Scarface - Blu-ray Review

4.3 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis

In the spring of 1980, the Mariel boatlift brought thousands of Cuban refugees to the sun-washed avenues of Miami in search of the American dream. From acclaimed director Brian DePalma, Scarface is the rags-to-riches story of Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who finds wealth, power and passion beyond his wildest dreams…at a price he never imagined. Tony Montana’s meteoric rise, lavish life and soul-destroying fall anchor an epic film that inspired a worldwide following. Pacino is at his most memorable as Montana, blasting his way to the top of Miami’s drug underworld in a bravura performance. Buy Now $34.89

Starring:

Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Miriam Colon, F. Murray Abraham, Paul Shenar, Harris Yulin, Angel Salazar

Director:

Brian De Palma

Blu-ray Release Date:

September 6, 2011

Subtitles:

English SDH, French, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 4.3 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison
●    Subwoofer - 4.0 Stars
●    Dialog - 4.0 Stars
●    Surround Effects - 4.5 Stars
●    Dynamic Range - 4.5 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English: DTS 2.0, French: DTS Mono, Spanish: DTS Mono

Lots of love was spent converting the audio for Scarface to Blu-ray, and it shows. For a film created before surround sound was used, this re-mastered DTS-HD Master Audio mix takes advantage of the rear speakers. Ambient sounds like trucks driving by, birds chirping, and waves crashing help draw you into the movie. Other bold sound like ricocheting bullets, explosions, and helicopters fill the room and bring the movie to life. At times, its hard to hear dialog over crowd noises, and action, but it seems to improve as the film goes on. Low end sounds are not used much during the first half of the film, but as soon as the chainsaw growls you know your in for some fun. As the "his little friend" launches grenades the couch vibrates showing the power of the LFE.

Video 4.1 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison
●    Color Accuracy  - 4.0 Stars
●    Shadow detail - 4.0 Stars
●    Clarity - 4.0 Stars
●    Skin tones - 4.0 Stars
●    Compression - 4.5 Stars

Codec: VC-1, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Scarface colors are hot just like Miami. This helps bring out the colors of the loud tropical shirts, gaudy decorated offices of drug dealers, and beautiful sunsets. However, it does make everyone's face look a little redder than it should be, making them look like they forgot sunscreen. There is also very high grain to this film, but it does seem to fit this gritty film. The clarity is not as clean or as consistent as I would have liked, but is good enough to see clothing textures, pinstripes on $500 suits, sweat, and stubble. In some dark scenes, details are lost in the shadows and give way to a few artifacts, but nothing too disruptive.

Bonus Features 4.5 Stars (out of 5)

• The Scarface Phenomenon— This all-new documentary presents Scarface as a unique phenomenon in cinema history.  It explores how a film plagued by controversy leading up to its release has become a Hollywood classic, influencing a whole new generation of filmmakers and leaving a lasting imprint on popular culture.
• Deleted Scenes
• The World of Tony Montana —Experience the world of the ultimate gangster and hear from experts on the real world violence, fear and paranoia that surrounds a drug lord.
• The Rebirth —Director Brian De Palma, producer Martin Bregman, actor Al Pacino, and screenwriter Oliver Stone revisit the history of Scarface, from the inspiration of the original Howard Hawks classic to the evolution of the script.
• The Acting — Join the filmmakers, Al Pacino and Steven Bauer to discover how each of the roles was cast and how Brian De Palma worked with his actors to get unforgettable performances.
• The Creating — A fascinating, controversial and definitive journey through the making of the film, which began with the production being forced to leave its initial location in Florida. Discover how the chainsaw scene was filmed, learn about the production design, the photography, and the struggle to get the film an “R” rating.
• Scarface: The TV Version—A revealing and hilarious montage of film clips comparing the theatrical version to the network television version of Scarface.
• The Making of Scarface: The Video Game: Immerse yourself in the world of Scarface in this behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the video game.

U-CONTROL FEATURES ON THIS BLU-RAY DISC:

• Scarface Scoreboard—Watch Scarface like never before.  Keep track of the number of times the “F” word is used and monitor the bullets fired!
• Picture in Picture—Access  interview footage of Brian De Palma, Al Pacino, Screenwriter Oliver Stone, and others without interruption to the movie experience.   Also featured is a scene comparison between the 1983 version of Scarface and Howard Hawks’ original film.
• BD-LIVE™—Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers and more.

Movie - 5.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

Scarface is a classic gangster film that has a twisted take on the American dream. It's a groundbreaking film that was almost rated X for excessive violence when it was released in 1983. However, according to the film makers, the violence was based on police reports of Miami drug wars at the time. This film has the best of Hollywood working together. Not only does it star Al Pacino and is directed by Brian DePalma, but it's written by Oliver Stone and I learned that Steven Speilberg even helped during the action finale. I have watched this film every year for about 20 years and I never get tired of it.

Scarface is hyper-realistic, filled with over the top characters, and is not shy about it's message. Tony Montana is arguably the best performance Al Pacino has ever given. His character is likeable and charming at times, but make no mistake, he's a monster. Montana himself even tells you he's the bad guy, but he's a bad guy we love to watch from a distance. In essence this film is the raise and fall of any powerful figure that becomes blinded by greed and power. Tony Montana could be a stock broker or the CEO of Enron, but since he's a drug dealer you know without a doubt, he's the bad guy.

Movie Trailer