Official Synopsis:
Experience Scarface like you've always wanted with an entirely new audio track. Every sound effect has been replaced and remixed for the ultimate Scarface experience. Prepare for bigger guns, bigger explosions and bigger sound. The epic gangster phenomenon lives on - with a vengeance - in this 2-disc Platinum Edition that will blow you away.
Our Take:
How Scarface transformed from being a minor hit movie from the 80's into a merchandising juggernaut (encompassing shirts, posters, and even a new video game) is beyond me. I'm one of the few people out there who will actually admit to liking Brian De Palma's films, but I just don't get what people love about this movie so much. It's one of the big overrated flicks of the 80's if you ask me. Yes, Al Pacino turns in a great performance, but at almost three hours long, the film just drags. It's punctuated by explosive violence and lots of swearing and misogyny, but I can't count Scarface as even a great De Palma film, let alone a great film in general. I can't help but wonder how many people wearing the shirts and hanging up the posters have actually sat through the entire movie.
However, since it is oh-so-popular, why not continue milking it for everything it's worth? Even though there was a special edition DVD of Scarface just a couple of years ago, Universal has gone back and produced the Platinum Edition DVD, a two-disc affair that is loaded with extra features. If only it could have included an alternate cut that was about an hour shorter.
* Scarface Scorecard - Keep track of the F-bombs and gunshots on screen as you watch the movie.
* Deleted Scenes (22 minutes) - A collection of material cut from the film, in rough form.
* Making of Scarface the Video Game (12 minutes) - A really long commercial-- er, featurette for the new Scarface video game.
* The World of Tony Montana (11 minutes) - Experts like cops and DEA agents talk about the real world of drug cartels.
* The Rebirth (10 minutes) - De Palma, Pacino, and others talk about their film in comparison to the 1932 version.
* The Acting (15 minutes) - Cast and crew reminisce about filming.
* The Creating (30 minutes) - A fascinating look at all the hardships and controversies the film faced during its shooting and release.
* TV Clips (3 minutes) - An amusing comparison between the film and its network-airable (read: censored) reconfiguration.
If you're a Scarface fan, this is the edition of the film you'll want to own. But if you're just buying it because it's popular and cool and hip to like Scarface right now, you may want to actually revisit the film before you plunk down any more hard-earned money on Tony Montana T-shirts.
Overall Picture:
Movie: C
DVD: A+
- Mike Spring
Editor
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