Tony Montana (Scarface)

Tony Montana. The epitome of anti-heroes.

Scarface, originally released in 1980, was met with mixed reviews, but has withstood the test of time and is now widely regarded as a classic. I believe the reason the movie was not so well received is because the film's intended audience was not movie critics. Critics are relatively affluent middle class white people. This movie is the american dream for all immigrants and non-caucasian people living in America.

It is a rags to riches story of a Cuban immigrant who leaves his home country after the communist revolution seeking a better life in America.

Why do I include Tony Montana on my list of great characters to draw inspiration from in your own writing? Well first of all Tony Montana is a cultural icon. If this picture is shown to anybody in the Western world, they would surely know that it was from the movie scarface. Any movie that resonates so strongly in the public psyche merits further investigation.

So, Tony Montana is a character in the vein of other mob stories, though to me, the type of story being told has a strong resemblance with the rise of Vito Corleone in Godfather 2. We see Tony's story from when he has entered America and how he manages to change lifestyles from flipping burgers in a van to heading a criminal enterprise worth millions.

Tony's mindset is constant throughout the entire movie. He is the same person as he was when he got off the boat to when he eventually meets his demise in the final scene of the movie. The story spends no time trying to find a confused Tony wrestling with his inner demons about the life choices he has made, unlike, say in the Sopranos. The movie seems to show that Tony Montana is comfortable being the person he is during the entire movie. Whatever growing pains he must have had to reconcile his own character flaws, were done long ago in Cuba. This self-assuredness is what helps Tony achieve such success in such a short time, even if it does cost him his life.

Tony Montana can definitely be seen as a counter-cultural hero. He achieved massive success without needing or wanting to do it the expected way, i.e legally. Tony speaks English in a thick Cuban accent. He reaches America, it seems in his late twenties or thirties. He has no connections within the States who may help him get a leg up. And he still strikes it rich, in the only way he can; with 'his word and his balls'. This dream story resonates with the many other immigrants whose life story parallels with The first arc of the Scarface story. Though most do not have the amorality or constitution to follow Tony's life in any way, to see somebody of their background able to live in a mansion with a beautiful American for a wife is inspirational to see.

The interesting thing to note about Tonys character is that his character/ personality is unchanging, and by strength of his person, along with a modicum of luck, he is able to achieve great things. His unchangeability is eventually his downfall, however, as he refuses to live by anybody elses rules.

For me, what I take from this character is that you do not have to expl