Scarface (1983) Rank 5 Reviews

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

The interesting thing is the way Tony Montana stays in the memory, taking on the dimensions of a real, tortured person. Most thrillers use interchangeable characters, and most gangster ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Dimspace Haiku Movie Reviews

The US is the land of opportunity for all who come here. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Dimspace Haiku Movie Reviews

The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews

Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, whose intelligence, guts, and ambition help him skyrocket from dishwasher to the top of a criminal empire but whose eventual paranoia and incestuous desire for his kid sister (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) prove his ...read the complete Scarface movie review at The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews

MovieJustice (Steve Vinyard)

Without a doubt, Scarface is one of the finest gangster films ever released. It has a perfectly fitting score, unforgettable over the top acting and a high level of testosterone that is sure to entertain. Honestly, I can't find one thing wrong this movie. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at MovieJustice (Steve Vinyard)

Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)

The most frantic and assured film of Brian De Palma's impressive career. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)

Empire Magazine (--)

Perfomances are excellent...despite its moralistic conclusion... ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Empire Magazine (--)

The Onion A.V. Club (Scott Tobias)

On the surface, the unlikely centrality of Brian De Palma's garish Scarface remake in hip-hop culture seems like a whopping misinterpretation, pointing to a breakdown of morality, irony awareness, and good taste. Is it possible that an entire generation ...read the complete Scarface movie review at The Onion A.V. Club (Scott Tobias)

Moviepie.com

As the story goes, someone mentioned Scarface to Jessica Simpson and she responded with, "Ew, is his face, like, all covered in scars?" Dummy. It's so easy to discount a girl who doesn't even know when she's eating tuna. I'd seen the poster. I knew ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Moviepie.com

UpcomingDiscs.com (Mark Dancer)

This is just one of the many cultural references that have come out of Brian DePalma's 1983 epic film, Scarface. Al Pacino plays Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee that arrives in the United States with nothing, and leaves with everything. It's a ...read the complete Scarface movie review at UpcomingDiscs.com (Mark Dancer)

Bullz-Eye.com

Any list of classic guy movies would be incomplete without an appearance from Brian De Palma's "Scarface." The film that supplies immortal quotes like, "I always tell the truth, even when I lie," and "Say hello to my little friend!" also gives life to ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Bullz-Eye.com

Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

Painted in exuberant, extravagant swaths of red, Brian De Palma's foolhardy epic is a thing of delirious grandeur; only the combination of De Palma and screenwriter Oliver Stone could have conceived and executed it. Their oversized vision perfectly ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

Teen Movie Critic (Roger Davidson)

Of all the gangster epics that have come out in the past two decades, this is one of the many outstanding achievements of that particular genre. A remake of the 1932 classic, this has been updated to the early 1980's. The new Scarface is Cuban refugee ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Teen Movie Critic (Roger Davidson)

DVD Verdict (Bryan Byun)

Scarface has weathered critical disdain and financial disappointment to emerge, two decades later, as a film for the ages, joining the Godfather saga and GoodFellas in the pantheon of great gangster flicks. While De Palma, Pacino et al. have made ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVD Verdict (Bryan Byun)

TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

A beautiful, at times poetic exercise in excess from Brian De Palma. Based on the classic 1932 gangster film of the same name, the screenplay (written by Oliver Stone) follows the plot of its source almost to the letter. Two-bit Cuban hood Tony Montana ...read the complete Scarface movie review at TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

David Landers

SCARFACE, a remake of the 1932 film of the same name, is a very gripping and, as far as I know, a true-to-life story of how power and violence lead to corruption. Al Pacino, as Tony Montana (for whom the movie is named), also provides a brilliant ...read the complete Scarface movie review at David Landers

DVD Talk (James W. Powell)

If you've been holding out for a better DVD version of Scarface, now's the time to buy. Although I wouldn't call the special features superior to the original version, the audio and video are definitely a step up. For those looking to upgrade, this ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVD Talk (James W. Powell)

Monkeyboy Review

Is this the dog's bollocks or what? Never will you have heard a script so cram-packed with swearing. Is there another film with so many quotable lines? Here's some examples... ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Monkeyboy Review

