American Dream Self-Destructing: Scarface, Essay Example

Many films rely on the American dream as their theme, and this has been a reality for decades. While classic movies like Citizen Kane and The Best Years of Our Lives present alternating dark and positive ideas as to the nature of the dream, it seems that most films addressing the theme have a lesson to teach, and one going to an actual mistaking or perversion of the dream itself.  This is especially true of the 1983 remake of Scarface, written by Oliver Stone and directed by Brian De Palma. Cuban immigrant Tony Montana, through boldly moving within the Miami crime and drug culture, achieves great wealth and power, but the dream he himself cherishes is destroyed by virtue of the actions he takes and the nature of his criminal world.  He gains the outer benefits of the American dream, but everything is lost because he never understands the simplicity of the dream, and he expects happiness through merely taking what he desires, and through extremes of violence.  As the following explores, Scarface is a perfect example of how a misguided idea of achieving happiness goes to the self-destruction of the American dream and the dreamer.

Discussion

From the beginning of Scarface, one theme dominates, and that is hero Tony Montana’s intense ambition to create an empire, and gain great power and wealth. This is from the start his vision of the American dream, and he is willing to do virtually anything to achieve it.  A refugee in a Miami camp for Cubans, Tony and his friend Manny learn that they can acquire green cards if they assassinate a former Cuban government official, and they willingly do this.  Tony and Manny find work as dishwashers but, even as Manny is less ambitious than his friend, Tony is disgusted by the life and demands far more.  He makes it clear that he is destined for great things, which goes to his fixed idea that gaining money and power are essential to the American dream. Opportunity presents itself with the appearance of Omar Suarez. He works for drug lord Frank Lopez, who had ordered the assassination of the Cuban official, and Tony and Manny are sent to negotiate a drug deal with visiting Colombians. The exchange becomes intensely violent, Tony’s friend Angel is dismembered with a chainsaw, and Manny rescues Tony as they kill the Colombians and escape. Tony’s willingness to do anything to capture his idea of the American dream is all the more reinforced, especially as, when he is taken to meet with Lopez, Tony dismisses the horrific scene with the Colombians as “fun.”  In plain terms, there is no point in the film in which Tony is not keeping an eye open for whatever will advance him in the criminal world of drug dealing, and give him the power and wealth he completely equates to success.

As Tony proves to be an asset to Lopez, he then has money to spend and a growing confidence in moving ahead.  These things in place, he visits the modest home of his mother and sister, bringing money and gifts, and bragging to his mother about how he has in fact achieved success in America. While his sister is pleased, however, his mother, knowing the nature of Tony’s business, dismisses him with contempt. This is a crucial scene, in terms of Tony’s conception of the American dream. He cannot comprehend his mother’s outrage, just as she apparently believes that hard work and getting by are blessings for Cuban refugees, and that decency and abiding the law are essential to being an American. The sister, Gina, is more vulnerable to Tony’s way of thinking, and at least partially shares his ideas that the American dream relies on spending money and having a good time.

In short order, Tony quickly becomes a top man in Lopez’ criminal empire, and Lopez seeks to elevate him further as he takes pleasure in treating Tony like a friend.  Lopez, however, underestimates Tony’s ambition; for Tony, even being esteemed by a major drug lord is not enough, and he behaves in ways indicating a ruthless agenda to take whatever he can get, and better secure his vision of the American dream.  This includes Elvira, Frank’s girlfriend.  Tony courts her blatantly, even as she dismisses him as a “hired hand” and directly insults him.  What is important here is Tony’s perception of Elvira.  She is blonde and beautiful, and taking her away from Frank is more a matter of gaining another possession, or piece of the dream, rather than any real love. To acquire the beautiful woman and have children with her is, in Tony’s eyes, necessary for the state of content he feels will be his, so the pursuit of Elvira actually has a strong transactional quality to it. Without question, it is reflective of Tony’s distorted idea of how happiness and the American dream exist.

Tony’s ambition then dominates further when he and Omar are sent to Bolivia to meet with Sosa, a cocaine drug lord of immense power.  Tony negotiates a deal with Sosa on the spot, to the objections of Omar. Sosa, however, executes Omar and asserts that he is a traitor, and he also seeks to create a trust relationship with Tony.  Back in Miami, Frank is outraged by Tony’s daring to make such a deal.  A corrupt law enforcement agent extorts bribe money from Tony, and there is an assassination attempt made on him in the same nightclub scene. Tony escapes, however, and the tables have turned.  Tony now has more power; he openly defies Frank’s authority, his behavior more reveals his ruthless ambition, and he has Frank killed.

As Tony now becomes the premier drug lord in Miami, his paranoia grows. He is often disgusted by Elvira’s drug use, blaming it for her inability to become pregnant.  He seeks to control his sister, who he feels is being corrupted by her own desires for a good time.  Essentially, and while at the top of his empire, Tony evinces an increasing restlessness and dissatisfaction.  He trusts no one, he must deal with rising rates from money launderers, and the threat of assassination is constant.  He has achieved what he desired from the start, yet this misguided version of the American dream is intensely flawed.  When Tony faces charges for tax evasion and other charges, Sosa offers to help, but only if Tony arranges the murder of a journalist about to expose Sosa. This goes badly because Tony is unwilling to see the man’s wife and children die in the planned bombing of his car.  Ultimately, then, Sosa sends men to kill Tony, but not before Tony kills Manny and his sister is shot to death by Sosa’s men.  Tony dies, ironically at the foot of a statue inscribed, “The World Is Yours.” Within only a few years, Tony gains everything he believes  to be critical to the American dream, but his warped vision of that dream must result in his self-destruction.

Conclusion

in a very real sense, Tony’s destiny in Scarface is revealed from the beginning, and because this man has a highly distorted view of what leads to contentment.  For Tony, only power matters, and the reward – the American dream – is such that the most base and violent actions are reasonable.  In simple terms, he mistakes the advantages of criminal power and wealth for fulfillment, which is the core of the real American dream, and he dies never understanding this truth.  Scarface is then a perfect example of how a grossly misguided idea of achieving happiness goes to the self-destruction of the American dream, and the “dreamer” himself.

References

De Palma, Brian (Director). (1983). Scarface (Motion picture). United States: Universal Pictures.