Scarface Movie Review

My dad recently bought the DVD for Scarface two days ago. When I saw that famous black and white DVD cover, I smiled with joy.

This film was rated as one of the greatest gangster movies of all time if not one of the greatest movies of all time. With Al Pacino (Godfather series, Carlito's Way) in the lead role as Cuban Drug lord Tony Montana, the film looks promising.

Pacino looked very different in this film compared to The Godfather as he looked tanned, scruffy and who can forget, he has a scar on his face. Pacino also spoke in Cuban dialect with a rough and aggressive voice opposed to the calm and sinister voice of Michael Corleone.

The film's atmosphere is very GTA-ish and very similar to GTA: Vice City. They wear the same clothes, drive Cadillacs, do drugs etc. Needless to say GTA: Vice City is inspired by Scarface as stated in Wikipedia.

Despite the legendary status and popularity of the film, I was kinda disappointed with Scarface. It is more colorful and varied than the dark atmosphere of The Godfather but it lacks the drama that The Godfather displayed so elegantly. Long story short, Scarface is a 100% slab of dirty action with minimal drama. The film is also kinda draggy with too many sub-plots. Despite the fact that I was disappointed, Al Pacino gives a memorable performance as usual.

While some of the scenes from Scarface are lame and full of lame jokes, the other scenes will wanna make you applause!!! Some of the scenes include....

- The famous chainsaw torture scene.

- The part where Tony Montana and Manny Ray execute their former boss Frank Lopez who tried to have Montana killed. The irony of the scene is once Lopez's bodyguards abandon him to Montana, he begs for mercy and kisses Montana's feet.

- Who can forget, Tony Montana grabs a M4A1 equipped with grenade launcher and screams "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!" before blasting Alejandro Sosa's gunmen into smithereens with a M4A1 equipped with a M203 Grenade Launcher. Montana proceeds to gun down dozens of Sosa's gunmen before being killed. Despite this scene being less than 2 minutes long, it remains one of the most memorable scene in motion picture history. This scene is also the highlight of the film.


Despite it's awesome legacy and popularity, I was kinda disappointed with Scarface although it proves to be a good gangster movie in it's own right. Definitely not as good as The Godfather but better than Righteous Kill(a film starring both Corleone's Robert De Niro and Al Pacino). GTA fans will enjoy it no doubt.

I'll give it 6 out of 10.