Scarface (1983)

Regisseur:

Brian De Palma

Drehbuchautor:

Oliver Stone (screenplay)

Premierendatum:

9. Dezember 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Krimi | Drama

Werbezeile:

He was Tony Montana. The world will remember him by another name...SCARFACE.

Plot:

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug empire while succumbing to greed. (Cartel not Mafia)

Plot Keywords:

Infertility | Joy | Cleavage | Pretty Girl | Color Remake Of B&W Film

Filmpreise:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

"You wanna play rough?? OKAY!"

Besetzung

Al Pacino	...	Tony Montana
Steven Bauer	...	Manny Ribera
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Elvira Hancock
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Gina Montana
Robert Loggia	...	Frank Lopez
Miriam Colon	...	Mama Montana
F. Murray Abraham	...	Omar Suarez
Paul Shenar	...	Alejandro Sosa
Harris Yulin	...	Mel Bernstein
Ángel Salazar	...	Chi Chi
Arnaldo Santana	...	Ernie
Pepe Serna	...	Angel
Michael P. Moran	...	Nick The Pig
Al Israel	...	Hector The Toad
Dennis Holahan	...	Jerry The Banker

Alternativ:

Scarface - Toni, das Narbengesicht (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

170 Min | 81 Min (DVD version by VCA)

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch | Spanisch

Farbe:

Farbe (Technicolor)

Seitenverhältnis:

2.35 : 1

Tonverfahren:

4-Track Stereo

Altersfreigabe:

Colombia:18 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Brazil:18 | Belgium:KNT | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) | Finland:K-15 (DVD version) (re-rated) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (re-rating) | Canada:R | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1990) | West Germany:18 (video premiere) (cut) (1985) | Finland:K-18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 (re-rating) (2000) | Norway:18 (original rating) | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Taiwan:PG-12 | UK:18 | USA:R (re-rating on appeal) | USA:X (original rating)

Drehorte:

728 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Firma:

Universal Pictures

Dies und das:

When Sosa (Paul Shenar) slams the phone down just before the final shootout, there is the faint sound of a ricocheting gunshot under the "slam".

Pannen:

Faktische Fehler: When Tony shoots Alberto in the car, blood spatters on the window, indicating an exit wound, however the window does not shatter or break.

Dialogzitate:

[first lines]
Fidel Castro: ...al esfuerzo y al heroísmo de una revolución... ¡No los queremos! ¡No los necesitamos!
[... to the effort and heroism of a revolution... We don't want them! We don't need them!]

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweis/Anspielung/Erwähnung in Lord of War (2005)

Soundtrack:

Dance Dance Dance

"You wanna play rough?? OKAY!"

"Scarface" has a major cult following even now, 22 years after its release.

It has also been widely criticized as being very tacky, unrefined, over-the-top and all bloated up! These are people who compare Scarface to The Godfather movies. It is true that on the technical front, (cinematography, screenplay, direction, etc.) Scarface is way behind 'The Godfather'.

But it is also true, that what Scarface has and some other gangster movies lack, is the rawness, the sheer crude approach of the gangsters. The Latino gangsters in this movie look much more menacing and real than any of the polished Italian or Irish gangsters from other gangster classics like 'The Godfather' or 'Goodfellas'. This is one of the major winning points of Scarface and I strongly believe that this fact has been written off as "tackiness" by most critics! I have seen the original 1932 Scarface, and I must say that both these movies are way too different from each other and should be seen as two different movies instead of praising the original over the "remake"!

Al Pacino has been criticized to be over-the-top and loud in this movie. But how about considering that that is precisely the way the film-makers wanted Tony Montana's character to be! He is this angry young man who takes hasty decisions and throws fits of tantrum every other minute! He is not the calm Michael Corleone here. He is Tony Montana, a very tacky, uneducated individual who doesn't really think much and gets angry all the time!

There is definitely a very 80s feel to this movie. The soundtrack is all 80s! I love some of the songs, including 'Gina and Elvira's theme', 'Push it to the limit' and the title track instrumental.

There are some memorable and beautifully shot sequences, including the famous chainsaw scene, the Rebenga hit, the first meeting with Sosa and Tony's visit to his mother's.

About the performances: Al Pacino is brilliant as the angry Cuban refugee. He has reportedly mentioned that he enjoyed playing Tony Montana the most in his entire career. And it really does seem like he has enjoyed himself thoroughly in all his scenes! One wonders what "Scarface" would be like without Pacino. I just couldn't imagine anyone else portraying Tony Montana and in all probabilities, the film wouldn't be as effective without him!

Steven Bauer shines as Tony's friend Manny.

Robert Loggia is wonderful as Tony's boss, Lopez. So is F. Murray Abraham (as Omar) in a small role.

Then there is some eye-candy in the form of Elvira played by Michelle Pfeiffer. She looks beautiful and is adequate in her role.

The director does go a bit overboard during a particular part in the climax. Without revealing anything, I would only say that that was the only little part that suffers due to improper handling.

"Scarface" is definitely one of the most entertaining and one of the best gangster movies to ever come out. Enjoy it for what it is: a raw portrayal of the Drug Lords and their gangland!