MovieChat Forums > Scarface (1983) Discussion > Is Tony Montana likeable, in your opinio...

Is Tony Montana likeable, in your opinion?


Despite being a criminal who does illegal and wrongful deeds including killing other people, maybe even occasionally those who don't always "deserve" it etc, do you find him likeable? Or is he mostly an unlikable antagonist/main villain of the movie and SPOILERS - you probably didn't feel sorry for him getting killed at the end either.

Correct?

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He's a yankee, just like you

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Well, I myself am a Russian/British 36 year old white male. :)

But question is, as a main movie character, how likeable or not is he?

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[deleted]

He’s a classic antinero — a bag guy, in the final analysis, who nonetheless possesses some redeeming or admirable qualities. His rise to the top of the criminal world in Miami is exciting and there’s a sliver of tragedy in his epic fall.

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No, not really.

His tenacity and determination are admirable, but other than that he has very few endearing or laudable traits. I guess his general toughness? Confidence, maybe, but he's too confident; it's more like arrogance. He has some charisma, of course, which is partly why we'll watch him for the whole movie - although some of that is just that it's a well-told story.

But let's take a look at his bad side:

He's disloyal. He undermines his boss and makes passes at the boss' wife.

He's a bad friend. Think about how he treats his "best friend". Good? Nope.

He's a worse husband. After he wins over the boss' wife, he just seems to resent her. Granted, she's not a super-nice person, either. Still...

He's a terrible brother/son. He brings horrors down on his family.

He doesn't even take care of himself; he just sinks into a quagmire of self-indulgence that is the root cause of all his other problems. Ultimately, he's selfish. That selfishness poisons everything in his life.

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No. Tony Montana is a prize twat.

If he wasn’t played by buckets-of-charm Pacino everyone would disregard him as probably the most unlikeable protagonist ever.

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"If he wasn’t played by buckets-of-charm Pacino everyone would disregard him as probably the most unlikeable protagonist ever."
But then, even WITH that fact in mind, and Pacino DID play villains on occasions too (remember "Devil's Advocate" (1997)?).

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In a kind of way this famous scene all sums it up.

The Bad Guy Speech 😎​
What you're lookin' at? You're all a bunch of fuckin' assholes. You know why? You don't have the guts to be what you wanna be. You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your fuckin' fingers and say, "That's the bad guy". So...what's that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me? I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. So say good night to the bad guy! Come on. The last time you gonna see a bad guy like this again, let me tell you. Come on. Make way for the bad guy. There's a bad guy comin' through! Better get outta his way!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW37AGZ0Pj0

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He was really likeable as the devil - charming, elegant and funny. Tony Montana is a tougher sell because he’s extremely obnoxious and behaves like a jerk to everyone, but Pacino still manages to give him a twinkle in his eye.

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It’s a wildly entertaining portrayal of a complete scumbag.

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No. He's a no good stinking jerk from start to finish.

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Realistically no. Al Pacino made him charismatic so we do like he character, but in reality he was a despicable human being (even though I love the movie)

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No, he was a very bad person. His mother was on the right side of things

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