Scarface
As influential (and still-potent) as the Universal monster-movie cycle was on horror in the following decades, Hawks and his cast navigate the moral ambiguity of their portrait of gangster life exceptionally well, dodging the still-inherent conservatism of Pre-Code film-making to emerge with a surprisingly ambiguous consideration of both sides of the law, and both the seductive appeal (and ultimately savage ruin) of the criminal life. Beautiful work by Muni, Dvorak and Perkins, though the whole cast steps up to the plate to deliver an oft times raw portrait of violence and crime.
Mini Review: As influential (and still-potent) as the Universal monster-movie cycle was on horror in the following decades, Hawks and his cast navigate the moral ambiguity of their portrait of gangster life exceptionally well, dodging the still-inherent conservatism of Pre-Code film-making to emerge with a surprisingly ambiguous consideration of both sides of the law, and both the seductive appeal (and ultimately savage ruin) of the criminal life. Beautiful work by Muni, Dvorak and Perkins, though the whole
More Reviews of Scarface
djxcqtion
Howard Hawks’ Scarface is not merely a cornerstone of the gangster genre; it is its most combustible paradox—simultaneously an indictment and a celebration, a chilling descent i...
Geniasis
To watch Howard Hawks’ Scarface (1932) in our current era of algorithmic curation and digitized violence is to witness the original electrical spark of the modern nightmare. It ...
Watch the Trailer