"Hey, F*ck You Mang!!!! Who Put Dis Ding Together? Me, Dat Who?!!!"

In 1932, director Howard Hawks and producer Ben Hecht released a gangster film called Scarface about the rise and fall of a 1930s gangster. The film was violent and downright brutal. In the end, Hawks and Hecht's version of Scarface became a landmark in the Golden Age of Cinema. While the original Scarface remains one of the best gangster films of its time, it would be overshadowed nearly 70 years later in a more violent, over-the-top remake though the creators of the remake pay tribute to Hawks and Hecht. Taking on the remake is director Brian de Palma, who had previously scored hit films with Sisters, Carrie, Dressed to Kill, and Blow-Out where he often admitted into imitating Alfred Hitchcock in several of his films. Helping de Palma in the remake of Scarface is an unknown screenwriter in Oliver Stone where the two crafted a modern-day remake based around a Cuban criminal.

The 1983 remake of Scarface that is directed by de Palma with a script by de Palma and Stone is about the rise and fall of a gangster in the name of Tony Montana. After being exiled from Cuba during the 1980 emigration where Fidel Castro let 100,000 Cubans to go to America, Montana and his partner Manolo make a mark into the American crime world led by Frank Lopez. With Montana's dream of ruling the world, he becomes a cocaine kingpin as he makes friends and enemies all over the world. Playing the title role is Al Pacino in what many consider to be one of his finest performances. With a supporting cast that includes Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia, F. Murray Abraham, Miriam Colon, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Harris Yulin, and Paul Shenar. The 1983 remake of Scarface, more than 20 years after its release remains a quintessential gangster classic.

It's 1980 as Tony Montana has just arrived in Florida where he and other criminals are being interrogated. Claiming he's been to America before with his father, he is forced to reveal that he's a criminal doing crime. Going into a bus with his friend Manolo (Steven Bauer), they're forced to live in refugee camps with other Cubans under the highways of Miami. Manolo gets word of a former associate of Castro named Rebenga (Roberto Contreras) is in the camp to work with the American government. Tony, Manolo along with Chi Chi (Angel Salazar) and Angel (Pepe Serna) decide to plan a hit on Rebenga as the Cuban refugees camp goes out of control. After Tony kills Rebenga, he and his boys received their green cards so they can work legally in the U.S.

After briefly working in a Cuban sandwich shop, they finally get their first job working with Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham) to buy cocaine from a Colombian dealer named Hector (Al Israel) for Omar's boss, Miami drug kingpin Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). Tony, Manolo, Angel, and Chi Chi go to South Beach where the deal was almost a disaster as Hector kills Angel with a chainsaw before Tony escapes as he kills Hector in front of the people in South Beach. Tony delivers the coke and the money that was supposed to be used to Frank as he lets him and Manolo join his team. There, Tony meets Frank's girlfriend Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) as he flirts with her in a club where Frank gives Tony some lessons about the drug business:

1. Don't underestimate the other guy's greed
2. Don't get high on your supply.

Tony and Manolo work their way up as Tony seeks to have the world in his hands. He flaunts his success as he visits his mother (Miriam Colon) and sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) where he gives them money to the delight of Gina and to their mother's dismay. During a trip to Colombia to meet with Lopez's rival Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar), Tony's ambition gets him at odds with Omar, that leads to his death and leaving Lopez angered about a possible expansion as he turns to corrupt officer Bernstein (Harris Yulin). After surviving an assassination, Tony ends his ties with Lopez as he takes over with Elvira marrying him but his ambition only gets him trouble with the government, even as Manolo tries to take control by getting Tony to work with a Jewish money handler.

Now in trouble, Tony meets with Sosa as they learn about a government agent who made a report on drugs that connects Sosa as he hires Tony and an associate of Sosa to go to New York City and kill the guy before he talks to the United Nations. High on coke and corrupted by his power, Manolo feels things are becoming more troubling as Tony's relationship with Elvira falters as she becomes addicted to cocaine and wants out of the drug world. With Tony going to New York, the plan becomes a disaster as Tony begins to start a war with Sosa while Manolo has gone astray along with Gina leaving Tony into his drug-induced doom.

With the approach of the film being a modern-day take on the original 1932 film, the result is a somewhat epic and excessive film that really defined the 1980s, a decade of decadence. The credit for capturing an urban idealism of the film goes not just de Palma and Oliver Stone but producer Martin Bregman for backing the two men. If there are three reasons why the 1983 version of Scarface is a cult-classic than the original 1932 film, it's because of three big reasons. The screenplay, de Palma's directing approach, and the cast led by Al Pacino.

