Scarface

A critique of the "American Dream," exploring greed, excess, and self-destruction.

The 1983 film, written by Oliver Stone, reimagines the story against the backdrop of the 1980s Miami drug wars following the Mariel boatlift . It follows Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee with a "thirst for power" and a sense of entitlement. Scarface

Directed by Howard Hawks, the 1932 film Scarface was loosely based on Capone's life and Armitage Trail’s 1929 novel [18, 35]. Starring Paul Muni as Tony Camonte, the film was a "photographic miracle" of shadows and X-motifs that signaled impending death [2, 13]. A critique of the "American Dream," exploring greed,

However, upon arriving in Miami, Tony and Manny are met with hostility and racism. They struggle to find work and are forced to live in squalid conditions. Desperate and frustrated, Tony turns to a life of crime, becoming involved with a local gangster, Frank Lopez (played by Robert Loggia). Tony's intelligence, charisma, and ruthlessness quickly impress Lopez, who sees potential in the young immigrant. Directed by Howard Hawks, the 1932 film Scarface

Before you hit play (or rewatch), keep these in mind:

We meet Tony Montana (Al Pacino) and his best friend Manny Ribera (Steven Bauer) in a Miami detention center. They are "Marielitos"—part of the 1980 Mariel boatlift, which saw Castro expel criminals and dissidents to Florida. Tony is loud, volatile, and refuses to be broken. After a brutal assassination of a high-ranking communist official, Tony earns his green card and a menial job washing dishes.

In the pantheon of cinematic anti-heroes, there is Tony Montana, and then there is everyone else. For nearly four decades, Scarface has transcended the label of "movie" to become a genuine cultural phenomenon. From the murals in Los Angeles to the lyrics of hip-hop albums, and from video game homages to the walls of college dorm rooms, the image of Al Pacino with a pile of cocaine and a Thompson submachine gun is seared into the global consciousness.