You won't sleep through this one.

Rating: 9/10 (16 October 2006)

Mountains of cocaine, pools of blood, piles of dropped f-bombs, and only one Tony Montana. Was Al Pacino's performance exaggerated? If, for a viewer, Al Pacino's performance was sub-par, so then was Scarface as a whole. Indeed, Pacino's portrayal of a Cuban immigrant and future drug lord, makes or breaks the film, and I'm quite sure both Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone knew this. De Palma did his best to fashion the film around Pacino and, as a matter of fact, he's in every single scene of the film. So, again, if Pacino's Tony Montana irritated you, then you didn't like the film. The thing that amazes me is the way De Palma made this film appeal to so many people. For those of you who can't get enough of shootouts and bloodbaths, here's one for you. For those who love gangster films, enjoy! Stone brilliantly shows Tony's ascent in the drug industry. Personally, Scarface made me understand the workings of the illicit business world more than The Godfather did. Allow me to explain. The Godfather began with The Family already established and illustrated how difficult and competitive that part of the world can be as well as the concept of retribution. Now, I know the Godfather II showed Vito Corleone's ascent, but that just got me thinking: "Is it that simple?" Scarface I believe is more patient. It really takes its time. We really see how Tony made a name for himself and how he gets his connections. Apart from establishing Tony's creds and his handling of business affairs, the film is out of control; not in the bad sense, most of the time. From Tony's first job, involving Colombian cocaine pushers to a certain chainsaw, to the last out-of-whack scene, the film just won't let you go. It's smart, concise when it wants to and necessarily brutal. The film would probably not be considered a classic if it was all powdered up and had less blood, gore, swears and drugs than it does. It lives up to its material alright; it doesn't just talk big, it lives big.