All men love Scarface, a fact that many women don’t appreciate or understand.  But, ladies, it’s simple: we all secretly want to dress in expensive white suits, keep a pet tiger and say things like ‘All I got in this life is my balls and my word, and I don’t break ‘em for no one.’  Preferably whilst smoking a cigar in a hot tub. 

Brian De Palma’s 1983 epic crime masterpiece, penned by Oliver Stone and based in part on actual events, remains a staple of the genre as well as of the most quotable, iconic and ruthlessly entertaining films of all time.  A chameleonic Al Pacino stars as immigrant turned drug baron Tony Montana, and is ably abetted by a host of excellent co-stars including Steven Bauer as his loyal sidekick Manny Ribera, the excellent Paul Shenar, who died of AIDS a few short years later, and a stunning Michelle Pfeiffer as the doomed object of Montana’s parasitic affections. 

Though the end result can’t be faulted, at least by those of the male gender, previous DVD editions did have one principle glaring deficiency: they looked and sounded like absolute shit.  Thankfully Universal’s new Blu-ray edition rectifies all that, and the new 2.35:1 HD transfer is a real revelation.  Though still ever so slightly gritty in places it’s still a remarkable improvement over any previous DVD edition doing the rounds, and with Georgio Moroda’s inimitable score likewise newly remastered in DTS-HD 7.1 surround, no less, it’s fairly safe to say this is by far the best that this much-loved, much-maligned masterpiece is ever going to look and sound. 

In addition to an energetic new HD transfer and suitably bombastic sound mix, the Blu-ray edition also gathers the best of its predecessors’ bonus features, including the Rebirth, Acting and Casting featurettes, Deleted Scenes, The World of Tony Montana, the always entertaining Scarface: The TV Version (an account of the manner in which the film was sanitised for television audiences) and The Making of Scarface: The Video Game.  Also included is a brand new 36-minute documentary entitled The Scarface Phenomenon, which includes interviews with the likes of Robert Rodriguez and his glitzy ilk, and other exclusive BD content that won’t disappoint stalwarts. 

There’s little to fault here, and with a superb transfer, 7-channel surround audio, impeccable bonus content and a rather handsome metallic case to boot, fans won’t want to delay in picking up this bloody, profane, endlessly enjoyable cult favourite.  This is the release it’s always deserved, and though it take a long time to arrive, it’s very much a case of better late than never.  Prepare to get your dodgy Cuban accent on chaps, and invite the lady of your choosing to ‘say hello to your little friend.’  With a transfer and bonus specs this good, she’ll be hard pressed to say no.