HE LOVED THE AMERICAN DREAM. WITH A VENGEANCE. 

Tony Montana (Al Pacino) claims asylum in Miami and instantly makes an impact on a wealthy cocaine dealer (Robert Loggia) who offers him work.

Oliver Stone did an interesting thing. Rather than write a straight remake of the classic 1932 gangster movie, he changed a few details to give the new film a political context. This simple (and very overrated) gangster movie has an epic feel, but a bloated running time doesn’t make it The Godfather; the emotional and dramatic content isn’t as engaging.

Still, several controversial, violent sequences keep things lively and Pacino makes us believe in his Cuban thug.

1983-U.S. 170 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Brian De Palma. Screenplay: Oliver Stone. Music: Giorgio Moroder. Cast: Al Pacino (Tony Montana), Steven Bauer (Manny Ribera), Michelle Pfeiffer (Elvira Hancock), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Miriam Colon, F. Murray Abraham. 

Trivia: Charles Durning and Dennis Franz provided uncredited dubbing. Sidney Lumet was first hired to direct. Robert De Niro was considered for the lead role; Glenn Close as Elvira; and John Travolta as Manny.