Customer Reviews

Scarface (1983)

5 star:		(586)
4 star:		(92)
3 star:		(50)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(48)

 

 

The reason to buy this DVD is simple: one of the most influential films of the 20th century has finally been released in a newly restored, pristine transfer. As an owner of the original DVD release, I can testify that the difference is like night and day.

With every viewing, I come to appreciate Brian DePalma's Scarface more and more. Although not perfect, there is much more right with this film than wrong. It helps to compare it with its countless imitations: where most subsequent crime films rush headlong from one bloody gunfight to the next, Scarface takes its time. Its languid, gliding camera has a certain elegance in the way it reveals story points without relying on clunky Dick-and-Jane dialog or overwrought MTV pyrotechnics. A prime example is the infamous scene where Tony Montana (Al Pacino) attemps to buy two kilos of cocaine from some Coloumbians for his boss, Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). Watch the way the camera drifts from the Miami Beach hotel room, across a peaceful sun-drenched street, over to the car where Tony's associates are waiting for him, then slowly back up to the bathroom window, where the sound of the idling chainsaw grows louder. Creepy. Insinuating. It's comparable to the best work of Hitchcock - a day-lit nightmare where the ordinary becomes sinister. Watch closely as the Columbian dismembers Tony's friend limb by limb. In spite of the scene's reputation, we never actually see what's happening. Like the shower murder in Psycho, all the violence is implied - so strongly, in fact, that DePalma had to fight the MPAA in a well-publicized battle to keep Scarface from receiving an X rating.

It's interesting the way that the improved picture and sound seem to contribute to every aspect of the film. Subtleties in Pacino's largely unsubtle performance become clear. We can better see what he does with his face in those famously shadowy close-ups; the way he registers what he's thinking privately, even as he swaggers with exaggerated bravado. Where once it seemed he was over-acting at times, it is now apparent that he was carefully playing his character's machismo against a darker undercurrent of great hunger - so intense that it defies articulation. Tony Montana's great tragedy is his utter lack of self-knowlege. Beneath the clouds of cordite and testosterone, he is so painfully needy that he will draw everyone around him into a decaying orbit of destruction. He is a criminal, but he is not immoral. He is a black hole of a man, a vacuous human being whose desires eclipse whatever soul that a life of deprivation and decay may have left him. He acts without apology, or even much thought. He's an animal in both the best and worst senses of the word. The tragedy is not so much that he is killed at the end - he brings that on himself - it is that so many others, not least the addicts that buy his product, must suffer and die as well. It's downright Shakespearean, but with (lots of) f-words in place of gilded Elizabethan speech.

Once you get past those 160-odd f-variants, Oliver Stone's screenplay begins to seem as thoughtful as it is blunt. The language is harsh, but also truthful, with plenty of quotable lines (though you would not want to quote them in polite company).

The improved sound mix also brings into relief something that I had always looked upon as a liability of Scarface - the very "80's" music score, which had always seemed to me the newer equivalent of those ham-handed "jazz" scores from certain 50's melodramas like Man With the Golden Arm. But now the music seems "dated" more in the way of an early James Bond score; it is appropriate to the era. Were Scarface made now, it would still be a legitimate choice of styles.

The extras are thorough, though the "making of" documentary seems to be a longer version of the one from the original DVD release. There is also a documentary on Scarface's considerable influence on hip-hop music, but I smell an Obvious Plug for a CD of music "inspired" by the film. (The package insert proclaims that it's In Stores Now! from DefJam records.)

In any case, Scarface has finally received its due respect in a form that showcases the late John Alonso's brightly-hued, yet somehow gritty cinematography. Alonso also photographed the sumptuous Chinatown. This DVD is also a tribute to him - a master of light and shadow, whose old-fashioned, hard-lit chiaroscuro images contributed in no small way to Scarface's status as a modern classic.

Brian De Palma's epic blood soaked remake of the 1932 Paul Muni gangster classic may not have gotten all the critical acclaim in the world, but it stands as a landmark performance of the great Al Pacino. Pacino brings to the screen one of his most well known characters in his career as Tony Montana; a cuban refugee who rises to power in Miami's cocaine underworld. Along with him is his best friend Manny (Steve Bauer) and the two begin working for Frank (Robert Loggia), a slimy, manipulative excess driven drug kingpin whose wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) Tony soon develops an obsession for. Oliver Stone wrote the script and helped make Tony one of the most unforgettable characters in all of American cinema. Scarface has since become a cult classic and contains some of the most memorable lines of dialogue in film, not to mention the most rampant use of profanity that would not be topped for years to come. The only problem I ever had with Scarface was it's length; clocking in at nearly 3 hours, there are times when the film drags, but that is only a minor complaint. All in all, if you want to see one of Al Pacino's finest performances (aside from Devil's Advocate, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, or anything beginning with the title The Godfather), then consider Scarface essential viewing, but be warned, this is not a film for all tastes.

