The Usual Suspects

What Happens

Please note that this post contains major spoilers, if you haven't seen the movie and plan to, be advised that watching it spoiler free the first time is highly recommended.

The movie opens showing us "San Pedro, California - Last Night" We see Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) sitting on the deck of a ship lighting a cigarette with a book of matches. He drops the matches into a trail of leaking fuel which catches fire in a line away from him. We see another figure above him walk down to Keaton's level. Keaton is in bad shape, shaking his head in exhaustion. The other man, now standing in front of him, lights a Zippo lighter and asks "How you doing Keaton?" Keaton answers "I can't feel my legs...Keyser." Keyser asks "Ready?" and pulls out a pistol. Keaton sees this and asks "What time is it?" "12:30" Keyser answers, Keaton closes his eyes and Keyser shoots him in the head. Keyser drops his own cigarette which lights it's own fuel trail leading to a big fire.

We then find Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) giving a statement to the D.A. He explains that "it all started back in New York, six weeks ago. A truck loaded with stripped gun parts got jacked outside of Queens.The driver didn't see anybody, but someone fucked up. He heard a voice. Sometimes that's all you need."

We flash back to "New York City - 6 weeks ago"  The police are making rounds apprehending people. The first person they grab is McManus (Stephen Baldwin) who's asleep in bed. Next is Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollack) who is working in a garage. Third is Fred Fenster (Benecio Del Toro) Fourth is Keaton, who is explaining an idea for a restaurant to prospective investors. Keaton is picked up by Special Agent, David Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) who seems to be amused at breaking up Keaton's meeting. Keaton leaves his girlfriend Edie Finneran (Suzy Amis) to handle the meeting. We don't see Kint being apprehend, but we see him walking with a pronounced limp on the way with other four, to perform a line up for the police. Kint mentions that he didn't belong with them as they were all serious hijackers, but he says "it was fun, I got to act like I was notorious"
The five men take turns reading a line. Kint explains "the whole thing was a set up." and remarks "You don't put guys like that in a room together. Who knows what can happen?"

The five are all interrogated all night about the stolen truck and then sent to a holding cell to await release.
Kint establishes the men's characters as we see the police interrogate each man. Kint says that McManus and Fenster always work together. McManus is a "top notch entry man" and "crazy" while Fenster is "a smart man" Todd Hockney is good with explosives and as Kint says "without a doubt, the one guy who didn't give a fuck about anybody." Keaton is "the real prize for them, for obvious reasons." We see all the men sharing a holding cell. In the cell, Fenster complains about being "treated like a criminal." Hockney reminds him "You are a criminal." We see Keaton sit apart from the others, getting irritated at Fenster talking. McManus remarks that he heard Keaton was dead. Keaton tells him he's right. They establish that Keaton has retired. Hockney tells them what he's heard that Keaton is dating Edie Finneran, a high powered criminal lawyer. McManus asks if Keaton is a "lawyer's wife." Keaton asks Fenster to tell McManus to "keep quiet." Keaton tells the others that the whole thing is wrong, as the police have no evidence, and there's no way the five of them should normally be held in the same room. Keaton assumes that the police put them together to satisfy the feds who were responsible for investigating the missing truck.

Hockney asks "Who's the gimp" meaning Verbal. Keaton vouches for him, saying they've met before in prison, when Verbal was in for fraud.Mcmanus suggests that they make the best of the situation and proposes a job they can do together. Everyone is interested except Keaton, who's firm about his retired status.

We flash to "San Pedro, California - present day" where we see charred corpses being covered up on a dock. Overlooking the situation is, Agent Jack Baer (Giancarlo Esposito) with the FBI. The clean up crew tells him they have 15 dead with more in the water, and that there were two survivors, one in a coma, and the other "a cripple from New York" As Baer leaves the scene, we see the boat still smoking. We see that Agent Kujan has flown to California and is bugging one of the Sgt. Rabin (Dan Hedaya)  to talk to Verbal Kint. The cop explains that Verbal gave a statement and got a deal from the DA which includes immunity to charges, and that the situation has turned political, adding that Verbal is "protected on high from the prince of darkness" Verbal is expected to post bail in two hours and Kujan insists on speaking to him. Sgt. Rabin repeatedly refuses, finally telling Kujan that Kint won't go into an interrogation room for fear of being recorded. Kujan suggests an informal chat in Rabin's office, stating that his main interest is in making sure that Keaton's really dead. Rabin agrees although he insists that 'they're all dead."

Meanwhile Agent Jack Baer is checking out the boat survivor in the hospital. he learns that the man only speaks Hungarian and that most of the people on the boat were Hungarian. Baer orders security put on the man's room. The man's name is Arkosh Kovash, and he's frantically mumbling in Hungarian, semi conscious.
Baer calls for a Hungarian translator and Kovash gets his attention when he screams about "Keyser Soze" which prompts Baer to ask that his office locate Agent Kujan.

Verbal is now in Rabin's office, taking in the details while he waits for Kujan to meet him there. He notices the details of a cigarette box and Rabin's chaotic bulletin board behind his desk, completely covered with newspaper clippings. Agent Kujan comes in and Verbal starts chatting telling a story about being in a barbershop quartet in Skokie Illinois. Kujan cuts off his banter telling Verbal "We're trying to help you.." Kujan starts talking about Keaton, telling Verbal "Dean Keaton was a piece of shit." Kint tells him that he gave his whole story to the DA. Kujan threatens Kint telling him that if he doesn't cooperate, he'll tell some dangerous people that he talked about them. Kujan brags about himself, telling Verbal, "I'm smarter than you and I'm gonna find out what I wanna know." Verbal says "I'm not a rat." Kujan asks Verbal to tell him what happened after the line up.

