Scarface (1932)

SYNOPSIS

The explosion of gangster films in the first years of the Depression reaches a violent, incendiary crescendo with this classic from Hawks. Also known as "The Shame of a Nation," this follows the rise of a power-mad, ruthless killer (Muni) as he murders his way to the top of the Chicago gangs. Writer Hecht drew on his Chicago newspaper experience and Hawks received plenty of advice from real mobsters to create what was clearly a portrait of Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, and Bugs Moran and the killing sprees that enraged and fascinated the public. From the first scene, it's clear that Muni is a remorseless murderer, stupidly arrogant, rather than the rakish outlaws that Hollywood was in the process of mythologizing. He first kills on order from his boss, Perkins, but soon goads Perkins into rubbing out his boss, Vajar. Muni soon turns the gun on Perkins and takes over his operation and his moll, Morley. Throughout, Muni and his friend Raft have a running battle with North Side gang boss Karloff, a duel that culminates in a slaughter modeled after the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. When Muni discovers that Raft has been living with Dvorak, Muni's sister, with whom he has a near-incestous attachment, he kills his only friend and then faces, sniveling, the guns of the cops. Hawks pushes the action as fast as the bullets fly, using innovative camera moves and insisting on realism, with live machine-gun fire used to decimate sets and multiple car crashes. The result was a box office smash (it was also popular with its subjects; Capone himself owned a print) and both Muni and Raft became instant stars, but it also created a tangle with the censors. Hughes released both Hawks's cut, which depicts Muni's ignominious death in a gutter, and a version that has Muni tried and sentenced to death. The laserdisc contains both the original ending and the Motion Picture Producers' Association ending. Remade with Al Pacino in 1983.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).