Scarface, the original, is about an Italian immigrant's journey from petty villain in Chicago to becoming a ruthless gangster boss, similar to Tony Montana, a simple immigrant from Cuba who becomes a mafia boss in Miami.
Perhaps the world's most famous gangster and Tony share a facial feature that you may not have noticed. And inspired the original version of Scarface as well as the sequel. Can you guess who?
We sell endless t-shirts and posters featuring Tony Montana and the classic image of him holding an M16 and saying the winged words "Say Hello To My Little Friend".
Contrary to what you might think, Scarface was not very well received when it was released in 1983.
Brian De Palma had to explain to a court why it should avoid the 18-year limit at the same time as Cuban immigrants protested the way Cubans were portrayed in the film.
Brian De Palma's defense of the violence in the film was that it was a true depiction and a documentary accurate picture of the drug war that was going on in Florida in the 80s. Brian De Palma was right and escaped the 18-year age limit, but despite them the film was not an immediate success, but went almost even with a plus at the cinemas.
However, Scarface took the video market by storm, selling over 100,000 cassettes to individuals and video stores the year after the film was released.
Classic Scarface & Tony Montana Quotes:
• "Say hello to my little friend!"
• "In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women."
• "The world is yours."
• "I always tell the truth. Even when I lie."
• "I bury those cockroaches!" -
• "Who put this thing together? Me, that's who! Who do I trust? Me!"
Scarface in culture
Scarface is today a cult film that often appears as a reference in rap lyrics. Jay-Z, Nas, Rick Ross and Mobb Dee and others reference both the film and Tony Montana in their songs.
In 2006, the game "Scarface - The World Is Yours" was released, which is based on the plot of the film and was well received by both players and critics. Grand Theft Auto Vice City is not based on the film directly, but is undeniably inspired by it. Lots of quotes and references are made in the game which is also set in 80's Miami similar to the movie.
Al Capone is the inspiration for that original film and like Al Pacino's character Tony Montana he had a scar on his face.
