loading loading...

Scarface Reviews

1983 Certificate 18
  • Rated:
  • 80
  • from 32,927 members

A tense and violent update of the 1932 Howard Hughes gangster classic with the setting changed from Chicago to Miami. 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 (.. Read more

Starring Al Pacino, Robert Loggia, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer
Director Brian De Palma
Genres Action/Adventure, Thriller

loading loading...

  • Critics' reviews (5) of Scarface

    View all
  • 4 stars out of 5

    This scorching update of Howard Hawks's 1932 classic by director Brian De Palma relocates events to Miami and follows the rapid rise and violent fall of a Cuban refugee turned cocaine-smuggling kingpin. Al Pacino produces one of his finest scenery-chewing performances as the ruthless criminal pursuing the American dream, and he gets top support from Michelle Pfeiffer as his wife, Steven Bauer as his partner in crime and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as his sister. The accurate, if four-letter-word heavy, dialogue and sharp wit in Oliver Stone's script and the vivid cinematography of John A Alonzo help make De Palma's urban shocker a modern-day classic and one of the best movies ever made about the subject. However, some may find its excess in all areas — especially the final massacre that outdoes The Wild Bunch — more off-putting than entertaining.

    • Radio Times
  • "...The most stylish and provocative -- and maybe the most vicious -- serious film about the American underworld since [THE GODFATHER]....Vivid and arresting."

    • New York Times
  • Absurdly brutalized remake, with detailed violence and a superabundance of foul language; the film seems to want to make a political statement.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Most helpful members' reviews (3) of Scarface

    View all
  • 26 out of 29 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    You cockaroach!

    Fantastic. This film is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. The story is a remake of a classic gangster movie, this time round though it is set on the sun washed beaches of Miami.

    Young Antonio Montana has been set free from a Cuban jail and sent to Miami on a boat (this film is based on the Cuban 'Boat Lift', in which Fiedel Castro sent the dregs of his jails over to the US unaware to US officials.

    He soon begins working for a drug kingpin and gets very ambitious!

      • A customer from Manchester, England
  • 18 out of 24 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    watchable

    A decent enough film although it gets a bit tiresome halfway through.The character played by Michelle Phieffer is absolutely awful(rather like my spelling of her name)and i can't believe she landed more film roles after this.Al Pacino was as good as ever and held this movie together.Although it kept me watching,i wouldn't call this movie a classic.

      • A customer from Devon,England
  • 17 out of 19 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Classic

    One of the best ganster films around,up there with the Godfather series,Casino and Goodfellas.Pacino puts in the performance of his life as ruthless Cuban immigrant Tony Montana out to rule the world.If you havent seen this already-get it now!

      • A customer from Gloucester
  • Most recent members' reviews (2) of Scarface

    View all
  • 26 out of 29 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    You cockaroach!

    Fantastic. This film is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. The story is a remake of a classic gangster movie, this time round though it is set on the sun washed beaches of Miami.

    Young Antonio Montana has been set free from a Cuban jail and sent to Miami on a boat (this film is based on the Cuban 'Boat Lift', in which Fiedel Castro sent the dregs of his jails over to the US unaware to US officials.

    He soon begins working for a drug kingpin and gets very ambitious!

      • A customer from Manchester, England
  • 13 out of 15 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    A Classic & Great Gangster Film

    Al Pacino at his best in this story of a nobody from Cuba who worked his way up building himself an empire only to have it fall part in his hands as he got greedy, seeking to control all

    Watching this film you can see that it has influenced alot of films and games and has earned a place as one of the best films ever made.

    If you haven't seen it, watch it.

      • A customer from Bracknell
  • 26 out of 29 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    You cockaroach!

    Fantastic. This film is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. The story is a remake of a classic gangster movie, this time round though it is set on the sun washed beaches of Miami.

    Young Antonio Montana has been set free from a Cuban jail and sent to Miami on a boat (this film is based on the Cuban 'Boat Lift', in which Fiedel Castro sent the dregs of his jails over to the US unaware to US officials.

    He soon begins working for a drug kingpin and gets very ambitious!

      • A customer from Manchester, England
  • 18 out of 24 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    watchable

    A decent enough film although it gets a bit tiresome halfway through.The character played by Michelle Phieffer is absolutely awful(rather like my spelling of her name)and i can't believe she landed more film roles after this.Al Pacino was as good as ever and held this movie together.Although it kept me watching,i wouldn't call this movie a classic.

