Review of Scarface (1983) by Brandon S — 07 Sep 2012

An amazing masterpiece from the young, yet extremely talented, minds of Brian de Palma and Martin Bregman. Al Pacino's best performance since Michael Corleone. This film continues to reel me in with it's compelling drama, unforgettable lines and moments, and of course the infamous finale.

I was pleased that Brian and Oliver didn't just try to do a modern carbon copy of the 1932 classic, the plot had similarities but nothing to major, this epic crime saga does the original film justice while still managing to be it's own movie.

Oliver Stone made a name for himself as a writer with this film's uncompromising character depth and development. This isn't a normal dark and gritty film noire, it IS infrequently horrific and violent like a film noire, but it was very colorful and vibrant like never before.

Al Pacino's portrayal is dark while still being humorous and powerful, he seeks this kind of American dream but in the process he somewhat loses his ability to love. He loses his ability to love another person and to love life, I believe that's what makes this character so incredibly deep.

Michelle Pfeifer's performance reminds you of tender yet independent performances from past Hollywood women like Grace Kelly and Mary Astor. Despite all of the controversy over the films violence and the profanity I'm so happy that the original cut was released and that Brian got to show the world his vision, ignoring all of the media criticism and scrutiny from critics.

Brian's attitude during the film's original release sums up how passionate a director is meant to be about his work, whether it meant fighting Universal or even the MPAA, he still succeeded in showing the world the unfiltered realism of the Cuban criminal underground and for that I thank you very much, you are an inspiration.

I loved this movie very, very much!