A good ride, but predictable

Rating: 7/10 (28 October 2019)

Somehow I managed to miss this movie as part of my film education, and had never seen it until 2019, though was certainly well aware of it. Perhaps this is part of the reason for being a bit underwhelmed, as it does date a bit, and has been superceded by far better fare such as Goodfellas.
The movie looks great, has been directed with real style by Brian DePalma. The performances are all good, though not outstanding. Pacino is incredibly intense and really inhabits Tony, however there's not much subtlety there. Michelle Pfeiffer is also a bit one-note, though she isn't given a lot (compare with Sharon Stone's knock-out performance in Casino).
The music, by Giorgio Moroder, is often annoying and dates the movie badly, as well as detracting from the drama at times. It was a good ride, but the movie went pretty much exactly where you knew it was going to go, right from the start. It signposted all key plot developments well ahead of time. A good afternoon's entertainment, but not a classic.