We see Keaton and Edie leaving the New York Police Department together. Edie complains that the desk sergeant kept trying to keep from releasing Keaton even though he wasn't charged. She advises him to get pictures of his face where the cops hit him. She tells him that the people at the meeting "need more time." which discourages him. He says "I'm finished." and then "They ruined me in there tonight." Edie tries to get his attention by saying "I love you." but Keaton is looking across the street at the others from the line up. Kint explains in voiceover that McMaus proposed a job that "to do it wrong meant killing, to do it right, took five men. Five men meant Keaton. Keaton took convincing." Verbal pleads with Keaton to do the job as they won't use Verbal without Keaton being there. The job involves "New York's finest taxi service." a taxi service run by crooked cops, which is essentially renting out a police car for an exorbitant fee. The service is transporting a guy smuggling emeralds.and McManus wants to hold them up and he can fence the emeralds in California.

Keaton agrees and they hold up the police car using four vans to block them in at gunpoint before taking the emeralds and lighting the car on fire. Keaton had called the press earlier making sure they showed up before other police. The resulting situation shakes up the whole NY police department leading to 50 cops being fired. The five of them meet up later and agree that they'll all go with McManus to California to meet his fence, a guy named Redfoot. Keaton insists on seeing Edie before he leaves for California. He sees her at work and leaves without saying a word to her.

Rabin makes fun of Verbal's sentimental story causing Kujan to ask Rabin to leave. Kujan challenges the idea that Keaton really retired, telling Verbal that in every case they brought against Keaton, the witnesses always died, disappeared or changed their minds. He adds that Keaton served five years in prison and killed three prisoners while he was there. He also tells Verbal that Keaton was dead, explaining that Keaton was seen walking into his own warehouse, which then blew up, while police were investigating the murder of a witness against him. The witnesses who saw this soon turned up dead. After someone else was convicted of the murder, they wanted to pin on Keaton, he turned up alive.

Agent Baer is still at the hospital and his translator arrives. He asks the man about the harbor shootout. The man tells him that there was no dope on the ship and that they weren't buying dope but people. He asks for protection saying he's in danger as he "saw the Devil." Baer prods him to explain that "the Devil" is Keyser Soze, who was in the harbor "killing many men." Baer tells the man to give a description of Soze to a sketch artist.

At the California police station, Kujan tells Verbal that he thinks Keaton is still out there and he's covering for him and that Keaton was behind everything. Verbal tells him that "the lawyer" was behind everything and Kujan wants to know what he means. Verbal tells him the lawyer's name was Kobayashi. We see the five men meeting Redfoot. He pays them for the emeralds and tells them about another job which McManus agrees to, despite Keaton being hesitant. Redfoot tells them the target is a jeweler named Saul. He's known to carry a lot of cash, so the plan is that they rob him of merchandise and cash, Redfoot gets the merchandise and they keep the cash. Keaton tells Redfoot that he shivved a mutual acquaintance in prison, to avoid Redfoot hearing from someone else.

The five of them hold up the jeweler who has bodyguards. The jeweler is stubborn however and things go wrong causing the crew to shoot the bodyguards and the jeweler. Rather than jewels, they find drugs in his case. McManus wants to kill Redfoot for the bad information. Redfoot reveals that he was given the job by someone else. Keaton insists that they meet the guy and Redfoot tells them that he wants to meet them too.

The talk with Verbal is interrupted when Agent Baer shows up looking for Kujan. He informs Kujan that there were no drugs on the boat. He asks if "the cripple" mentioned Keyser Soze, which means nothing to Kujan. Kujan goes back into the office and asks about Soze, prompting Verbal to exclaim "Oh, Fuck!" Verbal continues the story. The five of them are at the place where they're to meet the guy who set up the last job. The man, Kobayashi (Peter Postlewaite) shows up and identifies all of them, thanking them for getting rid of Saul. He explains that he works for Keyser Soze and that each of them has stolen from Soze in the past, although they didn't know it, because the people they stole from didn't know they were working for Soze. He proposes a very dangerous job,, which he doesn't expect them all to live through, although the survivors will be able to split 91 million dollars reminding them that they're only alive because they didn't knowingly steal from Soze. Kobayashi reveals that he arranged the line up where the five of them connected, intending to approach them then, except that Keaton's girlfriend got him out too quickly. Kobayashi also leaves them envelopes containing their complete records and pictures of their loved ones.The job is to interrupt a cocaine buy on a boat, destroy all the cocaine and keep whatever money is there.

 Verbal tells Kujan a story about Keyser Soze. He explains "the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." in relation to Soze's mythical status. He tells a story about a young Soze in Turkey, who was in conflict with a local mob. He says that the men found Soze's wife and kids at home and tortured and raped them while waiting for Soze, killing one of his kids in front of him to show they meant business. They demand his territory. Soze rather than give in, shoots his own wife and kids and then proceeds to kill everyone the men knew "He kills their kids. He kills their wives. He kills their parents and their parent's friends. He burns down the houses they live in and the stores they work in. He kills people that owe them money. And like that...he's gone. Nobody's ever seen him since. He becomes a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night." Kujan seems amused, but Baer, who's listening in the other room mentions a guy with a file on Soze.


Verbal tells Kujan that he didn't mention this to the DA because such a fantastic story would've kept them from offering amnesty. Kujan tries to convince him to turn state's evidence, but Verbal isn't interested, content with his immunity. Kujan offers to protect Verbal from Soze, which Verbal finds laughable, telling him that all the pressure to release him is coming from Soze. Verbal picks up the story then telling Kujan that Fenster was gone the next morning after meeting Kobayashi as he couldn't stand the idea of working for Soze. Kobayshi called them and told them where to find Fenster and the four men find him dead on a beach. McManus insists on burying him. They decide to kill Kobayashi and set up an ambush in an office building elevator. They offer Kobayashi the chance to call it off, but Kobayashi won't be moved explaining that whatever they do is nothing compared to what Soze will do. He then asks if he can finish his business with Edie Finneran (Keaton's girlfriend) before they kill him. They check and find that Edie is indeed there with Kobayashi's escorts. He informs them that if he sees them before the job "Miss Finneran will be the victim of a most gruesome violation before she dies." as well as adding threats to the relatives of the other men.

