Scarface Reviews

"Scarface" is one of the greatest of all mob movies. It's an epic crime drama done with style and care. Brian De Palma presents a film that ignites the screen with a great screenplay by Oliver Stone and an amazing performance by Al Pacino. For those unfamiliar with the story, Scarface follows the path of Tony Montana, a charismatic Cuban refugee, who arrives in Miami looking for the American dream. Tony's up-front and tough personality makes him go right to the top of the cocaine underworld. However, no one, as they say, stays at the top forever. There are consequences to his success, and as Tony learns, money and power can't give you everything. A special mention should go to Michelle Pfeiffer, who superbly plays Tony's love, in what was her first major film role. This film is not for the faint at heart as directer Brian De Palma 3 times had the film rejected because it had and X-Rated certificate. He literally had to take the people who give the certificates out to court. Although grotesquely brutal this movie could teach kids good lessons that crime does not pay as when he gets to the top of the underworld his life corrupts through cocaine and he ends up killing the ones he loves and watching ones he loves die in crossfire.

The film is famous for it's scenes of violence, including a victim chained to a shower and killed with a chainsaw. Director Brian DePalma, not really known for excess gloriously lavishes in it here and films his movie with style and gusto, "Scarface" is unique because it feels like it was made with real respect for the material. Consider that you have one of Hollywood's future greatest directors writing the script and one of American film's most stylish talents directing and on top of that, an iconic actor in the lead role. Even the moody main theme is composed by none other than Giorgio Moroder. The ending is especially deliciously bloody, as if a normal shoot-out is for sissies. "Scarface" remains a potent movie because it has themes we can all relate to, we all want wealth, power and at least one beautiful woman, "Scarface" asks the question of what extremes would one go to to achieve wealth, and is it worth anything when it is dirty money?

Overall rating: 10 out of 10.

What you lookin’ at? You 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 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.“

just re-watched it . Incredible , ingenious and Unmatched performance carried out by Al Pacino in the role of Tony Montana . story goes same rise and fall of the drug cartel boss . some superb elements of emotion , drama and greed a;; bound together with great performances by every one starring in it .
It is a bucket list movie if you have gangster fetish. A Must see .
Loved it .. Al Pacino! HATS OFF!

This is a very interesting film. I like its music, the cinematography, storytelling, character development, and so much more. Very well done!

I had been looking forward to seeing this film again, but I think time has mellowed me somewhat. Very violent film, with really gruesome, bloodsoaked scenes. Al Pacino magnificent as usual, and very convincing in this role, but even he spoke as though he had a mouthful of marbles. At times his speech is almost impossible to understand. I felt as though much of the violence was gratuitous and could not watch the film at one sitting because it became monotonous. Couldn't help comparing this film to classics like Godfather, The Untouchables etc, and unfortunately Scarface does not compare.

Decadent, exuberant and outlandishly big, Brian DePalma's operatic grandstand slyly and ironically envisions America's still-thriving meritocracy with baroque verve. Neon-emblazoned, hyperkinetic 1980s Miami is sensational to look at, thanks to the visceral extravagance and gloriously fervid visuals; sleazy, electronic, over-styled and dreamily captured in wide-angled framing, it is beautiful, subversive and worthy of its title as a pop culture touchstone.
Either in discos, country homes or geometric, personally made mansions, every frame pops with its obscene array of multi-coloured magnetism; cleverly realistic blood is spilled and splattered via countless bullet wounds (also by way of a buzz-chainsaw, an infamous scene at the time) throughout, but especially at the film's conclusion, whereby a literal bloodbath takes place in Tony's mansion and ends in a blue pool below the iconic neon pink 'The World Is Yours' globe statue, perhaps the most symbolic image of excess in all of cinema.

