Why "Scarface" with Tom Hardy is scolded by everyone, but it's not a bad movie

Director Josh Trunk has every chance of getting the title of Hollywood's biggest loser. In 2015, he directed one of the most disastrous films ever - the reboot of Fantastic Four. The picture, the very production of which turned into a disaster, was scolded by literally everyone, and the box office did not even recoup the cost of filming.

After that, Trunk was depressed for a long time and only a couple of years later he took up an unusual biographical tape about Al Capone, inviting Tom Hardy to the main role. But this film also had problems. Hardy went into other projects, filming was postponed. The work was completed only in 2020. Just when the coronavirus pandemic broke out in the world, which brought down mass rental.

As a result, the film, called "Capone", and in the Russian localization - "Scarface", is released immediately in digital format. And critics scold him with might and main. At the time of writing, the Rotten Tomatoes rating wasCapone only 38%. Viewers' ratings are slightly higher - Tom Hardy fans are ready to forgive a lot. But before the phenomenon of "Venom", when the critics smashed the picture, and the fans provided it with great fees and ratings, the tape is very far away.

But in fact, "Scarface" is a very unexpected and quite interesting film, which just had no luck.

Psychedelic drama instead of crime

In 1932, the court sentenced the famous Al Capone to 11 years in prison. Moreover, it was not possible to prove his involvement in murders and other brutal crimes. Condemned gangster for non-payment of taxes. In prison, Capone developed syphilis and other diseases that greatly affected his mind. When he was released, he went to live out his days in the family mansion in Florida.

The film Scarface tells about the last year of the criminal's life (strictly speaking, Capone really had such a nickname because of a knife wound). The aged gangster, whom his family calls Fonzo, is feeling worse and worse. He pees in his pants and loses his memory.

But Capone has one secret associated with a large amount of money. Everyone around her is trying to find out: the FBI, vigilantly watching the house, the attending physician and even relatives. And the biggest problem is that Fonzo might have revealed his secret to someone. But he himself forgot about it.

Already in the plot of the plot lies the first deception of expectations. Everybody expects a traditional picture from a painting called "Capone" (and even more so, "Scarface"). criminal a drama about a cruel criminal, even if he has grown old.

But Trunk offers a completely different genre. In this film, Fonzo is downright pathetic. He still tries to command others, but in fact he cannot cope even with his own needs.

However, this is not just the story of a villain getting what he deserves. The thing is that the plot is presented from the position of an "unreliable storyteller" - through the perception of Capone himself. And he often confuses reality with hallucinations and memories.

Therefore, everyday drama develops into outright psychedelic: scenes of bloody showdowns are instantly replaced by the calmness of the bedroom, and an ordinary trip to the toilet turns into a surreal trip. And there will be a lot of such surprises throughout the film.

The balance of the tragic and the funny

The director knowingly took the story of one of the most famous criminals in US history. According to various information, up to 700 people died from the actions of his gang. Capone personally killed about 40. So one can hardly speak of at least some kind of sympathy for the hero. Therefore, all his suffering is shown with a grain of irony.

From the very first shots, Fonzo appears as a clumsy aging man who growls more often with displeasure than speaks. And literally everything he does turns into absurdity. This villain makes children laugh rather than frighten them. From a certain moment, his unchanging cigar turns into a comic element.

The evil irony reaches its apotheosis in the scene where Capone again picks up the machine gun, as if returning to his heyday. He's just dressed in a robe and a diaper.

But in a strange way, even in the history of such a person, there is a place for almost touching moments. Probably because Trunk, in addition to crime and the detective component, takes on topics that are clear to everyone: aging, illness, close relationships.

This does not mean that a particular hero deserves empathy and forgiveness. It's just that some of the scenes will surely sound familiar to anyone who has had to look after aging relatives. And in any case, a person's loss of reason and the transformation of a strong man into a child who can hardly draw pictures is a tragic sight.

Reincarnation of Tom Hardy and other actors

It's no secret that many will watch this film solely for the sake of the leading actor. And he's really good here. At first it may seem that for such an image, Tom Hardy too young and lively eyes. But Capone was not much older than the actor. It was not age that ruined him, but illness.

Hardy completely got used to the character, perfectly balancing on the verge of comical grotesque and real experiences of the hero. It is felt that his Fonzo cannot come to terms with his condition and is even more angry about it. Sometimes you want to complain about the quality of the makeup, but the artist's talent compensates for all the little things.

He is accompanied by no less wonderful actors. Capone's wife was played by Linda Cardellini, who is now starring in Dead to Me. The legendary Kyle McLachlen got the role of the doctor. And he perfectly copes with the image of a charming deceiver, as if he is again ten years younger.

And Matt Dillon (his look will be remembered for a long time by everyone who watched "The House That Jack Built" Lars von Trier) got the role of the gangster's friend, Johnny. Not very big, but incredibly emotional and important.

Already this striking ensemble, which still has many good artists, shows that "Scarface" cannot be downright bad.

Uneven genre and lack of answers

However, with all the pluses, the picture also has problems that are worth talking about. The balance of genres mentioned and the strange structure of the plot will not appeal to everyone. Comedic sometimes prevents scenes from developing into a full-fledged drama. And the dark moments are frankly prolonged.

But more importantly, trying to stick to a realistic framework prevented the writers from making the plot more coherent and complete. The line of Capone's son ends with a seemingly touching, but too chaotic. The detective part ends in mid-sentence, leaving only a few hints.

At the same time, the picture corresponds poorly to documentary facts: most of the action here is fictional, and the characters are very superficially copied from real prototypes. And as a result, the plot is lost somewhere between genres: it will certainly be scolded by both fans of crime and amateurs thrillers about mind games.

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Unlike the frankly bad Fantastic Four, Josh Trunk's new film is even insulting. Of course, the picture could have been much better. Like almost any long-term construction, Scarface looks too uneven and unfinished.

Yet it is an interesting story, presented from an unexpected point of view and with considerable irony. And Tom Hardy covers almost any flaws. You just need not to expect the picture to match the classic "Scarface" and other gangster stories, it is about something completely different.