Scarface
Director: Howard Hawks
Year Released: 1932
Rating: 3.5
Paul Muni, though young and none-too-articulate, starts off as an assistant to a wannabe mobster and then decides he doesn't want to be delegated to the role of a strong arm - he wants to run the show himself. It's necessary to look past the dated trappings and pointed "statements" about the "nature" of crime to really appreciate how good this really is - all of the performances work (with the exception of Ann Dvorak, who almost succeeds in ruining the last scene of the movie) and the dialogue absolutely crackles (as is expected from Hawks and writer Ben Hecht). Paul Muni is downright brilliant as the lead - he's playing a "version" of Al Capone - and single-handedly carries the picture. Quick aside: ever notice how criminals in movies (I'm thinking the older ones in particular) are usually portrayed as not only antisocial and ethically corrupt, but sexually corrupt as well - case in point: Scarface's endless obsession with his sister.
