rating : * * * 1/2 out of * * * * - 8 . 0 out of 10 . 0 cast : al pacino ( tony montana ) , steven bauer ( manolo manny ray ) , michelle pfeiffer ( elvira ) , mary elizabeth mastrantonio ( gina ) , robert loggia ( frank lopez ) director : brian depalma certification : r ( usa ) for excessive language and violence year of production : 1983 scarface , a remake of the 1932 film of the same name , is a very gripping and , as far as i know , a true-to-life story of how power and violence lead to corruption . al pacino , as tony montana ( for whom the movie is named ) , also provides a brilliant performance as a cuban refugee who comes to america with less than nothing and becomes one of the most highly respected and feared drug lords in miami . oliver stone also penned the screenplay in one of his earlier writing roles . the film begins by disclosing the story of now fidel castro ordered thousands of cubans to set sail and head for the coasts of the united states . many of these cubans had criminal records , such as tony montana , a cocky , fast-talking man who has the look of crime . nearly right after his arrival in miami , tony is thrust into the gangster life when he participates in a cocaine buy that goes awry . along with his friend and partner , manolo ( steven bauer ) , tony rises in the gangster ranks when he forms a friendship with frank lopez ( robert loggia ) , a high-roller in the organized crime field . tony also begins to fall in love with elvira ( michelle pfeiffer ) , who at the time was frank's lover . of course , sooner or later in this industry , betrayal and corruption amount into a force greater than anything else , and tony is one of the ones who fall victim to this force . this is not before he becomes one of the most respected , and often feared , men in miami . tony gets to the point where he cannot trust anyone , and everyone he knows basically feels the same way towards him . no one can trust him , and basically , no one does . scarface , although incredibly violent , is one of the best crime films of its time and stands out as another great performance for al pacino . although he did not receive any recognition from the academy for his performance , it truly is a very good one . in fact , his accent and facial movements alone are enough in my mind to win at least a nomination ( although he did get a golden globe nomination ) . another element that stands out when someone mentions this film is the profanity . a figure tagged to the film boasts that the word " fuck " and it's uses are uttered 206 times throughout the film , which is apparently a record . the thing is , the vulgarity fits rather well with the movie . as odd as it sounds , it's true . in the end , scarface is a very powerful film that hits home hard . <hr> * david landers - <a href= " mailto : dml@gwis . com " >dml@gwis . com</a> - <a href= " http : //www . gwis . com/~dml/ " >http : //www . gwis . com/~dml/</a> * <hr> 
