Rating: Passed | Runtime: 93 minutes
Release Date: April 9th, 1932 (USA)
Studio: United Artists
Director(s): Howard Hawks / Richard Rosson (co-director)
Writer(s): Ben Hecht / Seton I. Miller, John Lee Mahin & W.R. Burnett (dialogue) / Armitage Trail (novel)

It’s Poppy, boss. I got a name!

The first thing that comes to your head when you hear the title Scarface is probably Al Pacino’s horrid Cuban accent turning the phrase, “Say, ‘ello to my little friend.” And while Oliver Stone’s adaptation(?) of Armitage Trail’s novel depicting Al Capone’s rise to criminal infamy is an entertaining, over-the-top gangster flick, it’s really Ben Hecht’s screenplay—adapted and filmed by director Howard Hawks while Capone was still alive—that truly depicts the era and his larger-than-life monster’s reign.

The gangster even caught wind of the production, confronting Hecht before actually getting talked into giving his blessing to the point where some of his men served as consultants on the film. They do their job well too because I can’t believe how violent the ratings board allowed this work to be—enough to force producers into cutting a ‘cleaner’ version for certain puritanical states. Machine-gun rat-tat-tats become the score, car chases abound, and the death count mounts with each kill marked by an ‘X’ upon frame.

One of the film’s most impressive attributes is Hawks’ direction. Besides the aesthetic choice to carry the ‘X’ from the title card to Tony Camonte’s (Paul Muni) face to the not-so-subtle markers for each death, he has a brilliant handle on wielding shadows, sound, and a storm of bullets’ frenetic destruction. His style is prevalent right from the beginning courtesy of a long take bringing us into a stag party’s aftermath and following its lone employee retrieving a sign from the outside before sweeping the confetti and streamers strewn about.

A trio of expressive Italian mobsters sits and talks as the leader of the group heads to the telephone before leaving. The camera pans a little further right to show the shadowy figure of his killer entering the frame with the sound of gunfire proving our only point of reference to the assassination. We pan back left to watch that employee carefully find his coat so he can escape while he’s still breathing. The mood is set by this changing of the old guard and that man hiding in the darkness won’t have to hide anymore.

Tony must work his way though the ranks, though, as he’s currently second in command to Johnny Lovo (Osgood Perkins)—a man brave enough to take over the south side but not to get his own hands dirty. This route is a common necessity for Al Capone throughout cinematic history, including HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”. And Tony has big ideas to do it alongside a complete lack of fear for his own life. He’d go north right now to take over every facet of the city by strong-arming all the bars currently getting their prohibited alcohol elsewhere before killing the competition.

Lovo doesn’t want to mess with things he can’t control, though, and the north is too strong with Boris Karloff’s Gaffney proving a formidable foe who’s unafraid to level a city block for retribution. So, Tony goes out alone. He ignores the orders of his boss and in effect becomes more prominent and feared throughout the underworld then the man supposedly on its throne. Tony takes the neon sign hanging across from his new home that says “The World Is Yours” to heart. He’s willing to do anything to get what he wants.

It’s not only power either. He also wants Poppy, his boss’s girl. Karen Morley plays the role with an air of haughty indifference and is attracted to forceful men who can give her what she wants. Her love is available for status—for a man’s ability to command a room and strike fear in the hearts of those around him. Lovo had it at the start and Tony, although starting as his muscle, takes over once he finally shows the world his true colors.

Tony and his coin flipping right-hand Guino Rinaldo (George Raft) run amok together, but it’s through love that they eventually find their downfall. The former needs Poppy as an outlet away from the violence and the latter is forbidden from his due to the misfortune of loving his partner’s sister (Ann Dvorak’s Cesca). The Camontes are very close—almost incestuous at times—and Tony is over-protective when it comes to little sis dating. Guino knows this and tries to stay away, but he needs something to fill the void once there’s no one left to kill. Unfortunately, death comes easier than forgiveness to this breed of man.

The acting leaves a bit to be desired, but I think that goes more with the era than anything else. Broad interpretations of characters rule the screen and the Italian accents can become a tad gratin despite their appropriateness alongside aggressively menacing looks. Raft is the best of the bunch—his stoic presence hiding the storm beneath and his softer side even further below. And Morley is fantastic as the girl playing with fire and a prize for whoever’s on top.

Muni has a way to make his crazed shifts from smiling fun to dark sociopathy realistic despite the dramatics. Dvorak may be at an eleven when it comes to happy-go-lucky—especially with an over-protective brother at her throat—but I kind of liked her bubbly attitude cutting through the otherwise morose environment. But it’s Vince Barnett’s Angelo who delivers the true comic relief with his illiterate lackey that’s always being asked to do tasks that a complete absence of patience renders impossible.

These people ultimately inhabit the world Hawks has created for them—one I’m sure mirrored the actual time period. We’re thrust into it and told it’s a parable to inspire us into fighting against the scum that rises to rule us all. We’re asked to take our democratic responsibilities seriously and vote in a government willing to tackle the problem head-on and not become corrupt or lazy when doing so puts us face-to-face with a force of remorseless evil wielding machine-guns.

All the violence occurs in the streets with innocents constantly getting injured or killed, so nothing is safe. With a few amazing scenes like the side-by-side car duel driving towards the camera, the bullet-hole spattering in broad daylight as Gaffney’s men come in waves, and the beautifully shot finale showing good guys can prevail, I see why many call this Scarface the best gangster film ever made. It may be flawed and the emotional evolution of its characters may change with the flip of a switch, but it’s a testament to its era that still holds up today.

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Osgood Perkins, Paul Muni and Karen Morley in SCARFACE.