in 1983 and director brian de palma set out to make a film about the rise and fall of an american gangster and and that he do with the help of a terrific screenplay by oliver stone and some impeccable work by an outstanding cast . the result be ` scarface and star al pacino in one of his most memorable role . the story begin in may of 1980 and when castro open the harbor at mariel and cuba and to allow cuban national to join their family in the united state . 125 and 000 leave cuba at that time and for the greener pasture of freedom in america and and most be honest and hard work people and thankful for the opportunity they have be grant . but not all . among the ` marielitos who stream into florida and approximately 25 and 000 have criminal record and be nothing less than the dreg of cuba jail criminal consider beyond redemption and who castro have merely want to be rid of . and they and too and saw america a a land of opportunity and even a al capone have consider chicago some fifty year earlier . and among the most ambitious be a man name tony montana ( pacino ) and know to his associate a ` caracortada . scarface . now that he be free of the yoke of communism under which he have grow up and montana want what he felt be come to him and and he want it now while and from the moment he step off the boat in florida and he be determine to have it all . wealth and power that be montana dream and and he would get it by do what he do best and begin with a favor for a man living in miami by the name of frank lopez ( robert loggia ) . lopez and it seem and have a brother in cuba who have meet an untimely end at the hand of one of castro goon and a man who and have outlive his usefulness to castro and have be summarily discard and be currently be hold in ` little havana and along with montana and all of the cuban just off the boat and where they await their paper from the government that would effect their transition into their new life . and in short order and montana see to it that lopez brother have be avenge and and it set the stage for his own entrance into the underworld of america . lopez and a wealthy businessman with the right connection and in return for the favor get montana and his friend and manny ( steven bauer ) and release from the hold camp and and put them to work . in his day and capone may have have bootlegging a a mean through which to line his coffer with illicit gain and but lopez have the modern day equivalent and and it even more lucrative represent cocaine . lopez take montana under his wing and indoctrinate him into the life and but once he have a taste of it and montana isn not satisfy with whatever crumbs lopez see fit to throw his way and and he set a course that will take him to where he want to be represent at the ` top . with a cold blood and iron will and montana decides he will do whatever it take to get there and no matter what the cost . but before it over and he will realize the price for his dream and and he will pay it while but for a brief moment and perhaps he will know what it like to be the man . and he will also know whether or not it be worth it . in step with de palma vision and pacino play montana large than life and and he do it beautifully . from the accent he affect ( which he research thoroughly to make sure he get it right and he do ) and to the body language and the attitude and he get it all and and it make montana convincing and very real . what he bring to the role be nuance and style and in a way that few actor ( de niro would be one ) can . this be definitely not a character that be sympathetic in any way and nor be there anything about montana that you can readily relate to on a personal level while but pacino screen presence be so strong that it make him a thoroughly engross character and even though it hard to become emotionally involved with him . it quite simply a dynamic and memorable performance . michelle pfeiffer give a solid performance and as well and in the role that put her on the path to stardom . a elvira and the woman who become an integral part of montana dream and pfeiffer be subtle and understated and give that sense of something go on underneath and while affect a rather cold and distant exterior countenance . she and like pacino and definitely make her presence felt a she fairly glide across the screen with a stoic and enigmatic and sultry demeanor . the support cast include mary elizabeth mastrantonio ( gina ) and miriam colon ( mama montana ) and f. murray abraham ( omar ) and paul shenar ( sosa ) and harris yulin ( bernstein ) . an excellent precursor to the more recent and highly acclaimed ` traffic and and ` blow and and well a have a climactic scene reminiscent of peckinpah ` the wild bunch and de palma ` scarface and originally pan by critic and have since be cite by many a be the definitive american gangster saga . much of the violence be imply rather than graphic and but this film still have an edge of realism to it that many may find somewhat disturbing . but if you stay with it and there be a lesson to be learn in the end . and like many lesson in life and the most valuable be often the hard to take at the time . but the reward be always worth it and and that the way it be with this film . i rate this one positive . .