Scarface (1983 film)

“Say hello to my little friend!” redirects here. For other uses, see say hello to my little friend. Scarface Theatrical release poster Directed by Brian De Palma Screenplay by Oliver Stone Based on Scarface by Armitage Trail Scarface[a] by W.R. Burnett Ben Hecht John Lee Mahin Seton I. Miller Produced by Martin Bregman Starring Al Pacino Cinematography John A. Alonzo Edited by Jerry Greenberg David Ray Music by Giorgio Moroder Production companies Universal Pictures[1] Martin Bregman Productions Distributed by Universal Pictures[1] Release dates December 1, 1983 (New York City premiere) December 9, 1983 (United States) Running time 170 minutes[1] Country United States Language English Budget $23.5–37 million[2][3][4] Box office $66 million[5] Scarface is a 1983 American action thriller film directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone and starring Al Pacino.[6] It is a remake of the 1932 film,[7][8][9] in turn based on the novel first published in 1930 by Armitage Trail.[7][10][9] It tells the story of Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Pacino), who arrives in Miami during the Mariel boatlift and becomes a powerful drug lord. The film co-stars Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Míriam Colón, F. Murray Abraham and Harris Yulin.[6] Pacino became interested in a remake of the 1932 version after seeing it, and he and producer Martin Bregman began to develop the feature project. Sidney Lumet was initially hired to direct the film but was replaced by De Palma, who hired Stone to write the script. De Palma dedicated this version of Scarface to the memories of Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht, the director and screenwriter, respectively, of the original film.[11] Filming took place from November 1982 to May 1983 in Los Angeles and Miami. The film’s soundtrack is composed by Giorgio Moroder. Scarface premiered in New York City on December 1, 1983, and was released on December 9 by Universal Pictures. The film grossed $45 million at the domestic box office and $66 million worldwide. Despite its initial tepid response from critics, the film went on to become a commercial success.[12] Initial critical response was negative due to its extreme violence, profanity and graphic drug use. Some Cuban expatriates in Miami objected to the film’s portrayal of Cubans as criminals and drug traffickers. In the years that followed, some critics have reappraised it, considering it to be one of the greatest gangster films ever made.[13] Screenwriters and directors such as Martin Scorsese have praised the film, and it has been referenced extensively in pop culture, especially in hip hop culture/gangsta rap,[14][15] as well as comic books, television programs and video games. The film is regarded as a cult classic.[16][17] Plot In 1980, ex-convict Cuban refugee Tony Montana arrives in Miami as part of the Mariel boatlift with his friend Manny Ribera and their companions, Angel and Chi-Chi. Miami drug lord Frank Lopez arranges green cards for them in exchange for killing a former henchman for Fidel Castro. Dissatisfied with their jobs as restaurant dishwashers, Tony and Manny meet with Frank’s right-hand man, Omar Suarez, who sends the four to purchase cocaine from Colombian dealers. Tony and Angel are taken at gunpoint; Tony is made to watch as Angel is dismembered with a chainsaw, before Manny and Chi-Chi rescue them. They kill three of the dealers and deliver the drugs and money to Frank in person, suspecting Omar set them up. Tony and Manny work for Frank while Tony is attracted to Frank’s wife, Elvira. Tony visits his mother, and sister Gina. Tony gives his mother $1,000, claiming he earns money as a political organizer. Tony’s mother sees through the lie and disowns him, but Gina keeps the money. Manny is attracted to Gina but Tony warns him to stay away from her. Frank sends Tony and Omar to Bolivia to meet cocaine kingpin Alejandro Sosa. Omar is angered when Tony seeks to negotiate a large deal without Frank’s approval. Sosa has his men hang Omar from a helicopter, telling Tony that Omar is a police informant and that Frank has poor judgment for trusting him. Tony says he never trusted Omar. Sosa agrees to the deal and warns Tony never to betray him. Tony sets up his own cocaine operation. Mel Bernstein, a corrupt detective on Frank’s payroll, attempts to extort Tony for police protection. While at a club, Tony finds Gina having sex with a man in a bathroom and assaults them both, then escapes an attempt on his life by two hitmen. He confronts Frank and Bernstein over the attack, forcing Frank to confess that he set it up, then has Manny shoot Frank and kills Bernstein himself. Tony marries Elvira and becomes the distributor of Sosa’s product, constructing a large, heavily guarded estate to oversee his rapidly growing empire. In 1983, Tony is caught in an FBI sting operation and charged with money laundering and tax evasion. Sosa offers to keep Tony out of prison via his government connections if Tony assists in the murder of a journalist about to expose Sosa. During a restaurant dinner, a drunken Tony blames Manny for his arrest and calls Elvira an infertile junkie, prompting Elvira to call out his criminality to the other patrons and leave him. Sosa’s henchman, Alberto the Shadow, puts a radio-controlled bomb under the journalist’s car, but Tony tries to call off the hit upon seeing the journalist accompanied by his wife and children. When Alberto refuses to back down, Tony kills him before he can detonate the bomb. Sosa vows revenge for Tony allowing the journalist to deliver the exposé. At his mother’s behest, Tony, high on cocaine, tracks down Gina and finds her with Manny. Tony shoots Manny dead before learning Gina has just married him. Tony takes Gina to his estate and begins a cocaine binge in his office. As Sosa’s men invade the estate and begin killing the guards, Gina accuses Tony of wanting her for himself. She shoots and wounds him, and is then killed by one of Sosa’s men whom Tony kills in turn. Seeking vengeance, he opens fire on the group using an M16 rifle equipped with an M203 grenade launcher, killing many of them but sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. As he taunts his attackers, Sosa’s enforcer, known as “The Skull”, appears and shoots him in the back and kills him. Tony’s body falls off the balcony and into a pool near the base of a statue displaying the motto “The World Is Yours.”