Rating: 
Summary: Grand but grotesque, ambitious but grotesque
Review: It is not a subtle story Brian DePalma and Oliver Stone are telling in "Scarface," nor is it a subtle metaphor; the saga of exiled Cuban criminal Tony Montana (Al Pacino) zooming to the top of the American capitalist structure with his drug empire, then plunging, seemingly belly flop first, into death is a beat-you-with-a-hammer version of "The Godfather." The ruthlessness of the film makes it particularly popular in our more ruthless times - the hip-hop nation, led by mogul P. Diddy's claim that he wishes he could watch it 24 hours a day, seems especially plugged in to whatever moral Stone and DePalma are trying to pitch, so much so, a documentary on its effect is included in the DVD package. To be fair to Stone, his scripts remained defiant and ambitious. He just directed them better. Looking at it again, 20 years later, the movie has painfully dated in some ways, not in others. Pacino's performance is still foolishly over-the-top - sadly, his portrayal of the cartoonish, slurring Montana seemed to inform just about every job he's done since by getting THIS LOUD every time a minutely important moment occurs on screen, the restrained examples being "Sea of Love" and "Donnie Brasco" - while the rise/fall plotline follows too direct, simplistic a line. The shades played out in the "Godfather" trilogy, "Once Upon a Time in America" and the Pacino/DePalma reteam in "Carlito's Way" are not there in Montana. He's straight crazy, a surviving virus finally met with himself by movie's end, only with more guns. More memorable now is the performance by Mary Stuart Mastrantonio, as Tony's sister, a sweet girl pulled further into Tony's world until she is of it and able to play just a dangerous game as Tony after her lover (and Tony's partner) Manolo (Steven Bauer) is killed by Tony, ostensibly because Tony would in secret prefer his sister for himself.
The enduring legacy of "Scarface," as shown clearly in the hip-hop documentary, is that it's big, bold, violent, filled with ugly mantras ("the power, the money, the women") material items, gorgeous women and hidden passions, such as incest, that only within the reach of a true showstopper psycho like Tony. Though Montana dies, Pacino packs so much bravado in his death that even that moment is glorified as a fitting end - that to have it all, lose it all, die and do it with a strut is the key to a short, happy life. The more recent "Blow" isn't nearly as exciting, but its lines aren't blurred; "Scarface," intentionally, I think, cheerfully endorsed Tony in 1983, and still does. It's entertainment, extremely well-filmed entertainment, but ugly, and at its core, rotten. It's admirable and loathsome in equal portions.
Rating: 
Summary: What about Ernie?
Review: You wanna job, Ernie? (Such a classic scene) I came home from work yesterday, expecting to have yet another monotonous evening. THEN, I see a package from Amazon on my front porch. Low & behold...Scarface. I grabbed a snack, popped in the DVD & sat for close to 3 hours straight watching this masterpiece. What gym? What dinner? I know I could have paused the DVD but I was in absolute awe. I can toss out the POS VHS version now that I've got my digitally remastered widescreen. I have never enjoyed it more. Those of you complaining about sound? What the heck is wrong with you? You're expecting too much. Just be happy that you can turn your VHS copy or crappy original into coasters. It gets no better than this. I could have done without the extra DVD but I can't complain. It was purchased entirely for Scarface... Pacino, Pfeiffer, Bauer... What more could you want? Anything more is just EXCESS. The World is yours, The DVD is mine.
Rating:
Summary: Best DVD Ever
Review: This is the best DVD, including both the actual movie and also the special features, I believe I have ever seen. I received the DVD box set a little over a day ago, but have been too busy watching it to come and review it. Well, after a day, I've finally seen most (but not all) of the special features that it includes. And all I can say is "wow!" From the moment I took it out of the box, I knew that this wasn't just ANY DVD. This was Scarface; in a league all by itself. Plot of the Movie If you have never seen Scarface before, it is a movie about the rise and fall of a Cuban refugee trying to make it in America and in the process becoming Miami's biggest cocaine kingpin. As most people buying this have already seen the movie before, I won't dwell on the movie itself. Sound and Video Quality The quality of this movie is incredible. After seeing the original 1983 version, I have to say that there is no comparison between it and this new digitally remastered version. The sound is incredible. And the video looks to be on par with other movies of our current generation, which is quite a step up from the older version of the film. Special Features The special features are also very nice. You can view the "Rebirth of Scarface," "Acting Scarface," and "Creating Scarface." All of which are extremely interesting to watch and don't ramble on and on like similar "Behind the Scenes" on other DVDs.
