Based on its enduring quotability, legacy, and ongoing business empire that’s spawned innumerable tie-ins across all forms of media, merchandising, and apparel, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to suggest that Brian De Palma’s Scarface is one of the most instantly-recognizable films ever made.
Close to 40 years on, and posters of Al Pacino’s Tony Montana still adorn bedroom and dorm room walls all over the world, while the classic gangster thriller’s long-lasting reputation is made all the more impressive by the fact that a lot of critics absolutely hated Scarface when it first hit theaters, never mind that it landed more nominations at the Razzies than it did the Oscars.
Proving that Hollywood has been cyclical for a lot longer than anyone would care to admit, the cocaine-fueled showstopper was a loose remake of Howard Hawks’ 1932 original, which was itself an adaptation of Armitage Trail’s 1929 source novel, although there was at least a half-century between the first and second live-action versions of the material.
If the industry had its way, though, Scarface V3.0 would have happened a long time ago, with another remake having been in development since 2011. David Ayer, David Yates, Pablo Larrain, Paul Attanasio, Antoine Fuqua, Terence Winter, Diego Luna, the Coen brothers, and Luca Guadagnino have all been involved at one point or another but it’s been a while since any forward movement has been made.
As if you needed any more reminders of the stranglehold Scarface still holds over audiences, FlixPatrol reveals that the bullet-riddled bonanza spent five consecutive days as one of the 10 most-watched titles on Netflix among subscribers in the United States, with plenty of repeat viewers no doubt dropping by to say hello to their little friend once again.