The four of them scout the location, Keaton concluding that the job can't be done as there will be too many men on the boat. They have no choice however, and McManus sets up as a sniper, and Hockney sets an explosive, while Keaton boards. Keaton tells Verbal not to go and to find Edie afterwards and tell her "I tried." Hockney, Keaton and Mcmanus all board and start firing killing everyone they run into. Hockney finds a van full of crates of cash, only to get shot from behind a moment later. McManus shoots holes in the fuel drums. Kujan breaks in and asks Verbal why he didn't run. Verbal says he "froze up."

Their conversation is interrupted when a file comes over on one of the deceased from the boat, who it turns out was an Argentinian guy who was ratting out 50 people, including Keyser Soze. Kujan is given more information which we don't hear.. He rejoins Verbal in the office and tells him. "There was no dope on that boat." Back on the boat, the night of the job, we see one passenger in a private room, screaming "He's here. That's him. You hear me? I'm telling you, it's Keyser Soze!" McManus and Keaton comb the boat eventually running into each other. Keaton screams to McManus that "There's no coke!" McManus resolves to leave and Verbal comes on board. The Argentinian screaming about Soze watches the door handle turn and a figure opens it and approaches, which terrifies him. He pleads "I told them nothing"just before being shot.   Keaton sees McManus walk out a door and fall over dead from a knife in his back. Looking at McManus' body, Keaton is shot from above. Verbal sees it happen.

Kujan starts getting rough with Verbal telling him he's lying. He asks why Verbal didn't help Keaton as he had a gun. Verbal says he was afraid as he knew it was Keyser Soze. "It was Keyser Soze, Agent Kuljan, I mean the Devil himself. How do you shoot the Devil in the back? What if you miss?" Verbal the recalls that the man walked down to the deck and shot Keaton again before dropping his cigarette to start the fuel on fire as he walked away. Kuljan breaks in, telling Verbal that the money wasn't for dope, but to  buy the guy who was going to identify Keyser Soze and their whole job was a hit. Kuljan suggests that Keaton was behind everything and was actually Keyser Soze. He also reveals that Edie Finneran was found dead yesterday, shot in the head. He suggest that Keaton manipulated all of them and chose to leave Verbal alive because he was weaker than the others. At Kujjan's prodding, Verbal changes his story and says "It was all Keaton. We followed him from the beginning." claiming Keaton suggested hitting the taki service rather than McManus. Kuljan tells Verbal again that they can protect him and reveals that his bail posted 20 minutes ago. He reminds Kuljan that 'I'm not a rat." and excuses himself.

At the hospital, they fax over the sketch of Soze to Baer and Kuljan. Rabin and Kuljan discuss finding Keaton as Verbal reclaims his possessions on the way out. Kuljan remarks on the mess in Rabin's office. Rabin insists there's a system "You just have to step back from it." Kuljan, examining the bulletin board, drops his coffee mug realizing that many details from Verbal's story were pulled right from there including the labelling from the maker of the bulletin board, "Quartet, Skokie, Il" the name "Redfoot" and "Kobayishi" which was on the bottom of Kuljan's own coffee mug. As he scans it, he recalls matching bits from Verbal's story. Kuljan starts running for the street, as Baer finds the fax which looks like Verbal. We see Verbal walk
down the street limping until his leg suddenly straightened and he walks normally stepping into a car which is waiting for him, driven by the man we saw as Kobayashi.


What About it?

The Usual Suspects is a great example of "the unreliable narrator."  Even at the end when a major piece of the puzzle is given, we aren't left with any certainty other than the fact that Verbal Kint is likely Keyser Soze. Everything else that we've seen is suspect, from character interactions, to details of jobs. While we can assume the jobs happened, as Verbal would know the police would be aware of them, if not who did them. Everything that he relates is related for effect. Verbal gave Kuljan the story he wanted to hear even allowing him to fit Keaton in as his version of Soze. Kuljan was easy to manipulate because he had already stated "I'm smarter than you." Kuljan was already trying to make his own story out of Verbal's testimony, simply by telling him what he wanted to hear, which was really just a long way to let him believe that Keaton wasn't dead and could be the mastermind behind everything.

The film plays with Kuljan's assumptions just like it plays with yours. We have to assume that Verbal is a character that took some devotion to create as he has an arrest record previous to the line up. The traits that Verbal makes most obvious are those intended to be remembered by all who meet him. He's referred to by others as "the cripple." as his "handicap" is intentionally prominent. It's interesting that his physical limitation causes others to draw immediate conclusions about his mental ability. In Kuljan's interrogation, he plays on the idea that Verbal is the weak and stupid one in the group. He hammers on this point, trying to use Verbal's (assumed) inferiority complex against him. Verbal eventually makes full use of this perception, telling Kuljan that he begged Keaton to do the job so that he himself could be accepted as well as the boat incident, where he portrays himself as a scared witness who Keaton would've left behind.

Keaton and the viewer are given no reason to doubt Verbal's mental ability. We're initially told that Verbal came up with the plan to hit the taxi service. We also know that he's a known con man, and that some of his cons have paid well. Yet his apparent cerebral palsy and somewhat meek nature (in comparison to the other criminals) causes Kuljan to forget any wariness about Verbal. He assumes that Verbal is lying, but he mistakes how Verbal is lying. Verbal's key to Kuljan is that he knows Kuljan believes he already knows everything and adds the "facts" as they're discovered as if they were his own discovery and not what was told to him. The only story that would satisfy Kuljan is that Keaton is still alive, and beyond that, that Keaton being alive is a puzzle that only he himself could possibly solve. Like most good con games, this one lets Kuljan con himself.  

The performances here help the story a lot, Gabriel Byrne in particular, by playing a character that could feasibly be a Keyser Soze. Even though most of what he does is at least a partial invention by Verbal, we know that Keaton is a resourceful and powerful underworld figure, enough so that Kuljan the customs agent is obsessed with catching him. Byrne creates a character that we know isn't telling us everything. When his cohorts question him "retiring" we question it as well as his relationship with a top notch criminal lawyer seems a bit too convenient. Byrne is portrayed as the driving force of the group, and his acting has enough gravity to pull it off without ever claiming it himself. We want Keaton to be Keyser Soze because he fits the profile of the criminal genius that never tips his hand, content to pull the strings while others think they're directing themselves (as Verbal is doing.) If not for Byrne's  performance, Verbal's story would not be satisfying.