Other features include "The Origins of a Gangsta'" Which I honestly haven't had time to watch yet (I told you there were a lot of extras!). Also included is a comparison between the Network TV version of Scarface and the actual version, which is short but fun to watch. Truly, I didn't think the deleted scenes that were included were all that great, with the exception of a few of them, but they are included for anyone who wants to view them. Box Set Versus DVD Only And lastly, if you are debating over whether to go for only the DVD, or instead get the entire box set, I think I would get the box set. It comes with many more things that make it worth the extra fifteen or twenty dollars. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think the box itself is really neat, and bigger than it seems to look from Amazon's picture. It measures to be about 12 inches long by nine inches wide. It also comes with a gold money clip with the Scarface insignia, and "lobby cards" which are pictures from the movie printed on some high-quality paper and are at least 8½ x 11. And, not to mention, it comes with the original 1932 version of Scarface which even comes in its own separate DVD case. So, if you're a fan of the movie I would recommend to spring for the box set. In short, if you loved the movie, you'll need to add this classic to your DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: FAB
Review: Look, I don't have any gripes about the sound. I watched it in DTS last night and I thought it was great. Yes, the dialogue is rough sounding in some spots, but that's part of what makes the film what it is. I really wouldn't want Tony's opening scene to be crystal clear. It has the sound of an old noir movie from the 40's-- ya get it?? I think they didi an amazing job with the print & the sound. Really a different experience than the first time I saw it cropped sliced and diced on VHS. The film just comes off 100% better when seeing it this way. Gives you a better appreciation of what DePalma was doing. Two scenes on the top of my head that come off completely different than the old print: the bathtub scene & the New York scene. Better, better, better. Performances are all memorable -- Pfeiffer & Mastrantonio particularly come off better in this edition. Bauer is great...And Pacino of course is legend now. A lot of people have griped about Moroder's score, but I'm one of those that believes that the score is what lends the film its period authenticity. The only part that's a little cheesy for me is that Highway to the Danger Zone-esuqe montage with the beauty salon/wedding/tiger on a leash. I still can't stomach those few minutes- lol. Although this movie received few accolades in its day, I believe it will be considered a true classic film. So many movies have been made in history, but only a few endure the test of time. This will be one of them. Like producer Matin Bregman said, it is the "On the Waterfront" of its day. And for those of you who are still moaning about the 5.1 mix-- just take a toke and chill out. Enjoy, cause this is as good as it gonna get...
Rating:
Summary: Say Hello To My New DVD!
Review: Brian DePalma's landmark film "Scarface" has been released in so many formats, it is hard to imagine anyone would want to buy it again, right? Wrong. This new DVD is night and day compared to earlier releases of the film in ANY format. This version is crisper, cleaner, clearer, more colorful, vibrant, and far more alive than ANY other presentation of Scarface that has existed before. Indeed, the box states that it looks better now than it did upon release, boasting "better-than-original picture quality" and I do believe they were not even taking full bragging rights! This movie to me was just begging for a good restoration and I'm glad to say it finally got it. Like the earlier "Taxi Driver", "Scarface" has a gritty, dirty, city-wise feel that used to be hard to get through mainly because of hissy sound and a sometimes murky picture. With today's advances in technology, both these movies have actually trancended their formats, almost making the medium "transparent". When you remove the hiss from the sound and then improve the picture and the color, you are left with so much more than just a film---you now have an experience. I compare this film to Taxi Driver for several reasons. One, Scarface features a young Al Pacino in a very violent, disturbing film, just as the young Robert Deniro's Taxi Driver portrayal. Interestingly, these two early films are among their finest work. Two, both films reached and spoke to a much larger audience than the initial critical and audience reaction would have implied. Thirdly, these films are two masterpieces that happened to have come out at a time when films were inherently hissy and muted. We happen to now have the ability to rectify that situation. When Taxi Driver came out on DVD, I was overjoyed to find that they not only included a restored version of the film and an awesome documentary, but also included current interviews with the writer, director, the main actors, including Robert Deniro, and everyone involved. This edition of Scarface also gives us all that and more. It interweaves documentary interviews with Al Pacino, Brian DePalma, even the cinematographer, and Oliver Stone, who reveals that to write this film, he had totally immersed himself in the drug world, on both sides of the law, and even felt threatened on several occasions, when he revealed to drug-lords that he had spoken with police captains as well---all of this he then tried to capture in his screenplay. Another unexpected bonus feature shows the heavy impact this film had upon today's rappers, and how important it was to the Latino community to finally see Latinos on the screen in a major Hollywood film. From the slang, to the clothes, to the details, this film captured the streets and then taught the next generation, and Puffy, Snoop, Eve, and a host of other music stars tell us all about it. This is not something a kid in the suburbs would ever know just by watching the film, and thus is a valuable and insightful document of how this film became so much more than the sum of its parts. This DVD could have been sold for double the price and still be worth every penny in my book. First, you get the money, then you get the power, and then, get this restored DVD----- and enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, but I'd like to add...
