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Scarface

  • 19831983
  • RR
  • 2h 50m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
811K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
320
9
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
F-Word Trailer for Scarface
Play trailer2:18
4 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

IMDb RATING
8.3/10
811K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
320
9
  • Director
    • Brian De Palma
  • Writers
    • Oliver Stone(screenplay by)
    • Howard Hawks(1932 screenplay)
    • Ben Hecht(1932 screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Al Pacino
    • Michelle Pfeiffer
    • Steven Bauer
Top credits
  • Director
    • Brian De Palma
  • Writers
    • Oliver Stone(screenplay by)
    • Howard Hawks(1932 screenplay)
    • Ben Hecht(1932 screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Al Pacino
    • Michelle Pfeiffer
    • Steven Bauer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.2KUser reviews
    • 183Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #106
    • Awards
      • 8 nominations

    Videos4

    Scarface: Blu-Ray
    Trailer 2:18
    Scarface: Blu-Ray
    Scarface
    Trailer 0:57
    Scarface
    Scarface: Anniversary Edition
    Trailer 1:06
    Scarface: Anniversary Edition
    Dates in Movie & TV History - Aug. 11: Tony Montana's Rise Begins
    Video 2:37
    Dates in Movie & TV History - Aug. 11: Tony Montana's Rise Begins

    Photos436

    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
    Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino and Steven Bauer in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface (1983)
    Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Al Pacino
    Al Pacino
    • Tony Montanaas Tony Montana
    Michelle Pfeiffer
    Michelle Pfeiffer
    • Elviraas Elvira
    Steven Bauer
    Steven Bauer
    • Manny Riberaas Manny Ribera
    Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
    Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
    • Ginaas Gina
    Robert Loggia
    Robert Loggia
    • Frank Lopezas Frank Lopez
    Miriam Colon
    Miriam Colon
    • Mama Montanaas Mama Montana
    F. Murray Abraham
    F. Murray Abraham
    • Omaras Omar
    Paul Shenar
    Paul Shenar
    • Alejandro Sosaas Alejandro Sosa
    Harris Yulin
    Harris Yulin
    • Bernsteinas Bernstein
    Ángel Salazar
    Ángel Salazar
    • Chi Chias Chi Chi
    Arnaldo Santana
    • Ernieas Ernie
    Pepe Serna
    Pepe Serna
    • Angelas Angel
    Michael P. Moran
    • Nick The Pigas Nick The Pig
    Al Israel
    Al Israel
    • Hector The Toadas Hector The Toad
    Dennis Holahan
    Dennis Holahan
    • Bankeras Banker
    Mark Margolis
    Mark Margolis
    • Shadowas Shadow
    Michael Alldredge
    Michael Alldredge
    • Sheffieldas Sheffield
    Ted Beniades
    • Seidelbaumas Seidelbaum
    • Director
      • Brian De Palma
    • Writers
      • Oliver Stone(screenplay by)
      • Howard Hawks(1932 screenplay) (uncredited)
      • Ben Hecht(1932 screenplay) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Tony Montana manages to leave Cuba during the Mariel exodus of 1980. He finds himself in a Florida refugee camp but his friend Manny has a way out for them: undertake a contract killing and arrangements will be made to get a green card. He's soon working for drug dealer Frank Lopez and shows his mettle when a deal with Colombian drug dealers goes bad. He also brings a new level of violence to Miami. Tony is protective of his younger sister but his mother knows what he does for a living and disowns him. Tony is impatient and wants it all however, including Frank's empire and his mistress Elvira Hancock. Once at the top however, Tony's outrageous actions make him a target and everything comes crumbling down. —garykmcd
    • cocaine
    • gangster
    • cuban refugee
    • organized crime
    • villain as protagonist
    • 538 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • He was Tony Montana. The world will remember him by another name...SCARFACE.
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the scene where Tony and Elvira are sitting in the Cadillac at the car dealership, Al Pacino surreptitiously slips on the hat that Michelle Pfeiffer was wearing while she was looking away, which was not scripted. When she turns back and sees him wearing it, her amused reaction was genuine and to her credit, she stayed in character and ad-libbed a line. Brian De Palma decided to keep that unscripted exchange in the movie to show Elvira's gradual warming up to Montana.
    • Goofs
      Director Brian De Palma is visible in the mirror in the last close-up of Tony in the Babylon Club before the shootout begins.
    • Quotes

      Tony Montana: You wanna fuck with me? Okay. You wanna play rough? Okay. Say hello to my little friend!

