Scarface

Scarface (1983)

  • 89% of critics liked it
    (54 reviews)

  • 93% of users liked it
    (435,233 ratings)

Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, an exiled Cuban criminal who goes to work for Miami drug lord Robert Loggia. Montana rises to the top of Florida's crime chain, appropriating Loggia's cokehead mistress (Michelle Pfeiffer) in the process. Howard Hawks' "X Marks the Spot" motif in depicting the story… More

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R, 2 hr. 50 min.
Directed By
Brian DePalma
Written By
Oliver Stone
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Sep 19, 2003 Limited
Universal Films

Critic Reviews

  • James Berardinelli, ReelViews

    Viewed today, while Scarface seems less shocking than it did during its initial theatrical run, it's no more substantive or interesting.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    What were Pacino's detractors hoping for? Something internal and realistic? Low key? The Tony Montana character is above all a performance artist, a man who exists in order to gloriously be himself.

  • Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

    I like it as a kind of B-movie version of The Godfather. There are a lot of classic lines and a handful of memorably horrific scenes ...

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    The dominant mood of the film is anything but funny. It is bleak and futile: What goes up must always come down. When it comes down in Scarface, the crash is as terrifying as it is vivid and arresting.

  • R. L. Shaffer, IGN DVD

    One of the best gangster dramas ever made, driven by Pacino's haunting performance and De Palma's lightning pace.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Zach B


    To say that this film has been the source of inspiration for gangsters in the eighties as The Godfather was in the seventies and Goodfellas was in the nineties is something of a drastic understatement. In fact, I am left wondering if Oliver Stone and Brian de Palma new what they were… More

  • Albert K


    With P. Diddy praising this movie left and right, I was hesitant to jump into this movie. And man was it intense. A powerful statement to those who strive for power and how without a calibrator to keep us human beings in check, we smash and fail. Al Pacino was not Al Pacino - he was… More

  • Brad W


    Scarface is Brian DePalmas masterpiece and the most influential gangster film of all time. The story is about Tony Montana (Al Pacino) who starts out as a Cuban refugee, but then he meets the Miami Drug Lord and soon starts a chan of events that make Tony at the top of the Florida… More

  • Matt G


    To call Scarface a masterpiece seems like an understatement at this point. I've just come back from seeing the beautiful restoration and it was absolutely spectacular. Watching this is an experience like no other, and proves to be the greatest gangster film of all time, no… More

  • Jameson W


    Brilliant! One of the best mob movies ever. Almost as good as the Godfathers and GoodFellas, in my opinion. Al Pacino gives a memorable and highly underrated performance as Tony Montana. Really good performances by Michelle Pfeiffer and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio too. A classic!

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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