DVDActive (Benjamin Willcock)

Many will tell you it's one of the best films to come out of the eighties, I'm not sure it would qualify to be in the top ten of that decade, but it's a very good movie and it comes home on DVD with style. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVDActive (Benjamin Willcock)

Mike Watson

Yet it would be a shame if bad language is all De Palma's SCARFACE is remembered for, because this is a damn fine gangstar flick. The overall structure is similar to Howard Hawks' 1932 original, but this time the scene has switched to Miami, Florida and ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Mike Watson

Friday & Saturday Review

"Scarface" showcases one of movie history's great over-the-top-performances: the legendary Al Pacino in the title character of gangster Tony Montana. It simply must be a job of over-acting, because Montana is just such a colossal fake. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Friday & Saturday Review

Appreciating Great Trash

An exquisitely overblown movie about and seemingly fueled by cocaine, viewers tend to either be engaged or completely put off by the film's maniacal excesses. I, personally, agree with director Brian De Palma's technique: how can one tell the story of ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Appreciating Great Trash

Talking Pictures (UK) (UK)

Remade by Universal Pictures in 1983, Scarface was hailed for Al Pacino's towering performance and Brian De Palma's masterful direction. Originally released in 1932 by producer Howard Hawks, Oliver Stone wrote the updated and action packed screenplay. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Talking Pictures (UK) (UK)

The Nick Schager Film Project

Hip-hop's favorite gangster fantasy, Brian DePalma's Scarface is a thrillingly opulent, lurid and vulgar - not to mention morally questionable - saga about the criminal corruption of the American dream. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at The Nick Schager Film Project

NYC Film Critic (Ethan Alter)

Although I've tried to advance some theories here on why Scarface has become a modern classic, ultimately I think the reasons for the movie's appeal will always remain something of a mystery. Somehow this ungainly thing works; you could pick it apart ...read the complete Scarface movie review at NYC Film Critic (Ethan Alter)

Dragan Antulov

Even those who don't pay much attention to finer details would almost immediately notice that SCARFACE belongs to 1980s. Costumes worn by characters, production design of Miami discotheques and Giorgio Moroder's pop music soundtrack are unmistakable ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Dragan Antulov

Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

Brian De Palma's (Dressed to Kill, Phantom of the Paradise) updating of Scarface is one of those films that runs the gamut from "all-time favorite" to "worst film I've ever seen" among critics and non-critics alike. Some love the ultra-violent nature ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

Urban Cinefile (Urban Cinefile Critics)

Palpitating with intensity.. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Urban Cinefile (Urban Cinefile Critics)

The Digital Bits

Pacino turns in another fireworks display. De Palma shows us once again that he knows what to do with images, and Oliver Stone illustrates why he has more Oscars than God, and deserves every last one of them. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at The Digital Bits

TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

An undeniably effective, visceral experience. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

New York Times (Vincent Canby)

The dominant mood of the film is anything but funny. It is bleak and futile: What goes up must always come down. When it comes down in Scarface , the crash is as terrifying as it is vivid and arresting. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at New York Times (Vincent Canby)

Movies for Guys DVD Review

Are you in the mood for a violent movie? Then "say hello to my little friend"! This movie features the allstar team of Brian De Palma as director, Oliver Stone as the writer and Al Pacino as the leading man who get together to remake this 1932 crime ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Movies for Guys DVD Review

Deranged Video Dude (Robert Wurth)

One of the interesting things about film is its capacity to become something of a snapshot for any given time and place. As much as films try to defy becoming dated, they will inevitably become just that. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Deranged Video Dude (Robert Wurth)

Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)

Ah, the American dream, that everyone, not matter how lowly their humble beginnings, can become a success and have it all. It is this hope that drove millions of people from foreign shores to come to this country. Unfortunately, in the eighties the means ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)

LeisureSuit.net

Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath says that unlike women, whose lives are like a flowing river, men live in jerks. A child is born, that's one jerk. Move to a new house, that's another jerk. Now granted, this is a typically female over-simplification ...read the complete Scarface movie review at LeisureSuit.net

