Scarface (1983)

VHS CASE/SIDE

Length of film:  170 Minutes

Rated: R

Genre: Crime, Drama

Director: Brian De Palma

Starring: Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Miriam Colon, F. Murray Abraham,Paul Shenar, Harris Yulin

IMDB Rank: 8.3/10

Part 1 Time: 117 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  53 Minutes

Where does the first part end? Tony (Al Pacino) is at the height of his power, he lays in his hot tub while Manny (Steven Bauer) and Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) leave the bedroom angry.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “Who put this thing together man, me, that’s who, who do I trust me?” Tony speaks aloud to himself while in his hot tub.

First line of dialogue on the second part:  “Back then I worked down in pictures down in Columbia, I was in that movie Burn.” Undercover cop speaks to Chi Chi (Ángel Salazar) while Tony launders his money with Seidelbaum (Ted Beniades).

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Minimal, in part one Tony and his crew have made all the right moves and have benefited with great success. But Tony’s increase paranoia and cocaine use leads to his downfall as documented in part two.

Which part is better? The film can be clearly split into two parts, the first part highlighting the raise of Tony Montana into a Miami Yayo (Cocaine) Kingpin. The second part sees Tony’s demise due to cocaine overdose and bad decision making. The climax of the film is a must see, hats off to part two.

Academy Awards: None

National Film Registry: 1994