TotalTelly.co.uk
Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV
Scarface
RRP: £15.99
Our Price: £2.45 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Brian De Palma's update of the classic 1932 crime drama by Howard Hawks, Scarface is a sprawling epic of bloodshed and excess that sparked controversy over its outrageous violence when released in 1983. It's a wretched, fascinating car wreck of a movie, starring Al Pacino as a Cuban refugee who rises to the top of Miami's cocaine-driven underworld, only to fall hard into his own deadly trap of addiction and inevitable assassination. Scripted by Oliver Stone and running nearly three hours, it's the kind of film that can simultaneously disgust and amaze you (critic Pauline Kael wrote "this may be the only action picture that turns into an allegory of impotence"), with vivid supporting roles for Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Robert Loggia. --Jeff Shannon
Riveting
Review date: 2008-04-02 Rating: 10 out of 10
Who can resist Pacino's cocky charm? One of the most exciting movies ever made. The most (unintentionally) hilarious part of the movie was the scene where Michelle Pfeiffer's Elvira character is dancing at the nightclub. She REALLY can't dance.
Similar Products
- Goodfellas [1990]
- Carlito's Way [1994]
- Donnie Brasco [1997]
- Casino (2 Disc Special Edition) [1995]
- Casino [1996]
Reviews
sheer brilliance
Review date: 2007-12-27 Rating: 10 out of 10
i remember watching this when i was 17 and i was blown away. al pacino's portrayal of a small time hood made big is a lesson to all wannabe smack dealers. it's only gonna' end one way.
review wise there is not a lot i can say apart from, best film ever, PERIOD
Masterpiece
Review date: 2007-11-27 Rating: 10 out of 10
What can i say.... what a fantastic film... i love it to pieces and would recommend it if you love gangsta films :)
Great Film Recommeded
Review date: 2007-11-01 Rating: 10 out of 10
too sum this film up its awsome al pacino is legend in this i know all the lines also (sad i know) GET THIS NOW
Flawed Classic
Review date: 2007-10-17 Rating: 8 out of 10
A really good film, with some pretty significant flaws. It does a tremendous job of building tension as it progresses with Al Pacino bringing a real menace to his character. What I liked (although apparently missed by quite a few of the reviews on here...) was a strong sense of morality through it all. When you watch the Scorcese gangster films in particular, you get the idea that all the crime lords lead the life of riley with the occasional occupational hazard of getting knocked off. They could be particularly nasty used-car salesmen or estate agents. In this film you get a real sense of the pit that these guys are in. Pfeiffer plays a key character: completely wasted and vacant - this is what the drug 'industry' does to you. Similarly in the restaurant scene, Pacino realises it's all been a joke: he has the money but nothing else. At no point is the money and glamour made to look to be worth the moral cess-pit Montana lives in to access it.
So what's the flaw? Basically the denouement. As the pitch gets ratcheted higher and higher to operatic excess it's clear that Tony Montana is going to have a pretty big fall. But when the end comes, it seems completely out of place with the rest of the film which is pretty grittily realistic. It's just daft and you expect Schwarzenegger to come out of the smoke with barrels blazing. I think you could have had a suitably Shakesperian ending (think: Hamlet) without quite such a ridiculous battle - and the Montana's final coke snorting (never mind white-lines - this is straight out of the 1-kilo bag) just goes beyond parody.
Apart from that class.
P.S. if you get to the chainsaw scene and think 'not sure I can watch the rest of this' - don't worry, that's by far the nastiest bit: but important for establishing just how psychotic Montana is.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Robert Loggia
Al Pacino
Michelle Pfeiffer
Steven Bauer
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Director(s):
Recording label: Universal Pictures Video
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures Video
EAN: 5050582286960
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2004-09-06
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 163 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1983-12-09
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Original Language)