Movies Scarface vs. Taxi Driver - Which is the better film?

[HaulParris]

Scarface is rewatchable because it's in the "so bad it's good category" for me, along with Starship Troopers, That Thing You Do, Dune (84), etc.

Taxi Driver is a masterpiece, and a very dense one, that does not give the predictable enjoyment of a mainstream movie - the narrator is unreliable, the romantic relationships (such as they are) are disturbing, the nihilism and misanthropy permeating everything. It is by far the better film, but not one you could just put on in the background at a party or while vacuuming. I hold it in a similar regard as "Requiem For A Dream" - a great film that is disturbing to the core and is not meant to be taken lightly.

 

[Thawing Mammoth]

As Beetlejuice would have said "well, Taxi Driver is the better film... but if you think about it, Scarface is the better film"

 

[Hollywood Jack]

Super cheese, but yes very fun. Taxi Driver is one of those movies that makes you feel dirty afterwards, but honestly is so well made and acted and feels pretty authentic.

The girl who’s with Iris when Travis first encounters her, apparently was a 14-year-old prostitute who was a consultant of sorts on the film. This is according to the Bill Simmons podcast episode dedicated to the movie. So yeah it was kind of a snapshot of the grimy situation at the time.

 

[tomjones]

Taxi Driver is a film that should never be watched by someone suffering from depression.

 

[Hollywood Jack]

Taxi Driver. Not even close to me. I love Scarface but it's overly long and has some 80s cheese to it. Taxi Driver is the best depiction of loneliness and New York City as it was that I've ever seen. It's a time capsule.

Well stated. Granted, I was in New York in the eighties not the seventies, but both decades were a lot grimier than subsequent decades.

 

[revoltub]

I don't know if enjoying a movie is a criteria to liking a movie. Schindler's List is good movie but I don't think I watch it more than once every 5-6 years. Graveyard for Fireflies is amazing but I can't watch it often either. I don't know what to say about this. I think it depends on what you are looking for from a movie. If you are looking to be entertained, it is a problem. If you are looking for something to enlighten you on the human experience, then it was worthwhile.

I think part of the problem as to why Scarface lugs or has pacing issues is that there is no arc. Tony is a shithead from day one and just keeps doing more progressively shithead things. Compare that to Walt in Breaking Bad where he does have moments of regret and wishes of things being different but ultimately settles into the idea that he loved being a shithead.

Tony is somewhat of a static character but to say he has no arc is baffling to me.

He starts out as an immigrant trying to work his way up, eventually takes out the competition and then by the end loses everything, even his best friend and family. That's a lot that happens to one character in a movie.

You say he is a shit head (which may be true) but you neglect to mention the great scene when he visits his mother and you get more insight into why he is why he is. He worked hard to become rich and give his mother money and she refuses it and fails to give him any recognition as a mother to a son.

Plus you can make the case there are a lot of communist and capitalists themes throughout. For example Tony leaves communism, embraces the criminal and capitalist ways to build his empire, yet still tries to overpower and control his own sister and wife like a dictator. Admittedly this is my own interpretation.

As far as Scarface having pacing issues, I really dont agree. Pretty much every scene is good and I cant think of any i would cut.

As far as it being overrated.....in what way? It didnt exactly get hyped up by critics when it came out. And right now it only holds a 79% compared to Taxi Driver's 96%.

If you mean overrated by the general public I'm not sure I agree 100% on that either. It did become a more popular movie with general audiences as the years went on, but in no way does everyone like Scarface. A lot of people who you talk to who arent critics DONT like the movie.

I think you could make a very good argument that Scarface is becoming underrated rather than overrated. I've noticed a lot of people like to throw it under the bus just because it built a nice following. The same way how some people will throw out Taxi Driver as a great movie even if they've never seen it.

Like I said, both are great movies. It's just Taxi Driver seems to get the recognition it deserves while Scarface doesnt and is way more divisive as a film.

 

[Ballsaque]

I know it's a weird match up. However, it's arguably two of the most iconic films for both Pacino and De Niro. Both are rated closely on IMDB.



Scarface - (plot summary):

When Fidel Castro opens the harbor at Mariel, Cuba, he sends 125,000 Cuban refugees to reunite with their relatives in the United States. Among all the refugees, there is one who wants it all, his name is Tony Montana. Tony and his friend Manny arrive in the United States and start in small time jobs.

Soon, they are hired by Omar Suarez to pay money to a group of Colombians. When the deal goes wrong, Tony and Manny leave with the money and succeed in their job. Soon Tony meets with drug kingpin Frank Lopez and falls for his boss's girl, Elvira. Pretty soon Tony will know that those who want it all, do not last forever; that is the price of power.

Taxi Driver - (plot summary):

Travis Bickle is an ex-Marine and Vietnam War veteran living in New York City. As he suffers from insomnia, he spends his time working as a taxi driver at night, watching porn movies at seedy cinemas during the day, or thinking about how the world, New York in particular, has deteriorated into a cesspool.

He's a loner who has strong opinions about what is right and wrong with mankind. For him, the one bright spot in humanity is Betsy, a worker on the presidential nomination campaign of Senator Charles Palantine. After an incident, he believes he has to do whatever he needs to make the world a better place.

Taxi driver and it is not remotely close

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

Taxi driver and it is not remotely close

60/40 is relatively close. : - )

 

[Ballsaque]

60/40 is relatively close. : - )

Not even the bunch of degenerate drooling mongrols on this site could vote in Scarface is being better than Taxi Driver. What a ridiclious noition.

 

[Lethal_Striker]

Coul you have picked 2 that had anything less to do with each other?

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

Coul you have picked 2 that had anything less to do with each other?

Did you read the OP?

 

[Lethal_Striker]

What if Tony Montana had started driving a Taxi instead........ And Travis Bickle had started selling drugs......

"Are you saying hello to my little friend, I'm the only one here?"

 

[FyrFytr998]

Taxi Driver is the better film.
Scarface is more entertaining.