Palminteri is great as Kuljan, a character with flaws so obvious you almost feel bad for him at the end. Obnoxious and arrogant, he's the mirror of the criminals portrayed, doing his job more for the sake of his own ego as any need for justice. His name dropping of dangerous criminals and predictable scare tactics make him ridiculously easy to read. When he mentions being friends with the notorious criminal "Ruby" we can see that he says this as much to impress as to intimidate. We can also imagine that "Ruby" might have a different idea about their relationship.

The supporting cast is all top notch as well. Even Stephen Baldwin shines here as hothead looking to get into trouble. Benecio Del Toro's Fenster adds some welcome color, seemingly more concerned with dressing well than anything else. We're not shown any real skill that isn't already on the team but his accent and idiosyncracies make him important as an element of distraction. Kevin Pollak's non stop aggressive stance is tremendously entertaining and there's also the terrific performance by Peter Postlewaite, who exudes intimidation. his character never raises his voice or even gets flustered when his own life could be in danger. The menace that he adds, so matter of factly, is vital to the story of Soze, who we must imagine is that much more terrifying by extension.

Bryan Singer did a great job meticulously assembling this puzzle. I enjoyed that the reality of Rabin's office was relatively mundane, messy and drab, in contrast to Verbal's stories which were exciting and tense worthy of an action movie. The attention to details, coming out in the reveal and playing the nuances of Byrne and Spacey's performances against each other was very effective and the bulletin board reveal combined with the "straightening leg" was a terrific one two punch.

Spacey delivers terrifically with an interesting role. He has to play Verbal convincingly in such a way that we believe later, he could be the mythical arch criminal. His looks of boredom have to also pass as calculating. He is essentially playing two characters at the same time, in layers. Verbal is not just a thrown together persona, but a completely different person created for specific effect. Everything about him in intentional while seeming casual. The reveal at the end with Spacey simply changing his walk to become Soze, suits the character perfectly as the main difference between Soze and Verbal is that slight shift in perception.

The idea of Soze is an interesting one. His main power is our uncertainty that he exists, and scattered stories reminding everyone, that they may not want to find out. We don't know how much power he really has, as most of his reputation is established only by Verbal's story, but we know a man in the hospital, believes he's the Devil himself, which is at least fairly convincing. We also know that in the opening scene, Keaton is comfortable enough to call him by his first name, as if they were familiar partners. Verbal's claims are at least partially substantiated by the file that's kept on rumors of him, and certainly his portrayal of Verbal, a character which allows him to act directly while staying indirectly involved is a convincing point in his favor, that and the ability to construct a believable story from pieces of a strange bulletin board. The most terrifying thing about him is that he pays attention and is fully aware of the power of myth.

Verbal says "the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." This is a powerful idea and one Soze has modeled his presence around. What's more dangerous than the unknown, and how can you size up an opponent you can't see or get a single fact about? The scariest thing about it is "the Devil" here pays attention and knows the story you want to hear. He doesn't need to put a lot of work into fooling you, he simply has to present you with "the gimp" and fuel your own assumptions, which are typically more than enough to blind any of us in one way or another. The comparison to "the Devil" is appropriate in that the myth has power whatever the facts may be.
There are other Devil sayings that can fit here as well, "the Devil is in the details" which is certainly supported here as Soze uses the details to their best effect. There is also "The Devil knows the Bible like the back of his hand." which would make sense to me. That appropriateness shows through by Verbal fooling the cops with their own cases and personal details, all of which could be as known to them as they are to him, but they just don't pay attention like he does. At the end of it all, we know very little to be true, other than the fact that Verbal/Soze is a remarkably dangerous guy and that our own assumptions can easily be used against us.

Scarface

What Happens

Tony Montana (Al Pacino) starts out as a Cuban refugee trying to enter the US with a boatload of other Cubans from Mariel, Cuba. He doesn't do well when being screened, the scar on his face and his aggressive attitude getting him sent to a processing camp called, "Freedom Town." Tony does take a moment to tell the screeners about how much he hates communism and asserting that he is a political prisoner.
Tony is angry about Freedom Town, and when his friend Manny (Steven Bauer,) who came over with him presents him with a proposition he's been given to kill a former aide to Castro, Emilio Rebenga, in exchange for green cards, Tony quickly agrees saying "I'd kill a communist for fun, but for a green card, I'm gonna carve him up real nice." Tony stabs Rebenga during a camp riot and they are quickly rewarded with their green cards and released from Freedom Town into Miami.

Tony and Manny go to work washing dishes at a Cuban food stand (which Tony is not happy about) until Frank, the man who ordered Rebenga killed sends his man Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham) to approach them. Omar offers Tony and Manny $500.00 apiece to unload a boat the next night. While Manny is pleased with the offer, Tony is insulted by the low pay, saying "$500.00, who do you think we are, baggage handlers?"The going rate on a boat is $1,000.00 a night, you know that." Omar makes fun of Tony and Manny's diswasher status, but Tony doesn't back down, threatening Omar with violence. Omar's partner stops him from grabbing his gun reminding him of another job. Omar offers Tony a job picking up cocaine from a Colombian guy named Hector for $5000.00. Omar gives them the money to buy the cocaine, as well as machine guns and warns them and warns them not to mess it up. When Omar leaves, Manny tells Tony he's pushing his luck, but Tony doesn't agree.

Tony and Manny put a crew together for the buy. Tony establishes that he will go in the hotel to do the buy while the others stay in the car with the money in the trunk. If he doesn't return in five minutes they're to assume something went wrong and come in for him. One of the crew, Angel, goes upstairs with Tony, while Manny and Chi Chi wait in the car. Tony doesn't like Colombians, and he gets quickly upset, when Hector tries to small talk and then tells him the cocaine is not in the room, but close by. Tony says "I don't have the money either, I have it close by too." Hector guesses it's in the car, but Tony says denies it.

