My perspectives on Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner'

Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner

This is a video I made giving my perspectives on Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner'

My Perspectives on Brian DePalma's 'Scarface'

Brian DePalma's 'Scarface'

Here are some perspectives I took away from Scarface, the 1983 crime drama directed by Brian DePalma, scripted by Oliver Stone, and staring Al Pacino in the title role. Although based on the rise and fall of a drug dealer, the film contains a number of redeeming lessons. The film is also a commentary on capitalism and its negative influence on our society. If Scarface was simply a story about a Cuban drug dealer, the film would not be-34 years since it came out in theaters-relevant and influential to a generation that wasn’t even born when it came out. Considered ultra-violent for its time, Scarface is tame compared to films made since. But what makes this film resonate are the layers beneath the violence which I will now look at.

Thinking outside the box

Sometimes mitigating circumstances influence the choices we make. If you restrict or block access to the American Dream to an entire group of people, a special type of person with a special type of determination willing to resort to whatever means-good or bad-will realize the American Dream by brute force!

The movie shows the importance of resourcefulness and thinking out of the box—there is more than 1 way to do anything. Tony Montana has everything going against him, from being an ex con, on top of that he’s a refugee and on top of that, he doesn’t have much education. But, despite all of his shortcomings, he goes from being a dishwasher to the top of the cocaine underworld in Miami by following the same principles that apply to any other business. 

Decadence

The Babylon Club is appropriately named. In the Bible, Babylon is described as a whore. In the context of this film, the idea of Babylon being a whore is meant to suggest how far Tony and others will go and how much they will give up to gratify their desires. Babylon is also synonymous with hedonism and excess. Early in the film, Frank tells Tony that a chazer is someone who wants more than what he needs, or “a pig that don’t fly straight.” Money and cocaine in this film are 2 sides of the same coin as both are shown in excess amounts, from Tony depositing duffle-bags full of money in the bank to the piles of cocaine on his desk. When Tony gives Gina $1,000.00 to go out and have fun the money (like the cocaine) transforms her into a completely different woman! In a bigger sense, the Babylon Club is also metaphor of capitalism and the moral decline of civilization. 

Principles

The fact that he has a criminal record, has very little education, is a hispanic male, and has that obvious scar on his face makes Tony Montana the perfect fall guy. He has nothing to hide behind such as a bank or a badge or a car dealership or a political title. In a superficial world where appearance is everything, Tony might as well be the Devil. But throughout the film, he is honorable and stands by his principles. Even facing jail time for tax evasion and war with Sosa, he refuses to go against his principles by killing a woman and her children which ends up costing him his life. 

Fronts

Bankers, politicians, and cops are all indirectly involved in the cocaine industry in this film. These unholy alliances are also struck in real life. In 2005, the CIA declassified a document from the department’s Chief of Clandestine Operations admitting the agency’s involvement with the mafia to assassinate Fidel Castro. 

Being a poor latino male with a criminal background, Tony fits the stereotype of a drug dealer contrasted against those in society—such as cops, politicians, bankers, businesses, etc— who are also drug dealers. John Daniel Ehrlichman who worked as a special counsel under President Nixon admitted in a 1994 interview that President Nixon's administration (deliberately) vilified blacks and hippies by associating them with illegal drugs.

Innocence

To Tony, Gina represents innocence and something that hasn’t been contaminated. She is the opposite of Elvira. The fact that she (Elvira) can’t bear children is a metaphor for the innocence she has lost. 

The American Dream

Materialism is the American Dream. For example, there’s a split-screen shot showing Tony and Manny in the sandwich kitchen on one side and a night club, beautiful women, and fancy cars on the other side. Seeing this scene from their standpoint is a microcosm of what everyone who lives in poverty sees looking at the good life as it’s shown on television. 

By the 2nd half of the film, Tony has “made it” and sees things for what they really are. He sees Elvira without her makeup, as a junkie and an alcoholic who can’t have children; he has no real friends; he can’t sleep at night or trust anybody.