      • A customer from Devon,England
  • 17 out of 19 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Classic

    One of the best ganster films around,up there with the Godfather series,Casino and Goodfellas.Pacino puts in the performance of his life as ruthless Cuban immigrant Tony Montana out to rule the world.If you havent seen this already-get it now!

      • A customer from Gloucester
  • 13 out of 15 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    A Classic & Great Gangster Film

    Al Pacino at his best in this story of a nobody from Cuba who worked his way up building himself an empire only to have it fall part in his hands as he got greedy, seeking to control all

    Watching this film you can see that it has influenced alot of films and games and has earned a place as one of the best films ever made.

    If you haven't seen it, watch it.

      • A customer from Bracknell
  • 11 out of 14 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    Average Gangster movie

    Had to rent this purely because it's a film you always hear about and its part of movie history.

    Was rather disappointed though as the acting was on the whole quite poor and it does really drag for almost 3 hours.

    Al Pacino is great though in this role. I guess at the time this was a great movie. Just seems rather dated now.

  • 8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    A cure for narcolepsy

    I have read aome of the negative reviews of this fil, and wonder whether these people know what a good film is!

    This is pure genius! Made in 1980 and still stands strong today. Pacino is fantastic as the rags to riches gangster who never loses his working class background. I mean he eats the lemon in the finger bowl when he meets Sosa.

    Brian De Palma, by not trying to remake the orignal, and updating it to the political state of central America of the early 80s is brilliant. This film should have received an oscar, but it is rare an oscar ever goes to a decent film.

    Do not miss this classic gangster fim!

      • A customer from London
  • 8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 1 star [Highly rated reviewer]

    Borrring

    it sucked was Boring went on for far to long so abit dragged out ,

    WASTE of my time, i wud rather watch tots tv XD

      • marksh from Littlehampton
  • 8 out of 9 people found this review helpful

    * * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

    Rated - 1 star

    Good performance by Al Pachino

      • A customer from Leeds
  • 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    A Film That Spawned A Genre......

    This is the original story of a Cuban refugee who embraces every part of the 'American Dream' even though it costs him his family, his friends and eventually his own life.

    A fantastic film with a fine performance by Pacino as he makes the ruthless character almost loveable. Somewhat rough around the edges production-wise, but well worth a few watches.

      • Matt Parkinson from Lincolnshire
  • 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 0 stars

    Bonus disc - pah!

    Why you would want to send me the bonus disc alone is beyond me. There was nothing new on it in and it was a waste of my time opening it and posting it back. If you're going to do bonus discs send them with the original disc.

      • gecko2 from Leeds
  • Critics' reviews (5)

  • 4 stars out of 5

    This scorching update of Howard Hawks's 1932 classic by director Brian De Palma relocates events to Miami and follows the rapid rise and violent fall of a Cuban refugee turned cocaine-smuggling kingpin. Al Pacino produces one of his finest scenery-chewing performances as the ruthless criminal pursuing the American dream, and he gets top support from Michelle Pfeiffer as his wife, Steven Bauer as his partner in crime and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as his sister. The accurate, if four-letter-word heavy, dialogue and sharp wit in Oliver Stone's script and the vivid cinematography of John A Alonzo help make De Palma's urban shocker a modern-day classic and one of the best movies ever made about the subject. However, some may find its excess in all areas — especially the final massacre that outdoes The Wild Bunch — more off-putting than entertaining.

    • Radio Times
  • "...The most stylish and provocative -- and maybe the most vicious -- serious film about the American underworld since [THE GODFATHER]....Vivid and arresting."

    • New York Times
  • Absurdly brutalized remake, with detailed violence and a superabundance of foul language; the film seems to want to make a political statement.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • The first motel shootout bodes well, a set piece handled with panache and the right note of clammy terror, but the rest... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
  • "...SCARFACE is a grandiose modern morality play....[The film] possesses an engaging topicality and packs a punch..."

    • Variety

Find cinemas


Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop


    • Scarface
      A tense and violent update of the 1932 Howard Hughes gangster classic with the setting changed from Chicago to Miami. 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 ...

Rating breakdown

32,927 Member ratings
  • 100
7,140
  • 90
5,093
  • 80
8,322
  • 70
4,918
  • 60
3,453
  • 50
1,756
  • 40
977
  • 30
559
  • 20
467
  • 10
242

Celebrity collection

Related user collection

Films Seen (171)

Average rating: 2.75   55% from 2 members

by: sam103329 from Wakefield