Scarface (1983)

Great movie in great condition. It’s crazy to think this movie that was created in the 80’s has higher quality than the modern movies on blu ray. All this showed me was that it’s time to ditch the blu rays and start buying Ultra HD

Love this film.

I see reviews here dating back to the year 2000. This review is for the Universal Cinema Classics release of Scarface that came out in May 2007. First off, the video and audio on this print are excellent. There is no hissing in the audio, and there are very few artifacts in the video. The extras are another matter. First there is an introduction by TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne who provides the same excellent short introduction that he would were Scarface playing in prime time on TCM and he were introducing it there - no more, no less. The only other extra is an alternate ending scene for Scarface. There is no commentary track, which is a shame considering this film, along with "Little Caesar" and "The Public Enemy" form the founding trio of the gangster film in the sound era of the motion picture.As for the movie itself, it is based on real events that happened in the criminal career of Al Capone, although Capone's criminal career had already ended with his conviction on charges of tax evasion six months before this film was released in April 1932. You know you're watching a Howard Hughes production when, during the first scene, a bar employee is sweeping up after a party held by one of Chicago's big gangsters and finds a bra among the confetti. The film shares some aspects with its gangster film predecessors - Tony Camonte is motivated by a desire for power just as Edward G. Robinson's Rico was in "Little Caesar", and also like Rico takes over the gang from a boss he perceives as weak. However, Camonte doesn't seem to have the pent-up rage of Public Enemy's Tom Powers. When Tony performs acts of violence it is usually related to gangland business. The actual deaths are strictly business, but the execution of the killings themselves are something Tony takes pride in - a sort of work of art on his part. Like Tom Powers, Tony Camonte is given a family background, but unlike Tom Powers, Camonte's family is a completely dysfunctional one. What is unique in this gangster picture is Tony's trio of love interests. He wants his boss' girl, Poppy, as a status symbol. He also seems to have a love affair going with the machine gun, acting like he has discovered America the first time he shoots one. Finally, Tony is in love with his own sister Cesca. Tony's only true fits of rage occur when he sees her with another man, and it is this loss of emotional control over this one issue that is ultimately his downfall. George Raft, an ex-gangster of sorts himself, is terrific as the smart and level-headed Guino Rinaldo, Tony's right-hand man. Finally there is Vince Barnett as Tony's extremely inadequate secretary in a bit of comic relief turned tragic at the end of the film. This film is truly a classic. I just wish Universal had put in a commentary track, for such a cinema landmark is certainly worthy of one. Highly recommended.

Very interesting movie to watch.

Great story. Good video quality

I had the previous version on BD and that was a very big upgrade over the DVD to the point that it was a vivid uptick, even though I still felt that there was room for improvement. Scarface has always been a gritty looking picture and with much film grain, so I was curious as to how it would play out on 4K.There is grain, but like Gladiator 4K, it is a fine grain that is there only to remind you that this is film, not digital. You hardly see the grain unless you are focusing on it and it does not distract. Details are strong, gold chains glisten and look like gold, as well as diamonds and the drugs! Detail on the money is very strong and distinct and in the Miami scene with the chainsaw, you get that slight 4K 'pop,' meaning that fine detail, strong color and picture information and SMOOTH motion! Most of the film lacks the 4K 'pop' of digital (many) releases, meaning that it almost looks as if you are right there, but this film seems to come as close to it while being kind of short of being there.Of course, some scenes are out of focus, blurred or a little dark - depending on the shots, but I guess they were too expensive to re-shoot. This is not unusual for many films as lighting conditions play a role. Overall, this is a nearly flawless picture and in spite of the dated look to the cars and clothing, it looks like a newer release. The best picture quality come in the sequences when Tony is the top man and they all have mansions. There, everything is clean, strong information, highly detailed and the color is accurate.Some people claim that the film is too dark and that their equipment is calibrated correctly, well if that WERE the case, then you should see what I and others see in the picture quality!As for the sound - it almost reminds me of the BD sound but with a higher quality and much more impact and clarity - especially on gun shots. Sound separate is great and it almost sounds as if it were in native surround sound. The center channel vocals sound a LITTLE muddied (if you are listening for it), but nothing as it was back when this first premiered on cable or up to DVD, it is almost up to digital levels, but you can tell that they had to 'improve' it a little. I only wish that all of these home movies would kind of keep sound level and dialog more prominent so that I won't have to keep reaching for the remote in order to turn it up or down depending on the scene.The DTS X sound was harder to hear, and I seem to find that to be a problem with most of these titles, as Dolby Atmos sounds more distinctive in the height channels - or these films right now are not using them to their fullest abilities yet. The only time that I heard them was in the detention camp where a helicopter flew overhead and in a shootout in the club and the finale. Other than that, DTS X was only used as a marketing thing to me.T2, Scarface and formerly Enter the Dragon, were titles that were always released to no end on home video formats to the point that you can't keep track. I still await Enter the Dragon 4K, which I assumed it would show on the format's debut, but not so far... Scarface on 4K is a MUST buy and no previous edition compares and no future edition should surpass it! I waited for the price to come a down a little before I bought, but I am happy that I did!Video: 4.5 out of 5Audio: 4.5 out of 54K Quality: 4.5 out of 5Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Classic film at a low price.

what else is there to say? I think this movie is actually pretty over-rated, but it's a Pacino classic. This is a cheap 4K, it's a pretty essential "man cave" movie, and it looks great. There's a big Special Edition box set 4K coming out in a few months, but this is cheap enough you can buy this one while you wait.