An indulgent drug crime rags to riches fantasy.

Rating: 7/10 (21 October 2019)

This film was too heavy and for some reason not a success upon its release. But like Blade Runner, it slowly gained a massive cult status and aged like fine wine, finding its place in cinema history. Written by Oliver Stone (who partook in 'method writing' (!) ) and directed by Brian DePalma, this violent and daring film is a relentless masterpiece, a study in rags to riches, criminality and narcissism to the extreme. Al Pacino is absorbed in this character that we forget its Pacino (the only other actors to do this that comes to mind were Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull and Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now). This movie is so early 80s in terms of its look and production design/sets that Miami becomes a character unto itself. (As is cocaine...the monetary motivator in this film). The movie plays out like a dream...the events unfold in a surrealistic way, things get more disturbing and chaotic and ruthless as it goes on. The main character and his co-hort are confronted with so many challenges and their daring sacrificial attempts at making it rich at the expense of anything/anyhow/anywhere is sonewhat cool and amusing, all in a disturbing way. The music score is novelty yet epic, and it's no wonder that the rap music culture took heart to this movie due to its romance with violence and brutality and the flexing of money. This isn't for everyone but worth a look- it's one of DePalma's finest commercial films and kudos go to Universal's executives who saw fit to invest in producing this film because it makes sense and gets better with every year that passes. The 4k bluray looks amazing. Technology is so good these days that the amount of film grain seems to be easily controlled. For an old film, this digital transfer makes this film look like its shot in the early 2000s, making this more appealing for the most scrutinizing viewer who thinks any movie older than 5 years is too aged and not visually appealing. The hdr contradt and colors are punchy and vibrant and for the first time since its theatrical release, we finally get to see this film as it was intended to be seen in all its south Florida razor blade glory. (Previous versions, from VHS to laser disc to early days of dvd looked and sounded flat). The soundtrack/soundeffects are more hi fi than ever making this a good fit/competitor with films all throughout the last 20 years. I rate the movie a 7 out of 10. The technical presentation is visual: 5 out of 5 and 4.5 for the audio. This film is a good commercial curio done in the spirit of a guerilla indie film. An indulgent crime fantasy to the extreme.