10 Reasons Why The Scarface Remake Shouldn't Happen

8. The Female Characters (Or Lack Thereof)

Like many mob or gangster films, the women in Scarface don't really do much. Michelle Pfeiffer and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are both very capable actors, and De Palma's film was largely responsible for launching the former's career. But aside from her outburst in the restaurant, Elvira Hancock is just a trophy wife, and Gina Montana contributes very little to the plot aside from wounding Tony before the big shoot-out. Crucially, they feel less like fully-rounded characters and more like events or obstacles that the male characters have to deal with. It's tempting to think that in 2014 we have moved on from this, but barely a week goes by without a story about the paucity of decent female characters in Hollywood films. Sure, not every filmmaker is as openly misogynistic as Michael Bay, but there's precious little to suggest that any new version of Scarface would address this issue. Hollywood may not apply the Bechdel test as rigidly as Sweden does, but they should certainly think twice before writing in more empty female characters.