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SCARFACE
Anniversary Edition
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert
Loggia
Director: Brian De Palma
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Studio: Universal
Features: See Review
Length: 170 Minutes
Release Date: September 30, 2003
“SAY
HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!”
Film
***1/2
If you ask anyone today what their favorite gangster movie of all time is,
chances are you will get one of two answers, The Godfather or Scarface.
The latter of the two can easily be considered a much more hardcore version The
Godfather, simply because its many scenes of brutal violence. Over the
years, this tale of crime, drugs, and ultimate power has gone on to become one
of the most popular films of the crime genre, which is quite an accomplishment
for a movie that did only moderately well when released to theaters. From what
I’ve seen, Scarface has indeed become something of a required viewing among the
male species, and seeing how it’s popularity has soared ever since it’s
initial release, I can see it thankfully being discovered by new generations of
audiences for years to come.
Stylistic master Brian De Palma crossed over big time to the realm of big
budget moviemaking with this risky project, which at the time of its release in
1983 was at the center of hot controversy. Apparently, prior to this film, there
hadn’t been a more violent, more profane mainstream release. Scarface
had every demeaning quality one could ask for, including perhaps the most scenes
of drug use in any film at the time, and like De Palma’s Dressed
to Kill, it was threatened with the dreaded X rating. In the end, De Palma
got the picture he wanted released anyway, and Scarface
proved to be a movie experience of the most extreme that had never quite existed
before.
“All
I have in this world is my balls and my word, and I don’t break ‘em for no
one.”
For its star Al
Pacino, Scarface would result in a
career milestone. Pacino is clearly an actor of legendary status, and I am very
certain that his many legions of fans find his portrayal of ruthless drug lord
Tony Montana remains his most powerful performance to date. It’s true that
even by 1983, Pacino wasn’t new to the crime genre, as he already perfected it
in both The Godfather and Godfather
Part II, but one thing can be said about Pacino in Scarface,
you had never seen him as explosive and over the top before, which is a quality
that only Pacino has perfected with this film and others since.
With the endlessly
edgy screenplay penned by no less than Oliver Stone, Scarface is an epic story of the rise and fall of Tony Montana, who
enters the U.S. in 1980 as a recently released political prisoner. As Castro was
granting the opportunity of immigration for his people to Miami, he also sent
away the prisoners he had so despised, as a means of emptying out his jails in
Cuba, which is how Tony got to where he is.
“I
kill a communist for fun, but for a green card, I gonna carve him up real
nice.”
Along with his
lifelong friend, Manny (Steven Bauer), Tony starts his experience in the states
right at the bottom. Both he and Manny start working for minimum wage, something
that Tony isn’t too much fond of since he didn’t come to the U.S. to work
for money. Tony is ultimately driven when it comes to wanting cash, no matter
what he has to do in order to get it. It isn’t too long before Tony’s chance
encounter with a local drug runner results in him and his friend hired on to
deal for Miami drug lord Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia)
As Tony soon
becomes Lopez’ top lieutenant, he is soon seduced by the promise of even more
power, as rival drug runner Sosa (Paul Shenar) offers a spot on his crew for
Tony. He accepts the offer right on the spot, causing him to betray Lopez, who
is upset by this since he helped bring Tony into the business in the first
place. When he becomes convinced that Lopez ordered a hit on him, Tony strikes
back by executing his former boss, and taking over every inch of his empire,
including his mistress, Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer).
“I
always tell the truth, even when I lie.”
After long, Tony
appears to have more power and wealth than the president, and has no intention
of slowing down. He is now married to Elvira, but only because he believes he
has to have her, while she is at his side simply because she has quick access to
drugs. There is no real romance between the two, just the notion that a marriage
has to exist between them. Another weakness for Tony is his younger sister, Gina
(Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), whom Tony is way too overprotective of and
can’t stand to see even enjoying herself. Their traumatic relationship results
in quite possibly one of the most heartbreakingly crushing scenes ever.
For Brian De Palma,
Scarface is perhaps one of the few
films that isn’t so much heavily relied on the brilliant visual gimmicks he so
flawlessly pulls off. De Palma is simply painting a distinct character piece,
while at the same time creating a much lush sense of atmosphere in the setting
of sunny Miami. There are a couple of trademark De Palma camera pans from one
area to another, but for the most part, De Palma understandably lets Pacino and
the look of Miami drive the moving power.
De Palma should
also be credited with taking cinematic violence to a whole new level. Two
scenes, in particular, still help to induce a few bone chilling reactions.
There’s the infamous early scene where Tony and his two assailants are held
captive during a drug deal gone horrendously bad, resulting in the use of a
chainsaw, and not for the use of cutting down any nearby palm trees. The other
is the classic final scene where Tony, all coked up, takes on an army of
henchmen who invade his mansion. To this day, this scene remains one of the most
striking scenes of violence ever shot (no pun intended), with Pacino’s classic
line, referring to his mother of a machine gun, elevating it to sheer
perfection.
“So
say goodnight to the bad guy.”
Scarface remains one of the most hardcore films of all time. This is a movie
that is a pure celebration in everything over the top, right down to Pacino’s
now famous accent used for Tony Montana. If you’re wondering why I don’t
give this film a full four stars, it’s only because I find De Palma’s Carlito’s
Way, another crime epic starring Pacino as a somewhat more sympathetic
criminal, to be much more masterful and dramatic, in addition to having the
added bonus of extended De Palma style. Nonetheless, this is nothing short of
pure cinematic firepower with one of the best directors of our time, and one of
the all time great actors making the most of a superb collaboration.
Video
***1/2
Despite being an
early big seller when first released five years ago, Scarface was in desperate need of a makeover. The picture didn’t
have the anamorphic enhancement, and the image quality suffered throughout an
all around poor transfer, which was sadly the case with many of De Palma’s
earlier films on DVD. But Universal has more than made up for that issue with
this entirely new transfer, which is a pure delight and very much one of the
best looking 80s movies I’ve ever seen on the format. The print, now an
anamorphic picture, is much cleaner and a whole lot clearer than what was given
beforehand. The style of the various sets, most notably Tony’s lush mansion,
come through superbly nice, with eye popping color usage to boot. A soft spot or
two is seen, but for the most part this is without a doubt one of the best
re-issues of any movie on DVD that was sorely in need of one.
Audio
***
The same level of
improvement can be noted in the audio field. On the previous disc, all that was
supplied was a 2.0 track, which limited the action to only the front area, which
doesn’t do much for a film from twenty years ago. The new 5.1 track is a far
more exceptional mix, providing an added level of surround range for both the
sequences of shootouts, as well as the unique synthesized music score by Giorgio
Moroder. Dialogue is a whole lot clearer too. Clearly, the answer to all the
flaws in the first DVD release.
Features
***1/2
The second disc
contains a good load of informative bonuses. There are five documentaries all
together. The first three; “Scarface: The Rebirth”, “Scarface:
Creating”, “Scarface: Acting”, each takes an in depth look at the making
of the movie, featuring interviews with Brian De Palma, Al Pacino, Oliver Stone,
and many more cast and crew members. Then there’s “The TV Version”, an
intriguing montage of how extraordinarily different the theatrical version and
the network television version are. Lastly, there is a short documentary titled
“Origins of a Hip Hop Classic”, which looks at how the movie has influenced
members of the hip hop music industry, where Tony Montana is seen as sort of a
ghetto superhero. Rounding out the disc is a montage of deleted scenes.
Summary:
