The world is yours.

Rating: 8/10 (10 February 2019)

In this notorious 1980s update of the 1932 gangster classic, Al Pacino is tremendously entertaining in the role of Tony Montana. Tony is a lowlife sent by Castro's Cuba to North America along with much more decent, hard-working and honest Cubans. As an immigrant, he's determined to take the quickest route to wealth and success, no matter who has to get hurt along the way. With Manny Ray (Steven Bauer) as his constant sidekick, he works his way into the position of a reigning drug lord in Florida.
It may be simply a matter of personal taste how one responds to this admittedly grim and utterly nasty ode to crime and pathological greed. Tony is absolutely nobody to admire (although his exploits have since gone on to inspire a number of gangsta rappers), and is pretty much as bad an antagonist as you can see in this sort of entertainment. He's crude, aggressive, foul-mouthed, and incredibly brutal.
Yes, the film does go on for almost three hours, and yes, it amounts to almost three hours' worth of excess. But, as Tony's junkie trophy wife Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) says, "nothing exceeds like excess". Some viewers may find it over the top and an unrelenting exercise in repulsing the viewer, but this viewer found it a blast; he tried never to take it too, too seriously.
There's tons of gunfire and tons of blood before this is over, not to mention some great production design, widescreen photography, and gaudy 1980s fashions. The soundtrack is another plus, with a haunting electronic score composed by 80s favourite Giorgio Moroder.
As the saying goes, "Scarface" is about "as subtle as a sledgehammer", really driving home the point that, ultimately, crime doesn't pay.
Pacino is commanding as always as the flamboyant main character, ridiculous "Cuban" accent and all. His "Say hello to my little friend!" moment has been a part of movie folklore for decades now. He's surrounded by very fine actors: Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (as the impressionable younger sister of whom Tony seems unnaturally fond), Miriam Colon (great in two scenes as Tony's disapproving mother), Robert Loggia (who's terrific in his final scene), Harris Yulin, F. Murray Abraham, Paul Shenar, Pepe Serna, Mark Margolis, Michael Alldredge, etc. Richard Belzer appears briefly as an M.C. at a club.
Trashy beyond belief, "Scarface" is undeniably vivid and can boast a particularly exciting finale. It's far from filmmaker Brian De Palmas' best work, but it's certainly one of his best known.
Even at two hours and 50 minutes, it rarely gets boring.
Eight out of 10.