Al Pacino’s ‘greatest ever film’ fans hail ‘masterpiece’ on Film 4 tonight | Films | Entertainment

A gritty gangster epic featuring a stellar performance from a Hollywood heavyweight is set to grace screens on Film 4 tonight.

Scarface, with Al Pacino in the lead role, chronicles the rise and fall of Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who ascends from refugee status to become a formidable drug kingpin in Miami.

The film, which also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, traces Tony’s trajectory from working for a major drug dealer to seizing control of the operation, culminating in his dramatic downfall.

Debuting in 1983, Scarface earned three Golden Globe nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Pacino. While Pacino was already an established star, Scarface played a pivotal role in catapulting Michelle Pfeiffer to stardom.

The film consistently ranks among the greatest ever made, with Entertainment Weekly placing it eighth on its Top 50 Cult Films list.

Empire included it in its roundup of the top 500 films of all time, while Total Film ranked it ninth in its list of the top 30 gangster films.

In a chilling twist, former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein reportedly drew inspiration from the film. His money-laundering enterprise, Montana Management, shares its name with Tony’s operation in Scarface, reports the Mirror.

Today, Scarface enjoys cult classic status and garners acclaim from critics and audiences alike. It boasts a solid 79 percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while fans have awarded it a high score of 93 percent.

One reviewer said: “Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone created a pop culture sensation with the longest of tails, one of the first examples of a film largely reviled by critics that built an enduring legacy.”

Meanwhile, another said: “Working from Oliver Stone’s script, De Palma shapes a chilling, unpleasant but perversely entertaining portrait of the cocaine business. To his credit, its 2 hours and 45 minutes fly by like so many bullets.”

A third critic wrote: “De Palma directs it as a blood-drenched thug opera, a mix of the graceful and the garish with Pacinos guttural thug-in-a-suit spitting out dialogue like broken glass in a harsh Cuban accent.”

Viewers proved even more enthusiastic in their acclaim. One said: “The Horror movie of mob movies. Scarface isn’t just a gangster movie – it’s a full-throttle descent into crime-fuelled madness. Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone push the excess to almost operatic extremes: relentless, often grotesque violence, non-stop drug use, and a script that veers between dark humour and terrifying intensity.”

Another added: “Best movie by Pacino! Drama and some facts are brilliant!” A third fan said: “All around amazing movie with a really good soundtrack! The main character, played by Al Pacino, delivers one of the most powerful and unforgettable performances in film history. Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone else doing the role even half as well.”

Scarface is on Film 4 at 12.15am on December 27.

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