There are always the same handful of movies that you’re going to find (or should find) on any best movies list: The Godfather, Casablanca, Tombstone, etc. And they’re all classics for many good reasons, with some of the best acting, direction, and casting around. But one of the greats is finding itself without a streaming platform to call home as of January 1st—so you better watch it while you can!
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Scarface is leaving Netflix in the new year, so if you need your fix of Tony Montana and all the glorious, gory violence that comes with him, you’ve only got a few days left to squeeze it in. Directed by Brian De Palma, Scarface stars Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. It centers around Tony Montana (Pacino), a man who receives his green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official. After arriving in the States, Montana stakes his claim on the Miami drug trade. No stranger to violence, he brutally murders anyone who stands in his way, eventually rising to meteoric heights as the biggest drug lord in the state. But wars with Colombian cartels, heat from the cops, and his own cocaine-fueled paranoia create the perfect storm to bring about his downfall.
It’s One Of The Greatest Crime Dramas Of All Time
Scarface was, surprisingly, not that well-liked by critics, with most claiming that it can’t hold a candle to other films of the time, like The Godfather, saying it lacks both the depth and the nuance that The Godfather brought to the screen. But Scarface managed to update the gangster movie genre in a way few other films ever could have, and has stood the test of time as one of the most beloved-by-audience movies ever made.
John Stark of the Tampa Bay Times says, “What could have been a somber, depressing story has been kept buoyantly afloat by De Palma’s wry, sarcastic look at grown men who wear expensive suits and shoot each other.” Christopher Lloyd of The Film Yap agrees, saying, “Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone created a pop culture sensation with the longest of tails, one of the first examples of a film largely reviled by critics that built an enduring legacy.”
Remaining a beloved fixture in audience members’ minds, Scarface has earned incredible reviews from casual viewers. One lauded the film as “the horror movie of mob movies.” They went on to say, “Scarface isn’t just a gangster movie — it’s a full-throttle descent into crime-fueled madness. Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone push the excess to almost operatic extremes: relentless, often grotesque violence, non-stop drug use, and a script that veers between dark humor and terrifying intensity. The film wears its indulgence on its sleeve, making every shootout feel like a spectacle and every drug-fueled scene a spiral into chaos. Al Pacino delivers a performance of unhinged magnetism, leading Tony Montana through a world where ambition and paranoia combust spectacularly.”
Scarface is considered one of the greats for a reason. So catch it before it’s gone!
Are you a fan of Scarface? Let us know in the comments, and then head over to the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying.
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