SCARFACE: The World is Yours Limited Edition!

Jeri Jacquin

In celebration of the 1983 classic film with a screenplay by Oliver Stone, director Brian De Palma and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment comes the SCARFACE "The World Is Yours" Limited Edition 4K UHD/Bluray and Digital.

Tony Montana (Al Pacino) is a Cuban refugee arriving in Miami along with friends Manny (Steven Bauer), Angel (Pepe Serna) and Chi-Chi (Angel Salazar). Given green cards they become dishwashers which is totally distasteful for Tony who feels he is meant for something bigger.

Involved in a hit gone bad, Tony wants to meet Miami drug dealer Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) to deliver his drugs and money in person. Taking the initiative, Tony and Manny are hired to work for Frank which sets them up to bring his mother Georgina (Miriam Colon) and sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) to Miami. Once Tony's mother discovers what he is doing she refuses to have him around.

Tony has his first opportunity when Frank sends him to Bolivia to meet another drug kingpin in Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar). His sidekick Omar (F. Murray Abraham) isn't happy with what's happening and Sosa takes the opportunity to deal with him as well as warn Tony not to ever mess with him. This isn't the only thing that upsets Frank as word gets out that Tony is going solo behind his back sending an attack. Tony isn't about to let that slide and with moves of his own he marries Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) and builds an empire bringing in more money than anyone could have imagined.

Years go by and Manny isn't happy with what Tony is doing. Expanding into money laundering, the boss is also addicted to his own product. All of this leads to tension with Elvira and a mild disdain between husband and wife. Looking for the next big thrill, it comes when he is arrested and charged with tax evasion.

Sosa agrees to help Tony with his little problem but Sosa also has a little problem that Tony needs to take care of in the form of a journalist about to blow up the kingpins life. Frustrated with the whole thing Tony takes it out on Elvira in a public place but she's had enough and walks away. Heading for New York to do what Sosa asks, Tony has a moment of conscious and returns to Miami.

Promising Tony that he would pay for not doing the job, he learns that Gina is missing. Finding her with Manny after asking him to stay away turns ugly. Feeling everything crumbling, Tony takes Gina and returns to the mansion and a cocaine face dive.

That’s when hell comes knocking at the door and one of the biggest gun fights reminds Tony that "The World is Yours", even if only temporarily.

Pacino as Tony is a man who wants to get away from everything he knows in Cuba to start over. Discovering that starting over isn't as easy as he thought, it takes a hot second before he finds the best way to get what he wants. The problem is that the best way in his mind is the worst way for everyone around him. Pacino is totally absorbed in portraying this character and after years of watching it trust me when I say I've looked for an opening - there isn't one. Pacino makes damn sure with this performance that no one can ever touch it again.

Bauer as Manny is a friend to Tony and wants to succeed. I have to say he has more of a conscience than his friend but that probably isn't saying too much. As the years pass and the danger becomes even crazier, it is Manny who seems to want to walk away but doesn't know how. Bauer gives a strong performance and that could be considered saying something standing next to Al Pacino.

Pfeiffer as Elvira is a woman who falls for a smooth talking man promising her a good life. It may have started out that way but, as with all things sinister, it begins to force itself into her life. She becomes no better than Tony as they both begin to drown in their dislike of one another because it's like looking in a mirror for each of them. What started out as the potential for a good life was based on lies and false promises, nothing good can ever come of that. Elvira is just one sniff away from destroying any chance of a life period and Pfeiffer makes you believe it.

Mastrantonio as Gina quickly assimilates into the Miami scene which completely drives her brother insane. He wants a sweet and innocent sister but Gina has other plans. This is a character that cries out to be saved but when everyone is in self-destruct mode it turns into 'if you can't beat them, join them'. Loggia as Frank shows Tony what it takes to have the drug business and after creating a monster suffers a creators fate.

Abraham as Omar has always been such an interesting character because Abraham is always in my head as the underhanded Salieri from AMADEUS or the underhanded Dar Adal from the series Homeland. I forget that Omar was the first underhanded character I'd ever seen him portray and he did it so well then as he does now. Shenar as Sosa was always a force to be reckoned with but Tony thought he was always one step ahead. Trust me, when someone says 'don't cross me' I suggest you not cross them, especially in the violent world created by drug kingpins!

Other cast include Harris Yulin as Mel Bernstein, Michael P. Moran as Nick the Pig, Al Israel as Hector the Toad, Mark Margolis as Alberto the Shadow, Geno Silva as The Skull, Dennis Holahan as Jerry, Ted Beniades as Seidelbaum and Gregg Henry as Charles Goodson.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are film of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The combo includes SCARFACE (1983) 4K UHD, SCARFACE (1983) Bluray, SCARFACE (1983) Digital, and SCARFACE (1932) Bluray. The Bonus Features include SCARFACE 35th Anniversary Reunion: An All-New Conversation with Director Brian De Palma and Actors Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer and Steven Bauer from the Tribeca Film Festival, The SCARFACE Phenomenon, The World of Tony Montana, The Rebirth, The Acting, The Creating, Deleted Scenes, SCARFACE: The TV Version and more!

Pacino saw the 1932 version of SCARFACE and saw potential in remaking the film. After a shift in writers, Oliver Stone was brought on to create the iconic script. De Palma brought his direction and SCARFACE would become an iconic film making list after list for villains, movie quotes and gangster films (Body count: 42). "Say hello to my little friend" (which was an M16 assault rifle with an M203 40mm grenade launcher on the barrel) is uttered at least once a day somewhere on the planet in so many ways and in so many situations.

There is actually nothing that can touch SCARFACE and even though there are rumors always abound of a remake or a sequel, I personally wouldn't see it. I love everything about this film from its intrigue to cinematography to the cast who create the whole story with the nuances of the characters they portray.

SCARFACE is a film that is memorable for my generation and it continues to stun the next generation of audiences because, despite the polyester suits, what happens to Tony and the gang is not so far off what is happening today. There is a mentality and a way of life that lends itself to the kinds of danger and violence these characters bring on themselves.

That being said, I love the cinematography, the costuming and the music choices. It is as if Pacino, Bauer, Pfeiffer and the rest of the actors gave it everything and the rest is pure icing on this magnificent cake of a film. It is as if Pacino dares us to go along for the ride and when we are shocked, Tony laughs at our squeamishness. His idea of the American dream sends most of us running the other way and he makes no apologies as he doesn't suffer fools and the weak.

SCARFACE is iconic, epic and is a totally uncomfortable film to watch but like all train wrecks you can't look away. The characters are bad, that's clear from the start but maybe there is something in us that hopes someone, anyone will find redemption. Once again, our definition of redemption and Tony's is what brings on the final scene of the film. 

In the end - he loved the American dream with a vengeance!