If There was ever a mascot for "Overhyped"

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2001)

Pacino is tremendous in this film. And that is about it. For 3 hours, De Palma and Stone (if Michael Mann had Exec. Prod, it would be a miniseries!) take us down the drudgery of the drug underworld, following the rise of 'Scarface,' a cuban refugee who barrels head first into crime and its excesses. Pfeiffer and Mastrantonio are decent as 1-dimensional floozies; you can't come to care about them with all the violence and coke that's heaped upon you.
The main pitfall of this film is pacing. People praise this movie for its action and great acting, of which the former is better than norm and the later held up only by Pacino and maybe Loggia, but getting to the action: I can say this, either take some caffine or bring a pillow. The actions scenes while good are few and far between, direction is slow and uninteresting, a trademark of De Palma's. The script adds nothing, as actions speak better than Stone's dragging, overblown words. The movie could be edited to 2 1/2 or maybe 2.15, and the message, no matter how simplistic (crime doesnt pay) would still make it through. Probably better, in my opinion, as what holds this movie back is the huge number of long shots of scenery, underscored by cheap, synth music.
When all the bad is weighed against all the good, one must realize this movie is average at best and if released today, would be in league with "Battlefield Earth."