Right from outset, DePalma transposes the action of Miami from the refugee boats exiting Cuba, many of which are criminals expelled from their homeland by Fidel Castro in an attempt to empty the overcrowded jails. Tony is ferociously determined to take advantage of his new lavish, murkily and hierarchically-structured criminal surroundings, viewing it as his world to own; the crux of capitalism and strives to achieve the American dream. Several months dwelling in a refugee camp, Tony parlays a successful hit on a former Cuban government official into a connection with a drug lord; from there, he rises to the top, but crashes headlong into a spiral of excess and paranoia.
His relationships with Manny and Elvira, his trophy wife, are integral to the unhinged state of mind he descends into, both distrusting and persecutory; Elvira is a lonely junkie who cannot have children and Tony only truly loves his sister, Gina, whom he inexorably introduces into his world, tainting her purity and vapid innocence which he personified her as, exploding with jealousy whenever men covet her, especially Manny, a womaniser with good intentions.
Scarface, beyond its style, possesses a tragic heart buried in its many layers and contradictions, exemplified by Tony refusing to murder his associate's national exposer and his young family: eschewing the theory of his amorality, and crafting a semi-human gangster. Ultimately, Scarface dooms Tony once he reveals his humanity, and how it builds towards his demise is one of the most machismo, frenetic arcs of total self-destruction of a character, captured with lightning pace by DePalma. Tony expresses regret for his deplorable actions, but that is the fatal fault in his personality: his fierce protectiveness of Gina overspills into irrational rage; his power is slowly gained - he murders his boss and overtakes his life, staring out of the window of his condo - but is quickly drained. And as with any gangster movie, the dominant mood is what goes up must come down - success and power do not mix: when the protagonist can no longer find anything to overrule, objectify or possess, he loses everything and drastically falls apart, because nothing is ever enough, it's a film that is bleak and futile, particularly in its exploration of addiction, after all, that's what it is really about, it was written with that intention by Oliver Stone. Its the evolution, fatal flaws and complexities of his fragmented soul that make Tony Montana so influential, and Al Pacino's cataclysmic, bravura performance is mesmerising and once seen, impossible to forget.

Scarface remains an eminently quotable, compulsively watchable template for modern-criminal deconstructions of the American Dream, a cultural totem that effectively became the genesis of hip-hop iconography, with florid pleasures that can never be exhausted; it is a garish piece of pop art that walks a thin white line between moral drama and hip-hip classic.

When I was a teenager, I started to watch many classics but some of them didn’t really blow me away and this movie is a good example. I don’t know, back then, I thought it was entertaining but the operatic over-the-top feeling didn’t really appeal to me at that point. Eventually, I had to watch this movie a second time (with a gap of 14 years if I’m not mistaken) to really appreciate it. Basically, it is pretty much the story of a loser from Cuba who tries to make it big in America but ends up still a loser. To start with , the makers were pretty prestigious as it was actually directed by Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay. Indeed, many tend to forget it, but before launching his own directing career, Stone did write this massive classic. In the same genre, it is definitely really different than 'The Godfather' or 'Goodfellas' but I thought it was really awesome. Even though Al Pacino plays again a gangster, his Tony Montana was completely different than his Michael Corleone and the guy was just spellbinding to watch . Indeed, Pacino was huge and very mercurial in this movie. To conclude, it is a great classic, a fascinating tale and it is definitely worth a look, even a must see for any decent movie lover.

''I'm Tony Montana! You fuck with me, you fuckin' with the best!''

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug empire while succumbing to greed.

Al Pacino: Tony Montana

''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.''


Brian De Palma did a very good job directing Scarface. Whenever an actor is able to become larger than life with his performance some credit should be given to the director and I will certainly give De Palma that. Brian De Palma, though not given the respect at times, is a very versatile director by my reckoning and assessing. He knows how to direct movies according to their genres, but that at times has let some of his works down. In Scarface, this is by all counts a gangster movie but few are much better than this one because of De Palma's skills and talents.