Brian De Palma's blood soaked gangster epic is on DVD, once again. I'll say this right off the bat, if you own the previously released Special Edition of Scarface, there's no reason to run out and buy this Platinum Edition, which has an assortment of previously released extras to go along with a counter for how many times the "F" word is used and how many bullets are fired. Besides that, there's nothing here that hasn't been seen before, but if you don't already own Scarface on DVD, well then, this is worth picking up. As for the film itself, it's a bloody crime epic featuring one of Al Pacino's best, and most infamous, performances as Cuban hood turned drug kingpin Tony Montana; but chances are, you already know all that. The DVD's picture quality looks cleaner, and the "remastered and remixed" sound is crisper as well, but whether or not you want to lay down the cash for this depends on how many times you've been suckered into buying the movie.

"Scarface" is one of the greatest of all mob movies. It's an epic crime drama done with style and care. Brian DePalma presents a film that ignites the screen with a great screenplay by Oliver Stone and an amazing performance by Al Pacino. Unlike "The Godfather," which was more about family and relationships between father and son, "Scarface" is an exhilarating and intriguing journey into Miami's mob underworld, seen through the eyes of Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee with some of the greatest lines in movie history. The degree of excess here is brilliantly done and adds even more realism to a great work. DePalma shows a wonderful touch of style in the sets, costumes, cars, even in the violence. Look at the brilliant eye for composition he shows in a scene where an assassination attempt is carried out on Tony in a nigh club. The movie is full of that Latin style and intensity. The screeenplay By Oliver Stone is brilliant because it's complex in the way in which we are not just interested in the action, but characters and events as well. We really care about what happens with these people, least of all Tony. Pacino gives one of the greatest and most intense performances, always believable. He steals the show entirely through his accent and facial expressions. The action sequences aren't dim-witted, but smart and stylish. "Scarface" vibrates with style and realism like few gangster dramas have. It stands as a masterpiece. One of the greatest crime pictures of all time.

As a huge fan of this film (I saw it twice in the theater, and innumerable times since then on tape, CED videodisc, laserdisc, and DVD), I'm disappointed that the DVD is not enhanced for widescreen TVs, and that the soundtrack is Dolby 2.0.

The supplemental material, including an hour-long "making of" and several outtakes, is well worth the purchase price for fans of this film.

I can't add much to the numerous rave reviews here, except that as much as I enjoy this movie, the ending seems absurd, to put it mildly. This is definitely not a film for all viewers; the intense violence, combined with the extremely frequent use of the "F" word, is realistic, but not entertaining for everyone. Still, for those who enjoy gangster films, this is mostly first-rate, featuring a host of scintillating supporting performances to complement the star turns by Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Steven Bauer. Giorgio Moroder's soundtrack is one of the most memorable original scores of the last 20 years.

The rating is for the movie itself! Repeat, the five star rating is for the movie only! This new "platinum" edition gets a BIG ZERO!!
The only new features on this edition are gimmicky, unnecessary and and definitely not worth the double dip, triple dip or added cost over already released editions. If you own the anniversary edition stick with it. (the Box is even better)
So, If you really need a counter for the "F" word and the number of bullets fired, because you are unable to count yourself, by all means dole out more of your money. Just bring someone who can count so you don't get ripped off even more!

I've seen pretty much all the great crime movies (The Godfather Trilogy, GoodFellas, The Untouchables, Carlito's Way, Pulp Fiction, etc.), but I gotta say that this one takes the taco. It's my favorite movie of all time and has been for the past 3 years. Critics don't know jack. I can't believe Leonard Maltin had the audacity to give this movie one star. Is he nuts in the head? Probably. He also gave Taxi Driver (another great film) two stars. Yet another point in which why you shouldn't listen to critics on movie reccomendations. Look at all the other reviews about this movie. Everyone seems to love it, despite a few rotten apples in the Amazon.com review bunch. Pacino is my favorite actor and after seeing this movie, you might understand why. De Palma is a highly underrated director. He doesn't copy off of Hitchcock like so many people say. De Palma copies off of De Palma. The synth score kicks and the ending sequences explodes with intensity and excitement. Great buy for Pacino fans, crime movie fans and movie buffs alike should get a kick out of this overlooked masterpiece, despite what an ignorant man like Leonard Maltin has to say.

