Scarface: Platinum Edition
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
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After years of diplomatic silence between the United States and Cuba, Castro opens the port of Mariel Harbor, Cuba, to thousands emmigrating to the United States in search of the American dream. Shrewdly, Castro also unlocks the overpacked prisons, allowing hordes of criminals to join the refugees. Tony Montana, a small time hood, is one of them. In Florida, Montana connects with gangster Frank Lopez, and guns his way through the sun washed streets of Miami where he finds power, wealth and passion. He kills Lopez and marries his mistress, Elvira. Montana, better known as "Scarface," soon becomes the leader of a bloody cocaine-smuggling empire but at a terrible cost to his sister, Gina and his loyal friend, Manny. However, like that of others before him, Montana's reign is brief and a violent end is guaranteed as rival gangster compete to become the next drug lord.

Scarface has emerged as not only a classic film for fans of the crime genre, but rather a piece of popular culture. The film, which documents the rise and fall of a Cuban drug lord in early-1980's Miami, has become an anthem for a jaded perspective on the American dream. It shows how anyone can get ahead, but sometimes it takes a little force and a big mouth to do so.

It's a clever idea, but the movie just never really took off for me -- even if it's heart was in the right place and Sandler proved there's more to humour than a good fart joke. You see, there's predictable movies and then there's the ones where you figure out exact jokes and lines several minutes before they happen. Click is one such film. Despite some jokes that really hit and some heart-tugging bits, it's too easy to see the end in the beginning as it sticks to its comedy-drama too tightly. Had it gone in a more sci-fi direction, there would have likely been more room for play and originality.

Adapted from a 1932 film starring Paul Muni, this version thrives from a lack of constraints. The action is vicious and the language is definitely not for the faint of heart. But this is the ugly world of cocaine and organized crime. What do you expect – polite pleasantries? For those who can handle the grit, Scarface is a film that's hard not to get enthralled with and live vicariously through.

Video: How's it look?
Universal went all out with this DVD release. The anamorphic widescreen picture is clearer and crisper than the previous release a couple years back. While I'm not a fan of having two of the same movie sitting on my shelf, this is an instance where the "double-dipping" is justifiable.

Audio: How's it sound?
Like the video, the Scarface hasn't sounded any better. The Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio is excellent, standing out particularly when things get hot.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• English, French and Spanish subtitles.
• Real-time scorecard that tallies the number of f-bombs dropped and bullets fired.
• Fifteen deleted scenes totaling a little over 22 minutes worth of deleted scenes.
• "Making of Scarface: the Video Game" is a 12-minute look at the making of the recent video game based on the film. It's interesting to see something from this angle as well as hear from former cast members such as Robert Loggia and Steven Bauer appear alongside the likes of Ice-T and Michael Rappaport who appear in the game.
• Tony Montana is picked apart in the glitzy featurette "The World of Tony Montana." It brings together a variety of voices that lends credibility to the short feature.
• "The Rebirth" discusses how Scarface was transformed from a 1932 gangster classic into a modern pop culture icon. Al Pacino, director Brian De Palma, writer Oliver Stone and producer Martin Bergman are all interviewed.
• "Creating" is essentially a continuation of "The Rebirth" that looks at the making of the film. Problems and controversies are given particular attention.
• "Acting" is pretty self-explanatory. Although Pacino gets lots of praise, the rest of the deep cast also gets a good amount of attention.
• "The TV Version" is a unique perspective on the film. This featurette explores how the producers managed to edit the film down to a point where it could be broadcast on television without butchering the point.

Closing Thoughts
For those who don't own Scarface yet, this DVD is a must-have. For those who already own the DVD released in 2003, if you're picky about the technical presentation of the film, you'll want to double-dip and replace with this superior release. For those into features, they're largely the same minus the f-bomb counter and "The World of Tony Montana" and the video game featurettes are the only new additons..


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com