The script was great, pure Oliver Stone. When I saw the credits at the end of this movie and realized Oliver Stone had written this I was pleasantly surprised. That is a testament to him though. I have always thought of him as a great writer and to me he proves this once again with Scarface. Nobody knows how to write a surreal reality for a movie better.
The music was great. It is certainly a diverse score with feeling and emotion from Giorgio Moroder. Maybe very 80s-ish at times but stylish and fitting with the times. The cinematography was good, not perfect but who really who cares when you have an action packed storyline.

''Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. So say good night to the bad guy!''

Alot of people divudge in saying the acting was over-the-top, but who better to do an over-the-top character than legendary Al Pacino. To say that Pacino went overboard in here would be an understatement. Yet he does it so well, he just brings the inner devil out of the viewer too. His character Tony Montana was not such a great guy to begin with but his thirst for power just brings his lust and lust for greed to another level, an inhumane level. Sure at times Pacino seems to be a bit cartoonish and surreal but that does not at all to me seem to be a loss or liability. The supporting cast served its job very well supporting Pacino. Michelle Pfeiffer was not really at her best but she certainly fits the role she played. On the other hand Steven Bauer was at his best, still he is Steven Bauer. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was good and like Michelle Pfeiffer fits her respective role very well. Robert Loggia I have always enjoyed watching in 80s films. Other than Pacino they were not really any standout or memorable performances. Everybody just seemed to fit their roles by being there.

''You think you can take me? You need a fucking army if you gonna take me!''

De Palma's Scarface has probably been one of the most influential movies in the past 25 years. People should realize that the character of Tony Montana is no hero, he is a monster. He is not inspiring in bringing out that evil obssession to excel even by wrong means. He is greedy, bloodthirsty, uneducated and self consumed. Yet he is a role model to many people because he is in some way or another a rebel but probably most of all because he is a deluded gangster. A vigilante would be like Mother Tereasa next to Montana.
The good thing about Scarface though is that it shows that the Tony Montana is not the real problem. If we or the people of authority would want to stop people like him, we could do it but we don't. In a freaky twisted way he is a necessity of our society. He is somebody you could blame everything on and feel better about yourself for doing it. The Tony Montanas' of this world are the scapegoats of our society. This in no way excuses people like him, instead it is more of a reminder that we shouldn't excuse or allow ourselves to do bad things just because it will further our personal wealth unjustly. I love Scarface because it is more than merely a corruption story of an individual, it is a story that in a strange way makes you self reflect your own soul. At times you know Tony is doing bad things, but that doesn't stop you enjoying proceedings does it?

''You wanna fuck with me? Okay. You wanna play rough? Okay. Say hello to my little friend!''

Okay, let's get this part out of the way;
"Say 'ello tu my lil-oh frenn!"
Now, with that most over-used movie-line over & done with,
Scarface is the in-your-face, over-the-top character that will always iconically follow the career of Al Pacino.
The rise & fall of drug kingpin who literally started out nothing & pyrrhically ends up with everything the drug-world has to offer.
One of those rare times for an actor where upon it's over-the-top performance is considered so perfect for the role, that's its almost impossible to imagine it done in any other fashion.
Pacino is brutal, heartless & violent not just the way he handles the character of, but also with the way he handles the Cuban accent (something he does again, but this time with a Puerto rican accent & not with as much of an iconic effect, in 1997's Carlito's Way).
As the movie tagline says: "He loved the American Dream. With a Vengeance."




7.5/10

Some people may wonder how this could be both under rated and over rated, well most people like scarface and praise it just for being scarface, its supposed to be cool for everyone to like it even if u have never seen it. it should be appreciated for its tour de force performance by pacino or its great direction by depalma or oliver stone's detailed script about a piss poor immigrant who makes his way to the top, the script de-glorifies being a drug dealer by having everyone in the business gett wasted or arrested in bloody ways, at no point was the violence glamorized. this film flopped at the box office when first released, and over many years has grown into everybody's favorite gangster film just for being scarface. take time to really analyse this film for the truely great qualities it posseses.