Touched By A Drug Lord

Generally, when I think of being “touched” by something, it’s something nice and cutesy. Being “Touched By An Angel”. Listening to a sweet, touching song. Sitting on a hill and being touched by a sunset. Hearing my friends complain that, “that weird old dude was touching all the high school girls.”

Ok, that’s not a cute one.

However, what I definitely do not associate with a “cute touch” – aside from the old dude – is a raucous-mouthed, gun toting Miami drug lord. Call me crazy, but I just have trouble looking at the drug baron and a puppy dog in the same light.

And yet, I was still touched by one. Granted, I’ve never met the chap. However, as I sat quietly during the three-hour duration of “Scarface”, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion for ol’ Tony (Al Pacino). I found myself empathizing, sympathizing, relating . . . in a word, I was touched by him. Let me tell you, it was a weird experience.

But at the same time, it was a nice experience, and one that is a testament to the fine film that Brian DePalma put together. If a director can make you feel ‘touched’ by a ruthless drug lord, then. . . well, that certainly says something, ey?

So what is it that makes the movie so touching? Characterization, above all. The characters that Oliver Stone laid out immediately draw you and keep you enraptured. There’s Tony, with his ruthless drive for success, yet redeeming self-loathing and compassion. He wanted it all, but would never compromise his beliefs. Tony caused his own downfall by killing an associate, all because he wouldn’t stand for the murder of a rival’s wife and children. Later, as he dined with his family, his drunken rant revealed that while he accepted his role in society, he was not proud of it. It was just a means to an end. Also compelling was his relationship with his sister, Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Gina represented everything that was innocent and pure to Tony – traits that he forfeited long ago. Some of Tony’s most chilling acts were a result of the rage he felt when his sister appeared violated. Similarly, the role of his best friend and partner, Manny Ray (Steven Bauer), works as the perfect compliment to Pacino’s Tony. Though he surely reaped the benefits that Tony did, Manny never let the wealth and power get to his head. While Tony saw America as an opportunity for money and power, Manny saw it simply as a chance to be free. The contrast between the two made for a particularly dynamic friendship, and for interesting characters in general.

Beyond just the characters, though, was the overall progression. There was no confusion during a viewing of the movie; everything was very straightforward and clear. Scene transitions were smooth, and the plot developed in a logical fashion. There were no boring scenes in “Scarface”, and everything that happened seemed so darn important. The movie followed the now-cliché drug rise-and-fall storyline, but even after an entire decade of similar Italian mob movies that followed the same path, “Scarface” still remains fresh – a trait that can be partially credited to the sympathy one is forced to feel towards Tony. With the mob movies – Goodfellas, Casino, etc. – the Italians had entire families to fall back on. When one of them became particularly greedy or did something stupid, you didn’t feel as bad because they had a slew of mob-family members to support them. Tony lacked that comfort. He created his empire almost entirely alone, and relied on just himself through the entire movie. Even Manny, his lifelong friend, was kept at a distance. Tony relied solely on himself, which surely wore him down. The Italians had no excuse for slipping up and ruining their empire. Tony, on the other hand, was lucky to have built his in the first place. Maintaining it was almost impossible. Not to say that he didn’t throw up a gripping struggle – the fight scene at the end was incredible – but he had the world against him.

Of course, the movie wasn’t perfect. Predictability was inevitably a problem throughout, as certain scenes blatantly foreshadowed pivotal events to come. When an enraged Tony warned Manny to stay away from Gina, it was quite obvious that just the opposite would happen. Similarly, when Sosa informed Tony “never to faak him over”, no one could doubt that Tony would do just that. And certainly enough, both events happened, with disastrous results – Tony first mindlessly killed Manny over Gina, and then returned home to face the vengeful Sosa’s hit squad in the climactic final scene. You knew what was going to happen as soon as the hints were dropped. The movie was good enough, however, that you hoped that you were wrong.

*As a sidenote, I watched the movie on DVD. Having been made in 1983, the DVD offers few advantages to VHS. The sound is just stereo and the movie is widescreen, which are both things available on VHS. I bought the DVD, however, ‘cause it’s just the cool thing to do these days.