter version was filmed without the presence of either Hawks or Muni, and has fortunately been shelved in favor of Hawks' original print. (The film was largely unavailable until Hughes' death, apparently because he felt that it sensationalized crime.)

The film opens with a lengthy disclaimer to avoid openly glamorizing the mobster lifestyle. A filler scene is also inserted in which respectable Italian-Americans condemn the mobsters who share their heritage, akin to World War II movies that often seemed to have a token 'good' German character.

Scarface suffers from both extremes. Excitement is created at the cost of exaggerating characters, dialogue, and pacing. At the same time, the moralizing that is present is pat and condescending. The viewer cynically recognizes it and disregards it, as if it were a warning on a pack of cigarettes.

The film's influence is inarguable, however. Muni's reptilian coldness served as a prototype for Humphrey Bogart's later gangster personas, while George Raft is chilling as the brutish flunkie who constantly flips a coin and catches it. Vince Barnett has the only comic relief role as Muni's dim-witted, illiterate 'secretary'.

Crime bosses Lovo (Osgood Perkins) and Gaffney (Boris Karloff) are unglamorously portrayed as petty, murderous thugs. Gangster molls Cesca and Poppy (Karen Morley) are openly sexual, even by pre-Code Hollywood standards. Poppy is a completely cynical and materialistic femme fatale, judging men solely by their power and money.

Among the cast, Paul Muni got the most mileage from his role, appearing in numerous prestige pictures over the next decade. (Karloff would become even more famous, but that was due to his horror films.) Hawks went on to become one of the best American directors, with the frenetic pace of Scarface serving as good training for later classic screwball comedies such as Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday.

Scarface is about equal in quality to Little Caesar and Public Enemy. All three films are inferior to Dead End (1937) and Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), which came later in the decade. (67/100)

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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older