Undoubtedly one of the most quotable films of all-time, Oliver Stone and Brian de Palma goes in for a bit of camp but with a lot of attitude. Beneath all of those one liners, 40-odd dead bodies, and 182 "f*cks", it's really a character study film of a man who tries to rise to the top from the bottom only to find that he is trapped into his own world. The way Stone and de Palma captured the drug culture, Miami, the business of drug dealing, and a man’s psyche really gives the film an appealing tone that has struck a chord with not just fans of gangster films but the fact that had something an audience from urban settings can relate to. The idea that you can rise from the gutter and go to the top. It's really one of the greatest scripts that is often overlooked and it all goes back to those one-liners. They're so memorable and so catchy, anyone will quote Scarface to this day.

If the film's script gives the film some humor and urban mythology, so does de Palma's unique approach to directing. Now the film is often considered to be extremely violent and gory but that in infamous chainsaw scene, de Palma does something that makes it less gruesome than it is by giving the idea of what's happening and what not to show. That is what a great director does, to present an idea but not show it. It's a testament to de Palma's brilliance as a top notch director, despite that he's made some bad films (that he’s admitted) but in Scarface, he goes full-on into the drug culture world and excessive lifestyle. With the film's violence and all of its chauvinist attitude, the film has some great scenes of real drama in great location settings, most of it in Miami with a few in New York and Los Angeles.

If de Palma's brilliance as a director is shown in tact, credit also goes to his dedicated film crew. Late cinematographer John A. Alonzo does a brilliant job in capturing the colorful world of Miami with its natural look without any kind of special lighting along with utilizing de Palma’s Hitchcock technique of crane shots along with interior shots that shows the underbelly of the drug world. The film's look that complements Alonzo's photography is production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti and set designer/art director Steven Schwartz along with Ed Richardson for capturing the urban look of Miami and the rich lifestyle that is filled with excessive ideas like the big tub in the bedroom, the fancy cars, and club look. The look overall is very detailed from the mansions to the shiny, 80s clothing by costume designer Pat Norris. In its near, 3-hour setting, the film's pacing is done very well without moving too slow or too fast thanks to editors Jerry Greenberg and David Ray.

Then there is the hypnotic score of Giorgio Moroder that is driven heavily by his eerie, synthesizer arrangements. From its themes of Elvira and Gina that shows his sensitivity to the dark, chilling tone when the film becomes intense and dark. Moroder gives the film a great musical feel, even in the club sequences that has a very disco-like feel but it's perfect for the film since it's a cocaine film and the music has to be coke-driven. Even with that song "Push It To The Limit", Moroder captures the decade of decadence perfectly.

Then you have the film's amazing cast where no one and I mean no one gives a bad performance from small cameos from Richard Belzer and Oliver Stone to smaller roles from Pepe Serna, Angel Salazar, Al Israel, and the voice of Dennis Franz in the film's opening interrogation scene. Harris Yulin is wonderful in his role as the corrupt cop of Frank Lopez in a couple of scenes while the most effective in the smaller film roles is Miriam Colon as Tony's moralistic mother who refuses to be involved with any of Tony's world for a good but tough life. The late Paul Shenar is excellent in the slick role as Sosa, with his cautious yet ambitious view of the drug business who tries to be careful until he gets into trouble. F. Murray Abraham is very memorable in his role as the sleazy Omar with his attitude and cautious performance as he sees Tony become more ambitious in a role that is very memorable from the great actor.

Of the supporting roles, Robert Loggia gives a great performance as the charismatic and wise drug kingpin Frank Lopez with his calm and subtle performance as a fun man who doesn't seem threatening despite his role but knows that ambition can lead to trouble in a carefully crafted performance. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michelle Pfeiffer both give great performances in female characters that could've been stereotypes but both women throw away all of that by giving their characters depth. Mastrantonio is amazing as the rebellious Gina who tries to live the life that Tony has but without his control where she learns of Tony's obsession with her that is more troubling in a great performance.

Pfeiffer gives a more disturbing and restrained performance as Elvira as a woman who is succumbed to a lifestyle that as it got bigger, she self destructs where in the dinner scene, we see Pfeiffer gives an intense performance that almost overshadows Pacino. Steven Bauer is the film's best supporting performance as the sidekick Manolo with his ideas of sex, drugs, and power where his character develops from a lady's man to someone who wants control and becomes more cautious. Bauer, who remains a very underrated actor, proves his brilliance in this role.

