Gangster Genre Study Journal

Cynthia Helen Ankunda

Gangster Genre Study Journal

SCARFACE (1983)

Scarface is a 1980's Gangster Film about an ambitious Cuban immigrant named Tony Montana whose aim is to be the richest drug-lord in Miami. In order to do so Montana must leave Cuba and start out as a rookie underdog and the crawl his way up to the top to get everything he has ever wanted that it, Money and power.

Narrative:

In May of 1980 Tony Montana seeks asylum in Miami. He is then detained and question by three INS-officials who detained him in a camp called Freedom town. The content in this scene helped to establish the fact that Tony Montana is the protagonist that the audience needs to relate and connect with him. With the help of his best friend and brother figure Manny, Tony received word that he could attain a green card by killing a former aid to the boss of a drug cartel in Miami. In doing this Tony paved way for himself and Manny to leave the camp and start making their journey to the top.

They start a new life working as dishwashers in a taco shop, but we see that Tony clearly is not comfortable and he wants more. He feels like he wants more and this is symbolic of his goal to achieve the ultimate American dream. The leader of the Drug cartel later recruits him, to pick up a delivery of cocaine from a dealer called Hector the toad. He goes with Manny and two other men in his crew, Angel and Chichi. Manny and Chichi wait in the car as Tony and Angel go to pick up the cocaine. It is evident that Hector doesn’t intent to sell the cocaine that he has but to rather steal the money off of the rookie gangsters. The operation takes a turn for the worst and Angel is tied to the shower rod and gagged as Tony is forced to watch Hector brutally decapitate his arm and leg. Sensing something is wrong Manny and Chichi come to the aid of their partners. Manny is shot in the shoulder but Tony confronts Hector in the street and avenges his friend by killing him.

Having killed Hector, Tony makes a good impression on Frank, the leader of the Drug cartel by returning with both the money and the cocaine. We see Tony and Manny making their mark in the drug world, now that they have gained the trust and the respect of Frank. In this scene we are introduced to the love interest Elvira Hancock. Franks wife. She is one of the main causes of tension between Frank and Tony because Tony is smitten with her the minute he meets her. Tony and Manny are introduced to a lavish lifestyle through being taken out to The Babylon Club where Frank usually visits.

Three months later Tony tries to make amends with his mother and little sister Gina. Who are glad to see him at first but once he offers them money, Mama Montana is taken a back and doesn’t want herself of Gina a part of Tony’s dirty money. However Gina is willing to take a chance on her brother. Manny makes a remark about how beautiful Gina is and Tony threatens him. We see that Tony is very over protective of his little sister. He angrily warns Manny to restrain from having relations with his sister.

While on business in Bolivia, Tony feels that Frank is soft and begins to defy him. He does this by trying to negotiate with Alejandro Sosa, another ruthless and powerful drug lord. Sosa discovers that Omar was an informant for the police and has him hung from a helicopter to show Montana how he deals with traitors. Tony gets into trouble when he returns to Florida, Frank finds out about his proposal to Elvira and decides to take him out.

At the night club, Tony sees his little sister Gina going in to the toilets with a strange man and he is not amused he follows them in with Manny by his side and punches the man. He gets into a row with his sister and slaps her. Manny comforts Gina. It becomes evident to the audience that Manny has a soft spot for Gina and could possibly be in love with her.

Later on Tony is attacked three gunmen in the club who were sent to take him out by Frank he kills them and escapes with a bullet to shoulder. He has Manny kill Frank and he begins his rise to power. He goes outside and sees a blimp that displays the words “the world is yours” He marries Elvira and takes over Frank’s drug-empire but it is evident that it is still not enough for him.

Eventually his rise to power becomes his downfall he becomes paranoid, he ends up taking too much of his own cocaine.

His marriage also took a toll as he and Elvira got into a heated argument in a public restaurant. He insulted her for being barren, she was non to happy about this and insulted Tony back and left him. Tony was offended but believed that she would come back to him.  

When Sosa called on Montana shortly after giving him a job to assassinate a minister in New York. Tony told Manny that he was leaving for a few weeks before he went. He was to work with a ruthless assassin that Sosa had hired to do the job but needed Tony to follow up on the kill. The ministers’ car that they were meant to blow up had his wife and children inside it as well. Tony felt that this was too much, the ministers’ wife and children didn’t deserve to die and he didn’t want to be a part of that crime. Tony took out the assassin and returned to Florida without completing the task.

