“The world is yours!”
No, this isn’t a Nas quote. Actually, it is, but Nas’ inspiration drew from a classic film that has found itself in the light of being remade. I’ve never been a huge fan of remaking classics, but I am a person who stands behind creative new ideas on familiar topics. "Scarface" is in the process of being remade into a movie that is relative to our times.
Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Magnificent Seven, Southpaw, etc.) looks like he will be the man to take another classic film into a different perspective. This remake would make this the second time “Scarface” has gone through a remake. Not many people know, but “Scarface” is originally a 1932 movie about an Italian mobster who runs the gun trade in Chicago. It didn’t find huge success until Brian De Palma found light in reimagining the film and introducing the world to Tony Montana.
The film would then tell the story of a Cuban immigrant who runs the Miami drug trade. The 1932 film and 1983 film are clearly very different, but the general idea is there: a societal pariah finds insurmountable success through illegal trading.
Both films were able to touch upon issues and details that were very relevant to those eras. However, this is why I have mixed feelings about this latest remake.
The original “Scarface” was a good film, but Brian De Palma’s take on it has reached near legendary status when it to comes to acceptance. Antoine Fuqua is faced with a daunting task of trying to bring this latest “Scarface” into a similar level of acceptance, and it is safe to assume that the film will be heavily compared to Brian De Palma’s film.
Antoine Fuqua has given his thoughts on the newest script for the movie: “I read the script they have and it’s actually really interesting and very timely. We’re dealing with a lot of stuff now coming out of Mexico. And again, we still have those issues dealing with the ‘American Dream,’ and the fact that the game is rigged, right? It’s not really an even playing field, but the promise is that it I s. The promise is that everyone gets a fair shot, but that’s not always the case. So, that’s always relevant, and right now with what’s happening in Mexico, which is where [the main character] comes from – he comes out of Mexico – that’s relevant, especially when you’ve got people talking about putting up walls and other kinds of stuff. We’re still dealing with immigration, we’re still dealing with what would turn someone into Scarface.”
This is where I feel a bit conflicted. It doesn’t sound like it will too different from the 1983 classic version of the movie, but the fact that it is so relevant to our time right now with the issues with Mexico, border control, and the drug war is what makes me think it will be a good film.
I am simply afraid of yet another rehashing of a movie. Tony Montana’s story would fit the script description that Antoine Fuqua gives if he were simply Mexican instead of Cuban.
I don’t have many other ideas about this new movie’s plot, but the difference seems like it will rely on the character development. Maybe the main character will have a different attitude towards life and a different approach to it all. Who knows? We can only sit and wait until filming starts and we get a nice trailer to tease us.
Fuqua has already done a remake of the classic western "Magnificent Seven", and it has been well received by most with a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, but this new remake is one that will be scrutinized for sure, and I hope it can live up to its predecessors' reputations.