Then there's Al Pacino, in what he probably gives is a blueprint on what great over-the-top acting is. Considered to be Pacino's best performance, and it is his favorite role ever, the character of Tony Montana is bigger than life. Pacino brings a complexity to a role of a man that is extremely unlikeable yet his ambitions, charms, and drive is one that cannot be denied. Pacino shows his subtleties and drama in scenes with Pfeiffer and Mastrantonio while giving his other actors a chance to shine in performances without being overshadowed. It's really the Al Pacino show as he gives 111% in that character.

Even in the most violent scenes, you see the eyes of Pacino that are very scary and are so intense to watch. Even in that final scene where he goes all-out into extreme, over-the-top acting. With a great Cuban accent and a fiery attitude, Pacino goes all out and gives a performance that no one can top. Hell, he even has the best one-liners. This performance is really a blueprint and attitude and is often used in acting classes. I mean, you can't beat those lines and the intensity of that performance:

“I bury dem cockaroches!!!”

“Hey, f*ck you mang!!! Who put dis ding together? Me, dat who!!!! Who do I trust? Me!”

“I always tell de truth, even when I lie”.

“You stupid motherf*cker!!!”

“I retire!!!”

“Die!!!”

“I ain't going to keel you. Get off my feet. Hey Manolo, shoot this piece of sh*t!”

“All I have in dis world is my word and my balls and I break 'em for nobody”

“I'm Tony Montana, you f*ck wit' me, you f*ck with best!!!!”

“Come on, come on, give it to me, give it to me!!!”

“F*cking, sucking, drinking, eating”

“I keel a communist for fun, but for a green card. I’m going to carve heem up real nice!”

And everyone's personal favorite line:

“SHAY JELLO' TO MY WITTLE VREIND!!!!” BOOM!!!!!!!

When the film came out in 1983 to studio executives, it's extreme violence and excessive look of drugs became too much for the MPAA to handle. Even when the film was made, anti-Castro Cuban organizations protested the film claiming the movie was pro-Castro which de Palma said has nothing to do with Castro. Brian de Palma was forced to cut the film three times in order to avoid the X rating but in the end, the MPAA gave in and gave him an R rating where de Palma released the first cut of the film that is the initial version everyone saw. Released in late 1983, the film was panned viciously by critics and did okay in the box office as it nearly hurt the careers of de Palma and Pacino.

Since then, the film grew into a massive cult classic thanks to its one-liners and urban mythology. In the culture of hip-hop and Latin communities, the film became an undisputed classic as rapper Nas proclaimed "The World Is Yours" in reference to the film as more rappers including Jay-Z and Scarface kept making references as they showed their copies of an early DVD edition in their homes. Surprised by the film's amazing cult following, the film begin to be considered a classic, even to its critics as Roger Ebert (who liked the film when it came out) put it in one of his Great Movies list. Even the success of 1993's Carlito's Way with de Palma, producer Martin Bregman, and Al Pacino reminded people of Scarface as in 2003, a 20th anniversary DVD release came with a box set that included the original 1932 film. Today, the film is one of the greatest of all gangster films.

Twenty-two years since its release and it's a film that everyone loves to talk about. What else is there to say about Scarface? At the end of the day, it's the kind of film that gives you an excuse to say "f*ck" and be over-the-top. So the real thanks should go to Al Pacino, Brian de Palma, Oliver Stone, and Martin Bregman for creating a modern-day classic. In the meantime, let's leave out for a few more one-liners:

“F*ck you!!!”

“B*tch, lesbian!!!”

“Can't you stop saying 'f*ck'?”

“Don't toot your home honey, you're not that good”

“Where you get a beauty scar like that, eatin' p*ssy? How can I get a scar like that from eatin' p*ssy?”

“I told you not to f*ck with me you little monkey!”

“F*ck you!!! DIE!!!!”

“You should listen to your wife mang, you are an *sshole!!!!”

“Don’t kill me Tony, please don't kill me!!!!”

“Don’t f*ck me Tony!”

Brian de Palma Reviews:

Untouchables (1987):

(Coming Soon)

Carlito’s Way (1993):

(Coming Soon)

The Black Dahlia (2005):

(Coming in 2005)