Upon his return, Tony wanted and needed Manny to comfort him, but received word that Manny was missing, no one had seen him since he had left. He also wondered where Elvira was and told one of his guards to tell her he loves her if they ever heard from her. He tries to seek refuge in his family, he goes to his mothers’ home to find Gina who is also missing. Mama Montana argues with Tony saying that he destroys everything in his path he can never let anyone be happy. She tells him that ever since he got back Gina began to change her ways and loose her morals. She told him that it was the money that he was giving her, but Tony told her he had only given her money once and he put the pieces of the puzzle together. He asked for Manny’s address and went to his place. Tony knew that it was Manny who was giving his sister money. When he reached Manny’s home, he saw Gina in a gown he didn’t think about his actions he killed his best friend Gina told him that they had just gotten married the night before and that they were going to surprise him. Tony takes her back to his mansion.

Back at his mansion, Sosa’s men were coming for him. Gina came into his study and tried to seduce him, but then she reveals her intentions are to kill the man that killed her husband.

Sosa’s men by this time were on their way to kill Tony, there was a massive gun fight Gina was killed and once that happened it was clear he had lost everything that ever loved. His wife left him, his mother shunned him and his best friend and sister where dead. Sosa’s main hit man shot Tony in the back and he fell to his demise. The closing scene, a globe with “the world is yours” sprawled across it.

GENRE

This film is predominantly a film of the GANGSTER GENRE. This is made evident through the conventions which is contains with in it. These conventions are what dominate the narrative of the film to enrol it among the gangster genre. The conventions in this film include the follow. The use of a male lead. Gangster films often appeal to a male audience because they are conventionally about men, casting an underdog as the lead and watching him rise and fall. Money and Power; most gangster films are centred around ones desire to obtain either money or power. In this film money was the equivalent to power. Montanas objective was to take out the man with the most money in order to inherit his power. Another convention includes violence; This is accompanied by props such as guns and knives, but in Scarface it was mostly guns. He who holds the gun usually holds the power to give and take. In the beginning a knife was a means that Montana and Manny used to begin their ascension into power, after that they used a gun. And a gun was also the demise of Tony Montana. Family is also another convention used in gangster films. In this film the main family that was used where the Montanas, entailing Mama Montana, Tony and his younger sister.

REPRESENTATION

MEN: Conventionally in Gangster Films, Men are the more dominant characters, holding the world in the palm of their hands and controlling everything around them. This is why the audience for gangster films is men. They are seen as ruthless criminals who would do anything to get what they want. But they are also seen as loyal people respecting the rules of the "game" that they play, abiding by the rules put in play by the men before them. Also loyal to their family and true friends, blood is thicker than water, they intend to protect their family and provide them with what they need by any means, and respect it if the refuse.

WOMEN: Women may not be the predominant gender in gangster films but they also have their place to balance the equation of the Gangster genre. In gangster films there are three types of women. The strong independent woman: This is she who has seen what men are capable of and isn't afraid because she is strong in morals and beliefs. In Scarface she is represented by Mama Montana. Who shunned her own son when she learnt of his ways. The other type is The Damsel in distress: She is the one who is aware of everything, and is caught up in it because she is too close to the main gangsters, played by either wife, daughter, or sister. In Scarface she was played by both Tina, Montana's sister and Alvera Montana's wife. They were too close to Tony and that pushed them away and led to Tinas demise when she eloped with his best friend. And finally there is the sex object. This type of woman is either seen in a stripper or dancer or female that portrays herself in a demoralizing manner. In order to split there intentions apart, Manny was the one who was seen objectifying many women as sexual objects and that made Tony question where his loyalties lie.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience for gangster movies can be broken down and categorised as follows:

GENDER:

PRIMARILY: Male. This is because the leads are always portrayed by ambitious males which men like to see them selves as. The use of money, power and violence appeals to the selfish and savage nature of the male species.

SECONDARY: Female. Although, there are many types of females represented in the film, this film is capable of appealing to them but the ration of gender appeal is less than that of the males.

AGE: The age rating for this film is 18+ which makes that the age group that it is targeted towards due to the level of violence, fowl language and sexual innuendo.

DEMOGRAPHIC: This film is for the average man with desires to rise to success, It is for the working class who are trying to make something of themselves and see a little bit of the main cast inside them selves.

INTERESTS: The range of things that the audience may be into include. Violent video games, Film, The Gangster Genre. etc.