The first and last forty-five minutes are good, but everything in between is mediocre...

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 2003)

Some spoilers, if you haven't already heard the ending.
"Scarface" starts off with an overly tanned Al Pacino getting interrogated by three Immigrations Officers. His character, Cuban Tony Montana, recently arrived in America, and is trying to hide his obvious history of crime from the cops. This scene lasts quite long, and is both an interesting and funny introduction to one of America's most favorite characters. I was content.
After three long hours "Scarface" ends with one of cinema's most bloody gunfights. Because of his betraying mob boss Sosa (Paul Shenar), Tony "Scarface" Montana is attacked in his mansion by at least thirty machine-gun toting assassins. After his sister and bodyguards are killed, Scarface pulls an assault rifle out of his cabinet and introduces the assassins to "his little friend". I was very content.
Unfortunately, the hour and a half (give or take a few minutes) in between is a little slow, and, well, boring. It features the cliches of every "coming to power" mob movie. Montana does coke, parties at clubs, and enters into a rotten marriage with Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer). Unfortunately, I've seen it all before. Still, "Scarface" doesn't become too repetitive ("Casino") or too glitzy ("Donnie Brasco"), which is good.
"Scarface", as many have said before me, is a classic man's movie, but nothing with too much substance or acting, 7/10.