Scarface: Special Limited Edition tells the story of Tony Montana (Al Pacino), a Cuban refugee who comes to America after Castro opens the harbor in Mariel so families can join their overseas relatives. The plan is also an effort by the Cuban government to offload some of its undesirables, such as Tony.
After arriving in the States, Tony and his best friend, Manny (Steven Bauer), set their sights on achieving the American Dream, but not through legal means. It starts with an assassination to score a pair of green cards and soon grows to running drugs for a high profile dealer, Frank (Robert Loggia). As Tony moves gets deeper into the drug ring, he begins to resent Frank. His hatred leads Tony down a darker path, growing more paranoid with each step, causing him to lose control to his excesses.
Scarface is best remembered for it's over-the-top, almost self-indulgent violence and blush-inducing language. While those moments are some of the film's bigger, standout moments, it is a smart film. Tucked between the bullets and harsh language is a film about excesses and the consequences they cause when they go unchecked. Not to say Scarface belongs in the same category as The Godfather or other, bigger gangster movies, but it is deserving of more credit than it usually receives.
The negative reception is part of a bigger issue, which viewers will either shrug off completely or use to crucify it. Tony's rise to the top is motivated solely by greed. While Michael Corleone's rise is, for the most part, about family, Tony takes only because he wants it. He takes what he wants, including Frank's girlfriend Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer), simply because someone else has it. It's a weak rationalization - which is just as much a flaw as it is a strength - but taken within the confines of the film, it works.
Pacino's portrayal of Tony is, at least in my opinion, the whole reason the character works. With another actor, Tony would come off as nothing but a cartoonish madman. But Pacino manages to take the character's madness and turn it into something frightening. He's somewhat of a joke character, but at the same time, a joke character you wouldn't want to cross paths with.
Scarface comes packed with extras - almost too many to watch in one sitting. Aside from the Blu-ray transfer, which looks fantastic despite a few smaller contrast issues in some scenes, Scarface includes a really cool Picture-in-Picture feature, which is sort of like a collaborative commentary feature. Several filmmakers, actors and other participants offer insights on just about every aspect of the film. A lot of time is dedicated to production, though points like the film's historic impact, the reactions it received for it's portrayal of Cuban Americans and violence/ language are all covered. It's nothing you'll want to check out during your first watch, but if you are someone who has seen the film countless times, it is a must watch.
The Picture-in-Picture feature takes some material from other extras, though they are still worth watching. "The Scarface Phenomenon" is a three-part documentary covering the film's impact on American pop culture. A bulk of the documentary is dedicated to the numerous controversies that have plagued the film since its 1983 release. "The World of Tony Montana" is a nice follow-up, featuring more responses to the film.
Speaking of controversies, "Scarface: The TV Version," shows clips from the heavily, heavily edited TV version.
"The Creating" is a 30-minute "Making of..." featurette with commentary from most of the production crew and cast. "The Acting" covers just the actors. Both are ports from previous releases.
One of the more interesting, at least for me, extras is the pairing of "The Rebirth" and the DVD copy of the 1932 Scarface. The 1932 film is an odd addition, at least at first, though it fun to watch it, then "The Rebirth" to hear how the original inspired Brian De Palma's version.
The two throwaway features are "The Making of Scarface: The World is Yours" and the U-Control feature, "Scarface Scoreboard." The first covers the development of the game, which wasn't a great representation of the film. This is a carry-over extra with little relevance to anything. The second is an overlay that keeps track of the number of bullets and swear words dropped throughout the film.
Finally, there's a collection of deleted scenes.
Although other gangster films have done it better, Scarface is still at the top of the gangster genre. What it lacks in cerebral play, it makes up for with raw emotion and spirit.