Angel waits quietly just outside the open hotel room door and looking down on the street, sees that Manny is distracted by all the women in bikinis walking around. Tony gets more impatient saying "OK. You want me to come in, we start over again, man?" Hector tries to make small talk again, while one of his men sneaks up on Angel with a gun. When Hector says "I want to get to know you." TOny responds "You're gonna get to know me once you start doing business with me and stop fucking around, Hector."At that point Hector's man grabs Angel at gunpoint and ties him to the shower curtain rod while Hector holds a gun to Tony's chin. Despite the grim situation, Tony tells Hector, "You just fucked yourself."  Hector demand's Tony's cash, and he turns Tony's head to look at Angel. Hector tells him they'll kill Angel, then Tony.  Tony responds "Why don't you try sticking your head up your ass, see if it fits." Hector opens the briefcase with the cocaine in it (which is in the room) and reveals that it also holds a chainsaw. Manny meanwhile is chatting with a young blond at the car. Hector takes the chainsaw to Angel while Tony watches at gunpoint. When the blonde leaves Manny decides to go in. He and Chi Chi get the machine guns and head to the room. Manny is shot in the struggle but not seriously wounded while Tony chases Hector into the street and shoots him dead in front of a crowd. Tony, Manny and Chi Chi escape and Tony tells Omar the job is done, but "somebody fucked up" and he insists on bringing the cocaine to Frank Lopez himself rather than hand it to Omar.

Frank (Robert Loggia) welcomes them into his house. Tony offers Frank the money and the cocaine as "my gift to you." Frank rants about the job they've done for him. Frank mentions his girlfriend Elvira saying "she spends half her life dressing, the other half undressing." Frank offers to take them out to dinner, and they wait for Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) to be ready. Tony watches her make her way to the living room via a glass elevator, clearly captivated by her. Her greeting to Frank is less than warm, when he tells her he's hungry, she says "You're always hungry, you should try starving." Frank introduces Tony and Manny to Elvira, telling her they're going to the Babylon Club. Frank offers Tony advice pointing out people in the club. He tells Frank that one man is a "chazzer"
Frank: You know what a chazzer is?
Tony Montana: No, Frank, you tell me. What is a chazzer?
Frank: It's a Yiddish word for "pig." See, the guy, he wants more than what he needs. He don't fly straight no more.
He then tells Tony rule #1, "Don't underestimate the other guys greed." Elvira jumps in with rule number 2, which is "Don't get high on your own supply." Frank goes out of his way to be affable, telling Tony he's getting him new clothes, so they can start working together. He tells Tony he'll be working with Omar to bring a string of mules from Colombia. Tony makes it clear that he's ready to go, when Elvira cuts in saying "So do you want to dance Frank, or do you wanna sit here and have a heart attack?" Frank chooses the heart attack, but Elvira asks Tony to dance with her, which Frank encourages. With TOny and Elvira gone, Frank asks Omar, "What do you think of him" Omar says "I think he's a fucking peasant." Frank says "Yeah, but you get a guy like that on your side, he breaks his back for you."

Tony doesn't waste any time with Elvira trying to make small talk. Elvira dances with him but isn't into the conversation. He tells her "I'm just trying to be friendly." She says "I have enough friends. I don't need another, especially one that just got off a banana boat."
Tony: Banana boat? Hold it man, you got the wrong guy here. I don't come off no banana boat. Okay? You're thinking of someone else, man.
Elvira: Aren't you part of the Cuban crime wave?
Tony: What you talking crazy for man? I'm a political refugee. So take it easy. Don't talk crazy.
Elvira: Sorry. I didn't know you were so sensitive about your diplomatic status.
Tony Montana: Hey baby what is your problem? Huh, you got a problem? You're good looking, you got a beautiful body, beautiful legs, beautiful face, all these guys in love with you. Only you got a look in your eye like you haven't been fucked in a year!

Elvira: Hey, Jose. Who, why, when, and how I fuck is none of your business, okay?
Tony: Now you're talking to me baby. That I like! Keep it coming baby!
Elvira: Don't call me baby! I'm not your baby!
Tony: Not yet man. You've got to give me some time!
Elvira soon excuses herself after making her lack of interest clear.
Driving home Tony tells Manny, "She likes me." Manny tells her not to get mixed up with the boss's lady. Tony tells Manny that Frank is soft. Manny says "I say, be happy with what you've got." Tony answers "You be happy with what you've got. Me, I want what's coming to me. Manny asks "What's coming to you?" and Tony says "The world, Chico, and everything in it."


Tony and Manny pick up Elvira for Frank in a yellow cadillac with a leopard pattern interior which leaves Elvira mortified. Tony heads to the car dealership to buy a car she likes better. She gets impatient at the dealership and Tony hits on her. She asks him "What would Frank say?" To which, Tony responds "I like Frank, you know, only I like you better." Elvira shares some cocaine with him and he tries to kiss her. She says "Don't get confused Tony, I don't fuck around with the help."

Tony then visits his mother's house. She's initially surprised to see him him but appears reluctant to let him in, mentioning "no postcards from jail?" He sees his sister Gina in the house and gives her a present. She's overjoyed to see him. (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) Gina tells him she's going to work in a beauty parlor, but Tony tells her she doesn't have to and puts $1,000.00 on the table. His mother asks him who he killed for it and doesn't believe the story he makes up for his success, telling him "It's Cubans like you who are giving a bad name to our people!" She calls him a bum and swears off his money before kicking him out of the house. Tony leaves quietly and Gina follows him out, apologizing for their mother. He slips Gina some money and tells her not to show it to their mother. Manny watches their reunion and remarks to Tony, "She's beautiful!" Tony says "HEY! You stay away from her! She's not for you."