      [Tony shoots]

    • Crazy credits
      We see a proverb at the beginning of the movie that says: "Enjoy yourself, every day above ground is a good day." ANONYMOUS, MIAMI 1981
    • Alternate versions
      To get a 16 rating in West Germany, most of the violence and profanity were toned down.
    • Connections
      Edited into 76-89-03 (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      Scarface (Push It to the Limit)
      Performed by Paul Engemann

      Music by Giorgio Moroder

      Lyrics by Pete Bellotte

    User reviews1.2K

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Dynamic Performance by Pacino
    In 1983, Director Brian De Palma set out to make a film about the rise and fall of an American gangster, and that he did-- with the help of a terrific screenplay by Oliver Stone and some impeccable work by an outstanding cast. The result was `Scarface,' starring Al Pacino in one of his most memorable roles. The story begins in May of 1980, when Castro opened the harbor at Mariel, Cuba, to allow Cuban nationals to join their families in the United States. 125,000 left Cuba at that time, for the greener pastures of freedom in America, and most were honest, hard-working people, thankful for the opportunity they had been granted. But not all. Among the `Marielitos' who streamed into Florida, approximately 25,000 had criminal records and were nothing less than the dregs of Cuba's jails-- criminals considered beyond redemption, who Castro had merely wanted to be rid of. And they, too, saw America as a land of opportunity, even as Al Capone had considered Chicago some fifty years earlier. And among the most ambitious was a man named Tony Montana (Pacino), known to his associates as `Caracortada.' Scarface.

    Now that he was free of the yoke of Communism under which he had grown up, Montana wanted what he felt was coming to him, and he wanted it now; and from the moment he stepped off the boat in Florida, he was determined to have it all. Wealth and power-- that was Montana's dream, and he would get it by doing what he did best, beginning with a favor for a man living in Miami by the name of Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). Lopez, it seems, had a brother in Cuba who had met an untimely end at the hands of one of Castro's goons, a man who, having outlived his usefulness to Castro, had been summarily discarded and was currently being held in `Little Havana,' along with Montana and all of the Cubans just off the boats, where they awaited their papers from the government that would effect their transition into their new lives. And in short order, Montana sees to it that Lopez's brother has been avenged, and it sets the stage for his own entrance into the underworld of America.

    Lopez, a wealthy businessman with the right connections, in return for the favor gets Montana and his friend, Manny (Steven Bauer), released from the holding camp, and puts them to work. In his day, Capone may have had bootlegging as a means through which to line his coffers with illicit gain, but Lopez has the modern day equivalent, and it's even more lucrative: Cocaine. Lopez takes Montana under his wing and indoctrinates him into the life, but once he has a taste of it, Montana isn't satisfied with whatever crumbs Lopez sees fit to throw his way, and he sets a course that will take him to where he wants to be: At the `top.' With a cold-blooded, iron will, Montana decides he'll do whatever it takes to get there, no matter what the cost. but before it's over, he will realize the price for his dream, and he'll pay it; but for a brief moment, perhaps he will know what it's like to be The Man. And he will also know whether or not it was worth it.

    In step with De Palma's vision, Pacino plays Montana larger-than-life, and he does it beautifully. From the accent he affects (which he researched thoroughly to make sure he got it right-- and he did), to the body language and the attitude, he's got it all, and it makes Montana convincing and very real. What he brings to the role is nuance and style, in a way that few actors (De Niro would be one) can. This is definitely not a character that is sympathetic in any way, nor is there anything about Montana that you can readily relate to on a personal level; but Pacino's screen presence is so strong that it makes him a thoroughly engrossing character, even though it's hard to become emotionally involved with him. It's quite simply a dynamic, memorable performance.

    Michelle Pfeiffer gives a solid performance, as well, in the role that put her on the path to stardom. As Elvira, the woman who becomes an integral part of Montana's dream, Pfeiffer is subtle and understated, giving that sense of something going on underneath, while affecting a rather cold and distant exterior countenance. She, like Pacino, definitely makes her presence felt as she fairly glides across the screen with a stoic, enigmatic and sultry demeanor.

    The supporting cast includes Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Gina), Miriam Colon (Mama Montana), F. Murray Abraham (Omar), Paul Shenar (Sosa) and Harris Yulin (Bernstein). An excellent precursor to the more recent and highly acclaimed `Traffic,' and `Blow,' and well as having a climactic scene reminiscent of Peckinpah's `The Wild Bunch,' De Palma's `Scarface,' originally panned by critics, has since been cited by many as being the definitive American gangster saga. Much of the violence is implied rather than graphic, but this film still has an edge of realism to it that many may find somewhat disturbing. But if you stay with it, there is a lesson to be learned in the end. And like many lessons in life, the most valuable are often the hardest to take at the time. But the reward is always worth it, and that's the way it is with this film. I rate this one 8/10.
    helpful•105
    57
    • jhclues
    • Jun 30, 2001

    FAQ13

    • What is Scarface about?
    • Is this movie based on a book?
    • Is Tony attracted to his sister Gina?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 9, 1983 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Lice s ožiljkom
    • Filming locations
      • 656 Park Ln, Santa Barbara, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $45,408,703
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,597,536
      • Dec 11, 1983
    • Gross worldwide
      • $65,884,703
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • 4-Track Stereo(original release)
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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