An Excellent,Unforgettable,Epic And Stylish Gangster Classic From Brian De Palma With A Brilliant Performance From Al Pacino.

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2013)

Scarface is an excellent,unforgettable and stylish epic Gangster film that combines amazing direction,a brilliant,iconic performance by Al Pacino as well as great performances from the rest of the cast,a terrific script and a great score and soundtrack. All of those elements make Scarface not only a Gangster classic,but also a Cult classic and a amazing remake that is Brian De Palma and Al Pacino at their best.
Set in Miami,Florida in the early 1980s,Scarface tells the story of Tony Montana(Al Pacino),a Cuban immigrant who has arrived in the United States wanting success and the pursuit of the American dream. While in the city of Miami,Tony joins a drug cartel rising in the ranks and becoming one of the top suppliers of Cocaine while gaining money and power. Although successful and wealthy,Tony starts using his own coke supply and starts becoming paranoid,erratic and out of control leading to Tony's downfall for himself and the people around him.
Released in 1983,Scarface while a modest success at the Box Office was panned by nearly every major critic in America at the time because of the film's Graphic Violence and excessive language. But since it's 1983 release Scarface has become a Cult Film and one of the most iconic films of all time with Scarface and Tony Montana becoming icons in not just pop culture but also Hip-Hop culture where Hip-Hop and Rap artists truly worship the film. Scarface is one of the all time great epic Gangster movies and is an amazing film on so many levels because what director Brian De Palma does is take Howard Hawks' original Gangster Classic Scarface(1932)and takes it from the world of Prohibition in the 1920s to the world drug infested world of early 1980s Miami,Florida pulling viewers into a world that is filled with excess and money with over the top style and brilliance that keeps you glued to the screen even though the world of Scarface is dangerous and violent. Scarface is also a film about the pursuit of the American Dream but the American Dream is done in a flashy style with the main characters surround by drugs,money and death in this film with the American Dream told in a dark tale of tragedy,violence and downfall. Brian De Palma tricks viewers by showing the glitz and glamor of the Gangster and drug world of Scarface but then shows viewers how vicious and dark the drug world really is. At it's core Scarface is a morality tale told a Shakespeare way about the choices a person can make in life and how it can affect not only yourself but others as well and it definitely applies to Tony Montana. Tony Montana is one of the greatest and most iconic characters is movie history and a character who's been imitated and quoted throughout pop culture and is also a classic antihero who wants the world and everything in it no matter what. Tony is a complex character who we like not because of the things that he does but because of who he is because Tony has his own rules and codes that he lives by and never breaking them. We also see two different sides of Tony before and after his success which shows us his rise and fall. Before his success,Tony's head is on straight and he's more optimistic on the rise but as Tony becomes more successful with money and power Tony becomes more paranoid and distrusting with not only himself but with the people around him which leads to his unfortunate fall acting like a bomb about to go off. The rise and fall of Tony Montana is one of the most compelling and tragic rise and fall tales you will ever see on film. The violence in Scarface is Graphic,shocking and will disturb viewers because of it's darkness and brutality but I think the violence had to be in the film because it shows how dangerous and harsh the drug world can be. The screenplay by Oliver Stone is amazing and memorable with so many great lines and lots of F-bombs. Some of the dialog by Stone has become so iconic and unforgettable and are staples in pop culture especially the film's most famous line that comes at the end. The ending of Scarface is easily one of the greatest endings I have ever seen on film because there is thrills,great lines,violence and surprises adding to the legend of Scarface and Tony Montana. An amazing conclusion to a great film.
The whole cast is terrific. Al Pacino is excellent,iconic and at his best as Tony Montana,with Pacino being intense,over the top and unforgettable. Amazing performance by Pacino. Steven Bauer is fantastic as Manny,Tony's best friend and right hand man. Michelle Pheiffer is amazing and sexy as Elvira,Frank's girlfriend and Tony's love interest. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is terrific as Gina Montana,Tony's sister. Robert Loggia is outstanding and memorable as Frank Lopez,Tony's boss. F.Murray Abraham is wonderful as Omar,an employee of Frank's. Paul Shener is sensational as Sosa,a business partner of Tony's. Harris Yulan is wonderful as Mel Bernstein,a corrupt cop. Miriam Colem is captivating as Mama Montana,Tony and Gina's Mother.
The direction by Brian De Palma is brilliant and stylish,with De Palma always moving the camera with close-ups,zoom ins bringing his signature style to the film. Great direction,De Palma.
The score by Giorgio Moroder is amazing,memorable and matches the film's tone. Fantastic score,Moroder. The film also has wonderful soundtrack with songs by Paul Engemann(Push It To The Limit),Deborah Harry(Rush Rush),Amy Holland(She's On Fire,Turn Out The Night),Elizabeth Daily(Shake It Up,I'm Hot Tonight),Beth Andersen(Dance,Dance,Dance),Maria Conchita Alonso(Vamos a Bailar)and Frank Sinatra(Strangers In The Night). Incredible soundtrack.
In final word,if you love Gangster Films,Cult Films,Brian De Palma,Al Pacino or movies in general,I highly suggest you watch Scarface,an excellent,unforgettable epic Gangster Classic that is Brian De Palma and Al Pacino at their best. Highly Recommended. 10/10.