Since it's release in 1983, Brian De Palma's "Scarface" has become of the definitive cult classics of American movies, it's excesses have so imprinted themselves into popular culture that it's influence can be found in everything from clothing to popular lingo ("say hello to my little friend!") to rap music and rap videos. And yet, this is not a poorly executed movie, this is a brilliantly excessive crime drama filled with the kind of stylish, gritty quality that made films like "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas" equally effective (eventhough "Scarface" probably still stands as the bloodiest, edgiest film of it's kind). The screenplay was written by Oliver Stone before he became a visceral, provocative director and during the period when he was letting go of that notorious vice known as cocaine, he hung around with real Colombian gangsters and there is a unique authenticity to the film in it's violence and scenarios that helps it paint a portrait of the darker side of the American dream. Al Pacino is merciless and unforgettable as Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant arriving on Miami's shores and ready to make big bucks and finds his answer with the world of drug trafficking. Watching the film, it is no wonder why Tony Montana has become such a potent figure in popular movie culture, he is a great character, so alluring in his perversity that the word "villain" seems too cartoonish for him. His accent is catchy and his clothes cool and colorful (Stone recently commented on how Montana's style in dress and jewelry can be seen reflected in African-American culture). 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?

Great transfer to blu ray. Amazon low price and fast delivery are other reasons to buy. Scarface is back on top as one of the best movies ever made. Watching it last night on blu ray was like watching it for the very first time.

I missed this intentionally when it came out in 1983 believing it to be another version of the Al Capone story. It is, sort of. Of course Al Pacino would be brilliant as Al Capone and demand every square inch of the screen and get it. And he was and he did. And director Brian DePalma would spray the screen in scarlet, and he did. However this updated and revised version set in Miami from a script by Oliver Stone is very much worth watching even though it's almost three hours long.

First of all, Al Pacino is riveting as Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee released from prison by Fidel Castro in 1980 who arrives in Florida with a yearning to rule the world and a huge chip on his shoulder. His character is an extreme version of the "live fast, die young" species, the kind of guy who takes extreme chances and fears nothing. It is a shame that it is not obvious that for every one of the Tony Montanas in the world who actually made it to the top of the cocaine pile, there are thousands who weren't able to dodge the bullets and died not just young, but very young.

Second, there is not a dead spot in the whole movie. Stone's action-driven script and DePalma's focused direction compel our attention. If you can stand the bestial mentality and the animalistic flash culture of the drug lords and their sleazy world, you might even want to see this twice.

What I found myself watching closely was Michelle Pfeiffer at twenty-something, strikingly beautiful and totally degenerate as the cocaine-addled moll. Also very much worth watching was Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Tony Montana's sister Gina. The big brother/little sister incestuous theme (from the original Scarface of 1931 starring Paul Muni and directed by Howard Hawks) was craftily prepared and reached a striking climax (if you will) in the scene in which Gina tells Montana that he must "have her" (that's not exactly the words she used) since he won't let anybody else have her. The touch of necrophilia that followed was perhaps gratuitous.

What I loved was the way DePalma reminded us again and again of how trapped the characters were by their desperate indulgences, the expensive liquor, the cigars, the cocaine, the stacks of money that took hours to count by machine. The scene in which Pfeiffer takes a snort of cocaine, a puff of a cigarette and a swallow of booze one after the other as the only thing she knows how to do in this world (with the white powder still on her nostrils) was wonderful in its piteous effect. I also liked the scene in which Montana, seated in his black leather chair with his initials in gold lettering, surrounded by his security video screens, dives into a pile of cocaine and comes up with it on his nose. Reminds me of the old doper saying, "Too much is never enough."

The shoot 'em up finale of course was much, much overdone and about as realistic as a John Wayne barroom fight, but I loved the way Pacino played Montana near the end as a kind of paranoid Napoleon, the little guy who wanted to rule the world now finished and insane. Note, by the way, in how many scenes Pacino played a very vigorous persona sitting down.

In the final analysis this is a morality tale, a kind of very flashy "crime does not pay" saga not because the cops will get you (they don't) but because the life itself will corrupt you beyond anything human. Those who live by the gun will die by the gun, and there is no security among murders and thieves.