De Palma's ambling tale of a Cuban gangster's Americanised rise and fall is as overrated as it is overlong (nearly three hours). Although Pacino plays the odious Tony Montana with a dead-on mix of predatory steel and flawed flashiness, it's an early `80s curio that's long since been overtaken by countless other life-of-crime movies (GoodFellas, King Of New York, even New Jack City). Two or three great scenes (the chainsaw, the nightclub shootout, the `little friend') packed under too much cheesy flab.
DVD Extras:
Trailer, subtitles, featurette.The usual by-numbers Making Of documentary is infrequently interesting, if only for the shamelessness of the egos on display (Pacino, screenwriter Oliver Stone, and, particularly, De Palma himself), who are all far too keen to restate the film's `classic' status. And - - oh! - - the joy of that twiddly Giorgio Moroder soundtrack in glorious Dolby Digital.
