Scarface

Tony Montana arrives in Miami as a Cuban immigrant who secures legal status after carrying out an assassination for those who control his fate. Hungry for power, he claws his way up from small-time enforcer to a dominant figure in the city’s cocaine trade, using violence and intimidation to remove rivals. Along the way he builds wealth, status, and a reputation that attracts allies and enemies alike. As law enforcement pressure increases and conflicts with other cartels escalate, Tony’s dependence on drugs and growing paranoia start to erode the empire he fought so hard to create, setting the stage for a violent unraveling.

Directed by Brian De Palma and released in 1983, the screenplay was written by Oliver Stone and draws on Armitage Trail’s original novel, with story elements linked to earlier adaptations credited to Ben Hecht.

The film opened amid controversy for its language, violence, and moral ambiguity, yet it found a wide audience on release and gained further financial life through home video and repeat viewings over the years.

Few crime films have produced lines as instantly recognizable as "Say hello to my little friend!" Al Pacino’s performance and Tony Montana’s image have been quoted and referenced across music, fashion, television, and gaming, turning the movie into a lasting point of reference for pop culture portrayals of excess, ambition, and ruthless criminality.

Critics were divided when the movie first appeared, but audience opinion has grown favorable, reflected in strong viewer ratings. The film grapples with the corrupting pursuit of the American Dream, the costs of ambition in an unforgiving underworld, and the way addiction and paranoia eat away at power. Pacino’s raw intensity gives the themes emotional force, keeping the movie in frequent discussion among fans of crime drama.