Scarface (1983)
★★★★½ — Scarface (1983)
Brian De Palma's Scarface is a loose remake of Howard Hawks's 1932 gangster film of the same name, transplanted from Prohibition-era Chicago to the cocaine-saturated Miami of the early 1980s. The script was written by Oliver Stone, then still some years away from his directorial peak, drawing heavily on the real-world chaos of the 1980 Mariel boatlift, in which roughly 125,000 Cubans arrived in Florida, a detail that gives the film an authentically febrile cultural backdrop. Produced by Martin Bregman (who had previously worked with Pacino on Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon) on a budget of $25 million, the production was largely filmed in Los Angeles standing in for Miami, with some location work in El Paso. Michelle Pfeiffer, at the time a relatively unknown quantity, took the role of Elvira opposite Pacino, and the film proved a significant turning point in her career.
Al Pacino is the greatest and Scarface is one of his most volcanic, unforgettable performances. As Tony Montana, the Cuban refugee who claws his way to the top of Miami’s cocaine empire with a machine gun, and a near-psychotic hunger for power, Pacino doesn’t just act, he erupts. Every line, every snarl, every “say hello to my little friend” is delivered with such raw, unfiltered intensity that it transcends performance and becomes myth. The film, directed by Brian De Palma at his operatic best is a lurid, neon-soaked tragedy that’s as stylish as it is brutal. Everything about it is iconic: Giorgio Moroder’s synth-heavy score, the pastel excess of 1980s Miami, the grotesque opulence of Tony’s mansion, the moral decay masked by designer clothes and cocaine-fuelled rants. It’s a film that doesn’t just depict the American Dream corrupted, it shows it vomiting blood all over the marble floors. The direction is bold, the cinematography garish in the best way, and the dialogue is pure Shakespearean gangster poetry. It’s not realism, it’s excess as art. But as much as I love it, as much as I wanted to give it the full 5 stars, I can’t. Tony Montana is electrifying, yes, but he’s also one-dimensional. Unlike Michael Corleone, Lefty Ruggiero, or Carlito Brigante, he doesn’t evolve, he just escalates. His relationship with Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) has surface glamour but lacks the emotional depth and tragic intimacy of Pacino’s other great roles. It’s all id, no introspection. And while that’s the point (his downfall is his own arrogance) it keeps the film from reaching the transcendent, soul-shaking level of The Godfather, Heat, or Carlito’s Way. So no, not a 5. But a very high 4.5. One of the greatest gangster films ever made. A cultural landmark. A performance for the ages. Just not quite perfection.
Rating: ★★★★½ | Year: 1983 | Watched: 2025-08-17
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Brian De Palma: The Untouchables (1987) · Carrie (1976) · Carlito's Way (1993)
More with Al Pacino: Scent of a Woman (1992) · Cruising (1980) · Insomnia (2002) · Scarecrow (1973)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More crime: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Angst (1983) · Stolen Face (1952) · Cairo Station (1958)