Review: Some people have incorrectly stated that this is a remake of the 1932 version "in name only"...this is not true. The entire film is based along the same outline as the 1932 film with Muni. Little guy gets in with a big guy, decides to make a name for himself, screws the big guy over, steals his woman, ends up having the world at his fingertips, goes nuts when he finds out his right hand man is all over his sister, dies a violent death. That, I think, is a good capsule review of EITHER version of the film. And each was the most violent gangster movie of its respective decade. This is a great movie, just as the original was great in its time. And the two films are, I think, much more similar than either the fans of the '32 version or the fans of the '83 version generally admit.
Rating:
Summary: Dissapointed
Review: Let me begin by saying that the movie itself deserves 5 stars. Having said that I admit to being very dissapointed with this release. I bought this version mainly because of the remastered video and sound. The video is excellent, crisp, clear and dynamic..a definite improvement over the original dvd. The sound on the other hand..ugh! The mix done on this is just terrible, I am not exxagerating. They say it's in DTS 5.1 and they're lying...most of the time everything comes from the center channel and muffled at that...what little surround effects there are ( they are few and far between )also sound muffled. I put in my original release copy and in Dolby 2.0 it sounded 10 times better than this new version.
In closing...if you don't care about sound quality and just want an excellent movie pick it up...but if you care at all about the sound..AVOID.
Rating:
Summary: sound is bad
Review: I agree with Mr. Michael Coppolo's review below....the 5.1 mix is really bad on this DVD. I feel like the company false advertised when they said DTS 5.1 because that sound mix doesn't sound any better than the old Dolby Pro Logic Surround mixes. Its really too bad because this is a film where they could have really enhanced this DVD reissue and made it a true classic with a great soundtrack remastering job. Its really unforturnate. However, the picture quality is great, the extras are nice, and the film is a classic. Three stars for that, but they lose two for screwing up the sound.
Rating:
Summary: Say "hello'" to my little marketing ploy.
Review: The long awaited 20th Anniversary Gangsta Edition of 1983's Brian DePalma classic "Scarface" is finally out! Sean "Puffy" Coombs gives a career-best performance as the tough-talkin' Cuban drug czar with a heart of gold, Tony Orlando. The multi-talented Queen Latifah is unforgettable in a virtuoso performance as Tony's wacky but sassy sister Gina. The picture quality is excellent, and the the audio is enhanced for 16 x 9 boomboxes. Of course, if you're like me, you won't be picking up a copy just to rewatch that tired 2 hour, 50 minute rehash on Disc 1, because that's just a prelude to the REAL reason for plunkin' down your hard earned cash: the totally fly documentary on Disc 2 about Gangsta culture and its undeniable influence on 20th century cinema. As the documentary makers point out, if it wasn't for the visionary work of cinematic pioneers like Tone Loc and P. Diddy and thier influence on the early work of D.W. Giffith and Ernest Dickerson, lets face it, where would the movie industry be today?! Me and my posse are eagerly awaiting Def Jam's next entry in thier DVD reissue series,a beautifully restored edition of "Muhammed Ali: Fear Eats The Soul", part one of thier Fassbinder retrospective, featuring a bonus commentary by Will Smith. Yo yo, peace out.
Rating: 
Summary: dvd review
Review: I'm not going to talk about the movie since I asume all who are reading this know how good this movie already is. This is going to be a review about the quality of the Anniversary Edition dvd. To start off the video quality as compared to the original dvd has been much improved but there are some scenes where the image looks very dusty and dark. The sound??? Well that's my bigget letdown about this dvd. They advertise 5.1 surround with DTS but I just don't hear it. Most of the shootouts and explosions come from the center channel. Where is the surround sound?? As for the extras, besides the Def Jam segment, they are the same as the original dvd. The only impressive change to this disk are the animated menues. I LOVE SCARFACE but I expected so much more from this dvd. I would hope for future posts about dvd reviews focus on the quality of the disks and extras that are contained in them.
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