Scarface - Armitage Trail

Many people who adore Brian De Palma’s Scarface (1983) may not know that it is a remake of the 1932 film of the same name, which was itself based on Armitage Trail’s novel Scarface. Having now read the book, I can understand why it has largely fallen into obscurity.

As a gangster novel, Scarface fails to deliver what one might expect from the genre. There is very little tension; everything feels like a flatline. Tony Camonte slowly but steadily climbs to the top, eliminating his rivals and expanding his territory, but the narrative rarely generates much suspense along the way.

Things take a personal turn when Tony discovers his sister making out with his closest henchman. In a fit of cold-blooded violence, he kills the man, an act that eventually lands him in court. Fortunately for Tony, his lawyers get him off the hook, and he is soon back on the streets.

His downfall begins when his girlfriend betrays him and sends him on a false lead. Expecting to confront his enemies, Tony instead walks into a police ambush. The ensuing shootout wipes out his henchmen, too. Climbing out of the wrecked car, Tony finds himself facing his own brother, a police officer. Unable to pull the trigger on his brother, Tony allows him to kill him, bringing his reign of glory to an end.

Scarface is worth reading once, if only to see the literary source behind one of the most famous gangster films ever made. Unfortunately, Trail lacks the narrative skill needed to build suspense and give the story real dramatic momentum. The result is a historically interesting but rather flat and naive gangster novel — one that, for me, does not invite a second reading.

Little is known of the author itself, who died at a young age.