Tony and Omar have a meeting in Bolivia with Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar) to talk about distributing Sosa's drugs. Omar keeps referring all decisions back to Frank, who isn't there, while Tony keeps chiming in offering his own solutions as if he has the authority. Omar is getting irritated with Tony. When Sosa excuses himself to take a phone call, Omar tells him to keep his mouth shut and just watch his back. Tony starts up the conversation again but Omar talks over him getting angry in front of Sosa he reminds Tony he doesn't have the authority. Omar tells Sosa, he'll fly back and talk to Frank. Sosa offers his own jet which will bring him back in time for lunch tomorrow. Sosa then proposes that Tony stay behind while Omar talks to Frank. Omar is put on a helicopter and killed while Tony and Sosa watch. Sosa informs Tony that Omar was an informer years ago and asks Tony about his own loyalty. Sosa is satisfied with Tony, but expresses doubt about Frank for hiring Omar. Tony tells him that it could happen to anyone. He gives his word that he'll work things out with Frank. Sosa says "I'll tell you one time, Don't fuck me Tony, don't you ever try to fuck me."

Frank and Tony meet and Frank is angry that he made a deal without him and intimidated by the size of the deal. He tells Tony, "If you make a deal, it's on your own." Frank is worried about their competitors, but Tony tells him they have to expand. Frank says that Sosa is a snake and implies that Tony might know something he isn't telling. He refuses to call Tony a liar however, and tells Tony that he stole this deal with Sosa, and that he is keeping things as they are for now.

Tony visits Frank's house when Frank is out and finds Elvira there. He asks her to have a couple drinks with him. He tells her that they're not working together any longer. He asks Elvira how she feels about kids and she says she likes tham "as long as there's a nurse." She gets worried that Frank will be back soon, but Tony insists on talking to her and asks her to marry him and be the mother of his children. "What about Frank?" she asks. ony assures her that Frank is finished and tells her to think about it.

Tony and Manny visit the Babylon club, where Tony is upset to see Gina there. Before he can confront Gina, Tony is stopped by Bernstein (Harris Yulin,) a narcotics officer looking to be paid off not to hassle him. He tells Tony that for the monthly pay off they'll shake down people for him if he needs it. Tony makes the deal and sees that Frank and Elvira are there. He sits down with Elvira who tells him he's crazy. Frank returns, angry and orders him to leave. Tony tells Frank "The only thing in this world that gives orders is balls." Frank backs down and tells Elvira they're leaving. Tony realizes that Frank has given the cops information on him. Tony sees Gina with a guy and pursues them finding  them together in a men's room stall. Tony kicks the door open and tells Gina that if he catches her there again he'll "wipe you all over the fucking place." Gina insists that she'll do what she wants to do, and Tony slaps her when she says "If I wanna fuck em, I'll fuck 'em." Tony asks Manny to take her home and Gina starts coming on to Manny, although he's hesitant to admit he likes her. Gina says "What are you afraid of Tony huh?"

Tony sits at the night club where two gunmen watch him. They fire on him with machine guns sending the crowd running out. Tony gets shot but manages to kill them both. He calls his crew and arranges a meeting with Frank. Bernstein is also there but keeps quiet when Tony confronts him about the hit. Frank tries to blame the Diaz brothers offering to help him take care of it. Frank asks him why he has his gun out and Tony says he's just "paranoid." Frank takes a phone call which Tony arranged which is someone saying the hit failed. Frank pretends it's Elvira on the phone, confirming Tony's suspicion. Tony reminds Frank "Do you know what a chazzer is , Frank? That's a pig, that don't fly straight. Neither do you, Frank." Frank insists that he wouldn't hurt him, but Tony knows better. Frank asks Bernstein to do something, but he doesn't seem to care. He admits what he did and begs Tony to forgive him and asks for a second chance, offerring Tony ten million dollars to spare him. He grovels even offering Elvira and kneeling in front of Tony. Tony says "I won't kill you." which relieves Frank until Tony tells Manny to do it. Bernstein then tries to convince Frank that he'd warned Frank, but Tony isn't persuaded and kills Bernstein too. Tony goes to see Elvira in bed, explaining that Frank won't be back. He says "Go on. Get your stuff. You're coming with me." She gets her things.



Tony and Sosa are now making ridiculous amounts of money and he's a powerful figure in the city as illustrated by Tony's crew carting giant bags of cash to the bank. Tony and Elvira get married and Gina and Manny seem to have a secret understanding of their own. Tony buys a large estate, with expensive accesories like a portrait of him and Elvira, a surveillance system for the property, and his own tiger to keep chained in the yard. Success becomes the normal state of things. Tony has a disagreement with a bank officer, who explains that he can't give Tony more of a discount for laundering their money as the more he gives them, the more difficult it is to launder it.  Tony gets concerned about people coming after him and chastises Manny for not taking his security seriously enough. Tony argues with Elvira for doing too much cocaine, and she answers "Nothing exceeds like excess." and complaining that all he ever talks about is money and it's boring her.

Manny sets up a laundering deal with a guy named Seidelbaum to save them money from bank fees.Tony goes to the meet but it turns out that Seidelbaum is an undercover cop, and officers bust into the room arresting Tony. Seidelbaum reveals that the whole meet was videotaped. Tony gets bailed out and his lawyer tells him the best he can do is three years in prison and a delayed trial.

Tony meets with Sosa, who tells him they can take care of his legal problem if Tony can help them. Sosa has assembled some powerful figures from around the world. Sosa is concerned about a Bolivian  figure who is exposing him and his associates in public pointing out the key figures in the drug trade. Sosa proposes that his man Alberto, will assasinate the man but Tony will help him navigate in the US as he doesn't speak English. Tony agrees. In Miami, at an upscale restaurant, Tony tells Manny to keep an eye on the organization, as he has to go to New York (to escort Alberto) Tony calls Elvira a junkie, and she calls him on his own activities, telling Tony "We're losers." before walking out and telling Tony she's leaving him.Aware of everyone in the restaurant staring he addresses them:
"What you lookin' at? You all a bunch of fuckin' assholes. You know why? You don't have the guts to be what you wanna be? You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your fuckin' fingers and say, "That's the bad guy." So... what that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. So say good night to the bad guy! Come on. The last time you gonna see a bad guy like this again, let me tell you. Come on. Make way for the bad guy. There's a bad guy comin' through! Better get outta his way!"



