Gangster films are full of bloody, violent moments. Sonny Corleones assassination at the toll both? Squib heaven. Mr Orange bleeding for about an hour. Pints of the stuff. Carlito Brigante trying to escape New York? A bullet-ridden nightmare. Actually, its the director of that last film, Carlitos Way, that gives us this entry on the list. Scarface was a remake of a Paul Muni thirties classic. Whereas that was a semi-autobiographical account of Al Capone, here director Brian De Palma, thanks to screenwriter Oliver Stone, gave us a blood-soaked violent gangster classic that was almost the antithesis of Coppolas calm, suit-wearing businessmen. Tony Montana is a whirlwind of violence and coke. From an initial assassination of a former Castro aide to the shooting of Robert Loggias backstabbing Frank Lopez, Montana takes no prisoners in his ascent to the top of the food-chain. Think of any key scenes in the film and chances are theyll be drizzled in blood. The Babylon Club assassination attempt when a bizarre Frank Sidebottom hybrid gets mown down. The headshot to Alberto before the UN assassination attempt. Finally of course, there is the mansion takedown where Tony, coked up and weaponised to the hilt, takes on a Bolivian army. Obviously, this is without mentioning one of the most infamous tracking shots of all time as Montana is part of a botched drug deal with Hector the Toad. As Tony is chained up in the shower he has to watch his friend Angel dismembered by a chainsaw before Manny appears with an Uzi and Tony gets his revenge. Everyone thinks De Palma and Stone created this violent little scene but just read the original 1930 novella by Armitage Trail and youll find a torture room scene that far surpasses what was finally put on the screen. Nasty and violent...and thats just a description of Tony Montana.
