Pacino's intensity fuels this one.

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2003)

Scarface is the story of a Cuban immigrant (Pacino) who travels to Miami during the Mariel Boat Lift of 1980. He and his pal (Steven Bauer) begin as small time enforcers for a local crime boss, but Pacino's ruthlessness quickly moves him to the top of the pecking order in the South Florida drug trade. Michelle Pfeiffer plays his love interest.
The film is notorious for its numerous (and often graphic) violent scenes. Pacino's character Tony Montana is perhaps one of the most psychotic protagonists ever put on film. He produces one liner after one liner as he kills off the competition. This film has an official web site where you can listen to them to your heart's content. The rest of the cast is terrific, but Al totally steals the show.
This film is very good, but not perfect. Some members of the Latino community may not like the fact that Bauer is the only real Cuban-born major member of this cast. The film has a dated early 80s musical score which seems totally inadequate by today's standards. Another problem with this film is its incredible length. Considering how the conflict of this film is wrapped up at the conclusion, one is left to wonder why in the heck it took so long to get there.
That said, Scarface is still a very good film. Pacino's intensity and the blistering violence hold your interest. Those two things are what you'll remember from this De Palma outing.
4 of 5 stars
So sayeth the Hound.