Tony brings his henchmen to New York to escort Alberto, who places a bomb beneath the Bolivian journalist's car. Alberto explains that the hit is supposed to be in front of the united nations and that Tony needs to follow the car staying thirty meters behind. The journalist unexpectedly picks up his wife and kids giving Tony qualms as Tony doesn't kill people for no reason. Alberto insists and they follow the car. Tony sees the kids playing in the car window and drives too far behind, angering Alberto. Tony resents Alberto's methods and ends up losing his top and shooting Alberto rather than blow up the kids.

Tony calls home and finds that Manny has been gone for days, which makes him angry as he left Manny in charge. He also gets a message that his mother called saying Gina was missing and she wants to see him. When he returns he finds that Sosa has been calling every half hour. He talks to Sosa who wants to know what happened. Sosa reveals that the journalist gave a speech he shouldn't have made and that the car bomb has been found. He reminds Tony "I told you a long time ago, not to fuck me." Tony goes to see his mother who tells him Gina has her own place now and gives him the address. Tony goes there and finds Manny at the door in only a bathrobe. He sees Gina upstairs also in a bathroom and Tony then shoots Manny dead, horrifying Gina. Gina rushes over to Manny on the floor and tells Tony "We got married just yesterday. We were gonna surprise you." His henchmen convince Tony that he has to leave although he appears shocked.
They take Gina with them, still inconsolable.

Tony sits at his desk with huge amounts of cocaine. We see assassins swarming the property on the surveillance cameras behind Tony. Tony announces to his men that they're "going to war" with Sosa. Tony sits at the desk reflecting opening his patio door. His men see someone creeping into the building. Tony agonizes over Manny and Sosa's assassins start overrunning the place. Tony buries his nose in the cocaine and Gina lets herself in the office seeming strangely calm.The assasins creep closer to the patio door outside the office. Gina reaches her hand inside her robe and asks,
Gina: Is this what you want, Tony?...Huh, Tony? You can't stand for another man to be touching me. So you want me Tony, huh? Huh?
Tony: What you talkin'?
Gina: Oh, is that it? Huh? Here I am Tony.
[She reveals a pistol in her hand and shoots at Tony].
Gina: I am all your now, Tony, you see? I'm all yours now.
[shoots at Tony again]
Tony: Gina...
Gina: YOu better come and get me now.
Tony: Hold it. Come on.
Gina: Come on. Come and get me, Tony. YOu do it now before it's too late.
[Gina shoots again, hitting Tony in the leg.]
Gina: Oh come on Tony. Fuck me, huh?
[Fires again]
Gina: Fuck me Tony!
[Fires again]
She gets interrupted by the assasins outside who burst in and fire on her with a machine gun, in front of Tony. Tony rushes the man, throwing him from the roof into the pool below, where he fires his machine gun into him from above.Tony know sees the assasins coming from everwhere. He closes his office door and checks on Gina who is dead. He holds he body, sobbing, begging her to talk. He tells her that he loves Manny and her. TOny's men kill some of the assasins but they're quickly overrun. He watches from his cameras as one of his men is shot down while pounding on his office door. He starts watching the cameras and shoots his door with several of them outside it. He fires at the men below with his machine gun, getting shot himself but getting many of them. He looks through the smoke below from all the shots dropping his gun while they shoot at him exclaiming "You think you can kill me with bullets? I take your fucking bullets! Go ahead!" We see that a man with sunglasses is coming up behind him with a shotgun, while he focuses on the men below. The man blasts Tony and he falls dead into a pool below. we see that the pool is decorated with a sculpture which says "the world is yours" The man with the shotgun walks down the stairs and we see lots of bodies everywhere.



What About it?

 Scarface is a classic "rise and fall" movie, familiar from Greek myths and more recently from older Warner Brothers gangster movies, such as "Little Ceasar," "The Public Enemy" and the original "Scarface." There are many parallels to the original "Scarface" but this one is certainly its own story, as the circumstances and characters make it a completely contemporary. Oliver Stone wrote a smart screenplay which, although containing political elements, makes use of them only in how they affect the characters. The old gangster movies were natural rise and fall stories, based on characters such as Capone and Dillinger and  made great cautionary tales because they were based on true figures who were caught. The were also stories that were pulled out of headlines. Tony Montana may be a fictitious character but much of his world is real enough.

It was against the rules in early Hollywood to have a movie about a gangster show the rise without the fall. Scarface departs from the conventional and once mandated idea that "crime doesn't pay" and makes the inevitable fall a result of the man's own self destructive limitations rather than the prowess of law enforcement. His fall comes, because he is badly flawed, and still isn't happy at the top. Crime doesn't pay here, but more due to character than law. As unbelievable as it seems by today's standards, Scarface had it's share of controversy and had to wrestle with an X rating due to it's frank and graphic language and some, at the time, brutal scenes.

The idea "The World is Yours" pops up many times in the film and invites us to ask what that really means. Scarface is often mentioned as a dark reflection on the American dream, it's certainly a look at capitalism in its raw form. Tony Montana mentions his hatred for communists many times, mostly that he doesn't like "being told what to do." Drug dealers are often seen as alternative entrepreneurs and this is a good example of that. Tony Montana's main desire is to be successful, and he's willing to sacrifice everything to achieve it. Tony starts out with nothing at all but his attitude. His rise is only possible because no one calls him on it, and he gradually builds up the power to make bigger threats and bigger profits. He assumes that everyone is corrupt (and here he's mostly right) and that anything can be solved with enough money and power. He can't imagine that there's a limit to how far he can go. The choice of making Tony Montana an immigrant is an interesting one, as the American Dream, to him is not just a freedom he takes for granted, but a radical solution to the frustrations in his life. The very idea of the American Dream is largely due to the aspirations and journeys of immigrants. Tony's insistence that he is a political refugee is not without merit. His real struggle is to enter another "class" by force, which under communism, would not be possible and even in America, is certainly not easy.