Exclaim! (--)

The candid enthusiasm of Pacino, De Palma and producer Martin Bregman in a series of interviews makes up for the lack of a commentary track. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Exclaim! (--)

Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)

Subtle it ain't, but just try turning your eyes away from this study in stylistic excess. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)

Criminy Pete's Knee Jerk Spoilers

I've played some of that wacky video game sensation "Grand Theft Auto III." It's a game where you get to play a criminal rising through the ranks of the underworld of some fictional cities, and it's a good time. You can carjack people. If you do this, ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Criminy Pete's Knee Jerk Spoilers

BBC Films

Al Pacino's Tony Montana is the driving force in this chainsaws-and-all biography of the cocaine mafia. We follow his rise to absurd criminal wealth and paranoia out of thousands of immigrants arriving in Florida in 1980s 'Cuban crimewave' (the film's ...read the complete Scarface movie review at BBC Films

Richard Matich

A retro reveiw by: Richard Matich I really did'nt like this Brian De Palma film very much. It is a remake of the Howard Hawks film from 1932, and it is so dirty and violent that the shooting and bombing become just a tactic to keep you from turning away. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Richard Matich

Movies for Guys

Unfortunately, even though this DVD is a "collector's edition" and does feature some nice "extras", the quality of the reproduction of the movie itself leaves alot to be desired. The audio ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Movies for Guys

DVD-Dweeb.Com (Oliver Korioth)

The Godfather series was the premiere mob movie series of the seventies, but all I can say is Micheal Corleone, meet Tony Montana. Brian De Palma has graduated us to the more realistic modern version of the mob. No more family politics and shady business ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVD-Dweeb.Com (Oliver Korioth)

BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)

The combination of Brian De Palma directing an Oliver Stone script, starring Al Pacino, makes for one hell of an 80s movie ride as we're hurtled along the rise and fall of a cocaine mafia boss. Released a few times on DVD, we now get a two-disc edition ...read the complete Scarface movie review at BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)

DVD MovieGuide

Al Pacino gives an unforgettable performance as Tony Montana, one of the most ruthless gangsters ever depicted on film, in this gripping crime epic inspired by the 1932 classic of the same title. Directed by Brian DePalma and produced by Martin Bregman ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVD MovieGuide

DVD Town (Tim David Raynor)

It has finally arrived! The twentieth-anniversary edition of what is probably one of the most dramatically violent drug-lord films ever made, "Scarface." Director Brian De Palma and screenwriter Oliver Stone set out with the best intentions of making ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVD Town (Tim David Raynor)

Movie-Vault.com (John Ulmer)

"Scarface" chronicles the life of a Cuban refugee who came to America in May, 1980, when Fidel Castro opened the harbor at Mariel Bay, Cuba, with the apparent intention of letting some of his people join their families back in America. As the movie's ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Movie-Vault.com (John Ulmer)

IndependentCritics.com (Jacob Hall)

Ahhhh, Al Pacino. One of the finest actors who has ever lived. He has played a blind man, a football coach, a cop, several mobsters, and in "Scarface" he plays a Cuban immigrant who becomes a powerful drug dealer. "Scarface" can actually qualify as trash ...read the complete Scarface movie review at IndependentCritics.com (Jacob Hall)

WhatDVD - Anniversary Edition

Howard Hughes' gangster classic with the setting changed from Chicago to Miami in the early 1980s. It follows the rise of Tony Montana and Manny Ray as they build a criminal empire. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at WhatDVD - Anniversary Edition

Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

Brian De Palma's (Dressed to Kill, Phantom of the Paradise) updating of Scarface is one of those films that runs the gamut from "all-time favorite" to "worst film I've ever seen" among critics and non-critics alike. Some love the ultra-violent nature ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

Moviehole

That dialogue, that haunting bloody score that kicks off the film, those distressing moments featuring either a chainsaw or helicopter and of course the sheer permutation of a sexilious Michelle Pfeiffer and a killer machine-gun. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Moviehole

