Some rise, some fall, some climb...

Rating: 6/10 (11 July 2019)

Certainly, how much you enjoy this movie will depend mostly on how much you enjoy Al Pacino's portrayal of Tony Montana. If you find Tony to be a bit too over the top, perhaps a caricature of 80s bad guy, then you're likely to find Scarface to be a one-dimensional, overblown piece of fluff. But if you think Tony is a major badass whose overreactions help enhance his character, not detract from it, then Scarface is your movie. The movie is still very quotable, even 36 years later! And it's educational. Never sample your own product. Good life lesson right there, kids. Anyway, I fall into the second group. Yeah, it's outlandish theater, but it somehow works - particularly as it's set in the overwhelming 1980s. Of course, fresh-off-the-boat Tony is a cocky bastard, even with the immigration guys. Of course, he blusters his way into a coke deal, which quickly goes south. Of course, he fights his way to the top of the crime game. He's all cojones; just ask him. Couple of other notes - the entire cast is a lot of fun, from Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio (playing his kid sister) and Michelle Pfeiffer (playing his wife) to Robert Loggia (his boss) and F. Murray Abraham (boss' right-hand man). Steven Bauer, playing Tony's own right-hand man, is okay, but am I the only one who sees a resemblance to Michael Ian Black? I will say that Tony's act of bulldozing over everyone and disregarding all help got a bit tiresome, but that's in keeping with his character, anyway. For me, this version of Scarface is good but not a huge classic - just a good representation of the decadent 80s from Brian DePalma. Almost a time capsule of same, really.