His boss at one time, Frank is a good contrast to Montana. He has built his own American Dream, making money, appearing succesful and powerful. Frank is not however particularly ruthless and Tony and Frank end up at odds when Tony's belief that they need to expand conflicts with Frank being comfortable where he is. Frank is shown a couple of times trying to impress Tony with his own bluster, only to back down quickly before he goes too far. Frank doesn't ever get his hands dirty, whereas Tony is always a part of his own dirty work. To Tony, settling for the place you already have is practically communism. All he can imagine is the constant pursuit of "more." and in his case it'll never be enough.

Tony's friend Manny is closer to Frank than Tony in philosophy, but this doesn't bother Frank because that's fine for the second in charge. Tony's relationship with his sister illustrates Tony's mentality well, and she's not wrong when she accuses Tony of wanting her for himself. Whether or not Tony can possess her, she is his family and closest "possession"  and it's enough for him that nobody else can have what is his. When Manny remarks that she's beautiful, Tony has to add in his caution "She's not for you." which implies that she is for someone, meaning himself. He can't deal with this represented literally however, as we see, when Gina confronts him at the end. One of Tony's biggest problems is he doesn't know what possessions mean.

Tony's wife Elvira, is another statement about his status. While he certainly sees that she's beautiful, it would seem that some of her allure is the fact that she's with his boss, the "forbidden fruit" much like the idea of he himself becoming wealthy. She is immediately something he must possess because he can't have it. At their first meeting he makes an advance, not caring what consequences this could have. This is the same way he views success, he starts out in a position with little chance of acheiving anything other than a modest life, or possibly being sent back to Cuba. He needs the success because he can't have it and realizes that such an unlikely goal is not likely to happen without bold moves.

Tony Montana is completely unapologetic about his goals and interests. He won't accept being talked to with disrespect by anyone and doesn't respect the channels that most people follow, prizing "making your own moves." above all else. He makes his way to the "top" very quickly, but once there, he wonders what the point was, as his relationships disintegrate, and he's busy just maintaining things as they are. He's also reminded that his "top" isn't really the top as he's still susceptible to a police sting operation and to the needs of Sosa. He starts out claiming some principles such as "I never fucked anybody over that didn't have it coming." yet he ends up destroying every person that means anything to him. Huis principle is largely worthless as he can find ways to reason that anybody "has it coming."

DePalma creates an elaborate world firmly rooted in reality, the Cuban camp "Freedom Town" and the seedy hotel and street scenes are as convincing as Tony's later luxurious settings. In fact the luxury almost seems effectively unconvincing, in that it's too much to be believed, which makes perfect sense for Tony's character. Tony knows nothing of wealth, except what he can imagine so it's no wonder that his luxurious life looks tacky. Tony quickly changes clothes from dishwasher attire to expensive suits we see that Tony is always the same restless egomaniac. Stone's script blends the details of reality well with the fictional characters, making everyone feel remarkably authentic.

The comfortability of luxury makes Tony seem a man out of place. Pacino is perfect in this role, as evidenced by the number of Tony Montana imitations I've seen over the years. He completely established a real character down to the Cuban accent and speech patterns. Pacino is only Tony Montana here.

Robert Loggia is also great, as a man so drunk on his own status and power that he's completely oblivious to what people really think. His first scene with Tony at the nightclub is a great picture of someone overselling his own affability. His mental condescenscion to Tony leaves him badly exposed, which he of course pays for. It's fitting that he tells Tony not to "underestimate the other guy's greed." as that's the rule which undoes him. Even when trying to have Tony hit, we get the sense that it's more out of hurt than any malice, because Tony so quickly eclipsing his operation challenges his own status. If not for that he would likely co exist with Tony indefinitely, as he does happily with his other competitors.

Michelle Pfeiffer does a tremendous job here, despite being largely an unknown at the time. Her character is complex for her relatively small amount of screentime. She's attracted to success and content to be a trophy, provided she gets the comfort she needs, including cocaine. Her acerbic nature is a futile stab against the idea that she is property, which she undermines completely by throwing in with Tony, the moment Frank has been deposed. She isn't ultimately happy with either Frank or Tony, conveying both relationships more as arrangements. Of course, her excessive cocaine habit doesn't fix anything. She's the only one, however, to come to her senses, when she tells Tony "We're losers." finally having had enough misery dressed as success.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is also amazing for her few scenes. She convincingly shows us a girl content with a meager existence, who is instantly lured into "better" things. She's too naive for the world she's in, as Manny points out when he suggest to her that a guy who brings her to a bathroom stall to make out doesn't really "know how to treat a woman" She's blinded by the idea of having more and is happy to be a part of Tony's success not caring how he got it. In Manny she sees a "safer" version of success, but even if Manny had lived she would still be facing the same problems.Her final scene confronting Tony with little more than a bathrobe and a gun is one of the most powerful in the film.

Tony rides to the top on pure bluster and aggression, only to learn that there are still people more powerful and that having the things he wanted leaves him wanting, only more so, because his wants are now indefinable. He's used to "getting" and there's nothing left to get. Once money and things become pointless and you have the girl you wanted but don't want her anymore, where do you go next? His family is destroyed, along with all friendship, which leaves him nothing but a lot of expensive space to pace around in and plenty of cocaine which doesn't seem to help.

Tony knows nothing but to charge ahead, which is a useless talent when you're facing the wall. It's telling that in the end, despite numerous gunshots, Tony is put down by a shot from behind. His greatest strength was that he wouldn't back down, but that's useless when there's a shotgun behind you. So Tony does get "the world and everything in it," but the everything in it is more than he can handle. His own world is pretty limited, proving the same from beginning to end, his refusal to be "told what to do" is what gets him where he is and also what brings him down. He ends the same guy he started, only adding some possible regret, although not enough. He gets the world and everything in it, but we realize as he does that he missed a few important things along the way. All in all, a compelling story of an ugly man who could never be happy, however rich, living in his own skin. In Scarface's America you can "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" but there are consequences to the methods.