Cinema Blend

The remake of Scarface is a sprawling crime saga that follows the betrayal and loss that a single man endures; it is a coked-up version of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II without a family to feel sympathy for. So who better to carry the torch ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Cinema Blend

Entertainment Insiders

"Say hello to my little friend!" I don't know of a tough guy around (real or imagined) who hasn't imitated Tony Montana's famous next-to-last line from "Scarface. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Entertainment Insiders

DVD Net (Vince Carrozza)

I won't bore you to death with an essay about the history of Scarface. Most know the story, and for the few that only know the lines but not the person spouting them, Tony Montana is a Cuban refugee with a criminal past, forced out of Cuba by Castro ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVD Net (Vince Carrozza)

DVD Net (Jules Faber)

Personally I've always had trouble with gangster movies. Somehow I felt Hollywood glamourised them a little when they're all two-bit thugs. So I'd never seen Scarface (the original or this version) until now. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVD Net (Jules Faber)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Brian De Palma's "Scarface" rises or falls with Al Pacino's performance, which is aggressive, over the top, teeth-gnashing, arm-waving, cocaine-snorting, scenery chewing -- and brilliant, some say, while others find it unforgivably flamboyant. What were ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

What was really intended with this film? In a way, it's about the rise and fall of a gangster, like "The Godfather part 2". ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

rec.arts.movies.reviews (Dragan Antulov)

As time goes by, films like Scarface only gain in their importance. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at rec.arts.movies.reviews (Dragan Antulov)

Time Out

The first motel shootout bodes well, a set piece handled with panache and the right note of clammy terror, but the rest of this lengthy modern morality tale (updating Hawks' film to 1980) is downhill all the way. When Castro last threw out all his scum, ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Time Out

The Spinning Image (Daniel Auty)

Scarface was greeted with almost universally bad reviews on its release in 1983 - perhaps Al Pacino's return to the gangster genre after The Godfather a decade earlier led critics to expect a serious sombre thriller, or maybe Brian De Palma's ...read the complete Scarface movie review at The Spinning Image (Daniel Auty)

In Review (Adam Suraf)

"I am Tony Montana, a political prisoner from Cuba," goes Al Pacino during the famous interrogation scene opening the 1983 epic "Scarface", as an introduction to one of the most flamboyantly overacted and endlessly quoted characters in film ...read the complete Scarface movie review at In Review (Adam Suraf)

BBC Films

Al Pacino's Tony Montana is the driving force in this chainsaws-and-all story of the cocaine mafia. We follow his rise to absurd criminal wealth and paranoia out of thousands of immigrants arriving in Florida in 1980s 'Cuban crimewave' (the film's words). ...read the complete Scarface movie review at BBC Films

Film Freak Central review (Bill Chambers)

SPOILER WARNING IN EFFECT. Brian DePalma tends to assert his manhood through virile camerawork, but Scarface is the first film he made that's about swagger. They say the movie pursues the rise and fall of a gangster, but it's really an allegory of the ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Film Freak Central review (Bill Chambers)

DVD Journal

In 1980, Cuban president Fidel Castro granted thousands of Cubans permission to join their expatriated relatives in the United States. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at DVD Journal

ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Geoff Roberts)

After viewing Al Pacino's performance in Scarface, I'm not surprised that so many people show little respect for human life today. We have to wonder why talented actors and producers create such violent trash. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Geoff Roberts)

Slant Magazine

It's not often that a Brian De Palma film has dialogue that becomes part of pop culture lore. This isn't to say that his films aren't commercially or artistically successful, simply that De Palma primarily expresses himself visually. While ...read the complete Scarface movie review at Slant Magazine

CinemaBlend.com (Michael Brody)

A coked-up version of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II without a family to feel sympathy for. ...read the complete Scarface movie review at CinemaBlend.com (Michael Brody)

MovieJustice (Dan DeVore)

Scarface is so out there and excessive that it is not an easy movie to forget. It sticks with you a long time after you've seen it, leaving its mark but so does getting hit by a freight train. This is not to say that those are good things. The movie ...read the complete Scarface movie review at MovieJustice (Dan DeVore)

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Scarface (1983) Rank 5 Reviews

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