Scarface - Characters & Cast

Tony's primary motivation is the acquisition of power, wealth, and respect. He famously articulates his philosophy: "In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women." He desires everything that comes with the American Dream, but wants it on his own terms, scorning legitimate work for the fast and violent path of organized crime.

Tony begins as an ambitious, charismatic, and ruthless Cuban refugee determined to achieve the American Dream by any means necessary. He rises from nothing to become a powerful drug lord, but his journey is one of moral and psychological decay. As he gains wealth and power, he becomes consumed by greed, paranoia, and addiction. His relationships crumble, and he grows increasingly isolated, ultimately leading to a violent and tragic downfall brought about by his own hubris. He does not change or learn from his mistakes; he remains the same proud and defiant character from beginning to end.

Manny shares Tony's desire for a better life but is less driven by a need for ultimate power. His motivations are simpler: loyalty to his friend, enjoying the spoils of their criminal enterprise, and ultimately, his love for Gina, which he pursues despite knowing Tony's dangerously overprotective nature.

Manny is Tony's loyal best friend and right-hand man from the beginning. He is more level-headed and less volatile than Tony, often acting as a voice of caution. Throughout their rise, he remains steadfastly by Tony's side. His arc takes a tragic turn when he falls in love with Tony's sister, Gina. He marries her in secret, and when Tony discovers them together, he kills Manny in a fit of cocaine-fueled rage, a brutal end to their friendship and a pivotal moment in Tony's final descent.

Elvira is motivated by a desire for a life of luxury and comfort, which leads her from one powerful drug lord to another. However, she is also deeply unhappy and uses drugs to numb the emptiness of her life. Her ultimate motivation becomes self-preservation, recognizing that staying with Tony will lead to her destruction.

Initially the icy, glamorous mistress of Frank Lopez, Elvira is an object of Tony's desire. After Tony takes over, she becomes his wife, but their relationship is hollow and loveless, defined by materialism and mutual drug addiction. She grows increasingly bored and disgusted with Tony's lifestyle and volatile personality. Her arc is one of disillusionment; she ultimately finds the strength to leave him, delivering a scathing indictment of his empty existence before disappearing from the narrative, a survivor of his destructive world.

Gina's primary motivation is to live her own life, free from her brother's overbearing control. She is drawn to the excitement and glamour that Tony's money provides but chafes under his rules. Her love for Manny represents a chance at a normal life and an escape from her brother's shadow, a desire that ultimately costs both of them their lives.

Gina is Tony's beloved younger sister, whom he is fiercely and almost incestuously protective of. He wants to shield her from the corrupt world he inhabits while simultaneously spoiling her with the fruits of his crimes. As she grows up, she rebels against his suffocating control, seeking independence. Her arc ends in tragedy when Tony murders her new husband, Manny. In her grief, she confronts Tony during the final shootout and is accidentally killed, becoming the ultimate victim of her brother's violent life.