What Makes "Scarface"(1983) Great.

A remake of the original gangster classic, Director Brain De Palma and Screenwriter Olver Stone craft an epic that's not only a competent remake but a film that stands on its own as a classic in its own right. Like the original, it's a dark retelling of the rag to riches story in a world of greed, excess, and lots of drugs.

Political refuge and criminal Tony Montana (Al Pacino) arrives in Miami alongside his friend Manny Ray (Steven Baurer). After being released from a refuge camp, the two begin working for drug lord Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia). Tony's ambition however does not settle for simply being an errand boy for Frank. He begins flirting with Frank's trophy wife Elviria (Michelle Pfeffer) and starts to set out on his own, during which he becomes addicted to cocaine. This all leads Tony on a downward spiral as his ambition and drug habit alienate him from the people around him and eventually leads to his downfall.

The strength of the film is of course Al Pacino as the title character. It's a performance you just can't take your eyes off of. Tony is a petty criminal but Pacino gives him so many layers that you can't help but root for him in his ruthless rise to power. Tony's poor life in Cuba contrasted perfectly with the picture of America he likely saw there which has caused his significantly short-sided view of "The American Dream". If he sees something he wants, he leaps at it without a second thought, if someone tries to walk over or insult him, he will retaliate immediately. His fallout and eventual killing of his boss Frank and taking his wife is a perfect example of this. His relationship with her is one of the most interesting aspects of the film. Elvira's position in the film is a sad and depressing picture. She is in it for the drugs and money, but deep down it's clear she is miserable, and her marriage with Tony is just as depressing. All they do is complain to each other about their faults with the only thing the two truly share is their drug habit. Tony sees her purely as a status symbol and Elvira sees Tony as just a means to pursue her life of drugs. Tony's relationship with Manny is also interesting. In many ways, Manny is the opposite of Tony. Manny is usually the one who tries to keep Tony's ambition in check, as unlike Tony, Manny is somewhat content with a stable criminal life, rather than increasing in power As Tony puts it "Your more interested in the woman than the money". One of Tony's more redeemable qualities comes in his relationship with his sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Tony is fiercely protective of his sister, but then this also becomes another one of Tony's unhealthy obsessions. As we see, he violently confronts anyone who makes a move on her, esspisally if their drug dealers, and when he confronts Manny and finds out he slept with his sister, he kills not only his closest ally but his only true friend and earning Gina's fury, thus losing both he's friend and sister. The final major character Tony forges a relationship with is the Bolivian drug lord Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar). Though his screentime is limited, Sosa leaves a strong impression. He represents the level Tony wishes to reach himself, but unlike Tony, he is calmer and more reserved, and in some ways more ruthless than Tony, a ruthlessness that Tony underestimates and leads to his brutal death.

Another aspect of the film is the world that the film creates and embodies. The 80s were a time of excess, greed, and corruption, and Miami is shown to be a melting pot of all that, Tony even calls it "One big pussy". That hypnotic way that life gets you is present throughout the film, rather it's the various nightclubs, the beautiful women, the fancy suits, etc. It's this flawed perspective of America that Tony sees thinks of so highly, a fact we see in he's spending his money on things such as an absurdly large house, a wife that doesn't love him, and even an actual tiger. These are all things that Tony (or anyone) doesn't need, but that doesn't matter to Tony, as it's a way to please his ego, it's not really about having these things, it's about flexing his power.

Scarface has truly earned its large cult following since its initial release and has since become one of the most talked-about films of the 1980s. It proves that the classic American story of someone starting from the bottom and rising to the top is truly a timeless one, which is why Scarface is so rewatchable and is such a pop culture icon that its story, characters, and quotes transcend that of the movie. It's almost impossible to go to Miami today without seeing this film represented in local stores and artwork.