SCARFACE - DVD review

It took only six short words for Al Pacino to burn a mark onto pop culture and the minds of movie-goers everywhere with the catchphrase, "Say hello to my little friend!" As Tony Montana, Pacino greeted an army of assassins with a hail of bullets and profanity. As a film, "Scarface" has said hello to DVD four times. There was the original release, a 2-disc Anniversary Edition, a Gift Set, and now there's the Platinum Edition. A bit excessive, but then again so was the film that practically embodied the decade of excess and greed, the 1980's.

In 1930, industrialist Howard Hughes teamed with legendary director Howard Hawks to create the original "Scarface", which starred Paul Muni as Tony Camonte, an Italian immigrant who rode the wave of organized crime to a bloody end. The film was a product of its time. Of mobsters, Al Capone, and prohibition. The two Howards found themselves a world of controversy when censors went crazy due to the violence and supposed glorification of crime. Hawks' "Scarface" sat on the shelves for two years until it was re-cut to please the watchdogs.

Before the films about Vietnam and government conspiracies, Oliver Stone updated "Scarface", transplanting the film from the windy city of Chicago to the sunny beaches of Miami. Tony Camonte was now Tony Montana (Pacino), a Cuban exile who just wants to live the American Dream. He wants the "...world, chico, and everything in it." He wants money, and lots of it, to buy a better life for himself and his kid sister, Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), who is the target of big brother's obsessive overprotective streak. She also sports a ridiculous Brillo pad-style hairdo, welcome to the 80's. While cooling his heels in a refugee camp, Montana and best friend, Manny (Steven Bauer), pull a hit for drug lord Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). This act earns them a pair of green cards and a lousy job washing dishes.

Montana hates it immediately and jumps at the chance to get involved in bigger and better business when approached by one of Lopez's men, Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham). Montana finds himself on a drug deal gone bad where his friend is hacked to pieces with a chainsaw. The hot-blooded Cuban exacts a bloody revenge and becomes a vital part of Lopez's organization. But, it's still not enough. He gets hungry eyes for everything that Lopez has, including his woman, Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer).

Eventually Montana goes over Lopez's head and ingratiates himself with Sosa (Paul Shenar), a powerful Colombian drug lord. After an attempted double-cross, Montana takes over Lopez's operation and gets all that he wanted. What's that old saying? Too much of a good thing? Montana's drug machine is raking in the dough, but it's too much for his money launderer and he's busted by the feds while trying to change the money himself. Montana also breaks a cardinal rule in the drug trade, "Never get high off your own supply." Montana, perhaps a little too often, partakes in the white nose candy. As Rick James said, "Cocaine's a helluva drug."

To save himself from prison time, Montana agrees to assassinate an investigative reporter who has been digging up dirt on Sosa. Yet, even this drug-addled, blood-thirsty animal still possesses some form of morals. He refuses to do the job when it means killing the man's wife and children. As a result, Montana is put on a collision course with a vengeful Sosa.

As I stated earlier, "Scarface" is a movie about excess and it's easy to see why when the film stretches to an almost three-hour length. There's cursing a-plenty along with copious amounts of bullets and brutal deaths, including Omar's hanging from a helicopter. And who can forget that iconic image of Al Pacino stuffing his face into a mountain of cocaine, the drug of choice in the 80's. Just like the original, the remake was faced with censorship problems as well. Its frank depiction of drugs and violence initially earned the film an 'X' rating.

"Scarface" is a true product of its time and it certainly has its dated moments. Montana looks as if he got his pastel-colored suits at the same stores as Sonny Crockett. The score by Giorgio Moroder is a pastiche of the new-wave synth sounds pioneered in the 80's, emphasized by vocals from Elizabeth Daily and Blondie's Deborah Harry. Having not watched the film in quite a while, I completely forgot about the song, "Push It to the Limit", a cheesy rock ballad used for the obligatory montage. I just remembered it from an episode of "South Park" and the song sounded so goofy I honestly thought it was one made up by Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Is "Scarface" a great film in the classical sense? Not really, but it is a fun thrill ride and should be viewed with tongue firmly placed in cheek. Despite the film being about Cuban immigrants, Steven Bauer is the only lead actor who is of Cuban descent. Most of the other actors look silly being made up to look so. Loggia is the worst offender. He is completely unconvincing, but still manages to put on an entertaining performance. And what can be said of Pacino's over-the-top antics? His manic body movements and bugged-out eyes make Pacino the heart and soul of the film.

This is, without a doubt, a guy's movie, through and through. What red-blooded male, worth his salt, can't quote lines from the film?

"Make way for the bad guy."

"All I have in this world is my balls and my word and I don't break them for no one."

"Chi Chi! Get the yeyo."

While Oliver Stone put the words on paper, it was Brian De Palma who brought them to life on the big screen. De Palma already had the Stephen King adaptation, "Carrie", under his belt, along with several Hitchcock homages such as; "Dressed to Kill" and "Blow-Out." "Scarface" would be De Palma's most ambitious film at the time. His trademark long takes and fluid tracking shots were definitely on display here. They're never more apparent than in two of the film's most unforgettable, the chainsaw sequence and Montana's final shootout.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The Platinum Edition features a new transfer that is slightly better than the Anniversary Edition, yet still doesn't completely satisfy. The Anniversary Edition suffered from pale colors, plenty of grain and specks. The reds in Montana's mansion almost looked orange on the old transfer. Here, the reds are red and the other colors are brighter. For the most part, the new version doesn't look too much different. Does this mean we'll have to wait for the HD version or yet another dip into the diminishing well for better picture quality?

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 tracks with dubbed Spanish and French language tracks in 2.0 Mono. Here's where the real improvement comes in. The studio remixed the sound for the film's theatrical re-release back in 2003, however, in their infinite wisdom, they decided to use the original sound for the Anniversary Edition. Finally making it's debut on DVD, the new audio comes in much stronger than the previous version. The sound effects have been redone with a fury, especially the hundreds of gunshots. The bass is booming and the film's music sounds great.

EXTRAS:
Disc 1 features the Scarface Scoreboard, an optional extra that pops up on the bottom of the screen which keeps a tally of every F-bomb and bullet fired.

Disc 2 features most of the same extras from the previous DVD releases. Returning are the three behind-the-scenes featurettes, The Rebirth, The Acting, and The Creating. The deleted scenes and montage of censored TV clips from the Anniversary Edition are also included.

Not ported over is the Origins of a Hip-Hop Classic extra, which isn't too much of a loss.

New to this release is The World of Tony Montana, which features interviews with magazine editors and former DEA agents who compare the film with real-life drug lords and their methods. It only scratches the surface. Finally, there's Making of Scarface: The Video Game that basically acts as an extended promo for the new game.

FILM VALUE:
I'm not ashamed to say, I love this film. "Scarface" is one of those movies where I can pop it in, sit back, put my feet up, and just have a blast repeating the dialogue. "Scarface The Platinum Edition" is a worthy addition to your DVD collection, that is, if you don't own it yet. For those who already have the Anniversary Edition, there isn't a driving need to upgrade, unless you're a stickler for audio. The sound is much better this time around, but the picture hasn't made any great leaps and the new extras aren't noteworthy at all.