Μύ The combination of Brian De Palma directing an Oliver Stone script, starring Al Pacino, makes for one hell of an 80s movie ride as we're hurtled along the rise and fall of a cocaine mafia boss. Released a few times on DVD, we now get a two-disc edition that offers not only the best presentation of the film yet but also some suitably in-your-face extra features.
A Ghetto Classic
None are as unflinching as the Def Jam documentary Origins Of A Hip-Hop Classic. Featuring a raft of rap luminaries, they're not about to uncover a vein of critical analysis that will make you reevaluate the movie. They do, though, give you an insight into how another culture has used this film to identify itself. P Diddy has watched this ghetto classic 63 times (!?!), and may well have stuck it on again since this was written! For prophetic statements to take away, we turn to Snoop Dogg who, after some reflection, offers, "Tony was a bad mother****er, man." Indeed he was Dogg.
Looking Good Tony
While we're indulging in swear words, you can update your vocabulary with a hysterical featurette that compares the most vulgar lines in the movie to the dubs created for the TV version. Did you know that Pacino says "f***" 160 times in the film? How's that for a ****ing crazy statistic? Even better is that the movie looks its best ever on DVD, with the clearest print transfer yet and a good DTS 5.1 sound mix to suitably indulge Giorgio Moroder's synth-tastic soundtrack.
A Pacino Favourite
Old Moroder himself turns up for the Creating Scarface documentary, which has interviews with the major players, including Pacino, De Palma, and Stone. Along with two other featurettes, you get a great overview of how this movie was developed from a Howard Hawks 30s crime flick into the cocaine crazy insanity that Pacino singles out as one of his favourite films. Unapologetic and unflinching, this is a ****ing great DVD for fans of 80s excess.
EXTRA FEATURES
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.
