Overview
A gripping tale of ambition and downfall in the Miami drug trade.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- operatic
- confrontational
- profane
- crime movie night
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized the film's hypnotic performances, energetic direction, and grand crime spectacle while faulting its excessive violence, profanity, shallow characterization, and reliance on gangster clichés.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tony Montana progresses from refugee and contract killer to Miami cocaine kingpin, with his excesses driving the empire toward ruin.
The film emphasizes Tony's gaudy mansion, extravagant lifestyle, escalating violence, and apocalyptic finale.
Tony seeks Frank Lopez's empire, Elvira, and total power, but his impatience and grandiosity make prosperity destructive.
Tony arrives from Cuba during the Mariel exodus and gains status through Miami's organized cocaine trade.
Films like Scarface, and why
Goodfellas
shared gangster rise-and-fall structure, organized crime, moral corruption, and operatic violence
Carlito's Way
shared drug trafficking, criminal ambition, paranoia, and tragic crime drama intensity
The Godfather
shared epic gangster mythology, power struggles, family conflict, and criminal empire building
Movie Details
- Director
- Brian De Palma
- Release Date
- 1983-12-09
- Runtime
- 170 min
- Rating
- 8.2 / 10 (13484)
Cast
- Al Pacino
- Steven Bauer
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
- Robert Loggia
- Miriam Colon
- F. Murray Abraham
- Paul Shenar
- Harris Yulin
- Ángel Salazar
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Scarface about?
- A Cuban refugee transforms himself into Miami’s cocaine kingpin, only to find that unchecked ambition makes his empire impossible to hold.
- What is Scarface like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Scarface as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Scarface violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Scarface as graphic.
- What did critics think of Scarface?
- Critics broadly recognized the film's hypnotic performances, energetic direction, and grand crime spectacle while faulting its excessive violence, profanity, shallow characterization, and reliance on gangster clichés.
- Which films are like Scarface?
- Films with a similar feel include Goodfellas, Carlito's Way, and The Godfather.
- How long is Scarface?
- Scarface runs 170 minutes.
- Where can I watch Scarface?
- In United States, Scarface streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
