Brian De Palma’s remake of Howard Hawks classic gangster
film Scarface was released on
December 9th, 1983 to middling box office and mediocre reviews. The critical establishment saw it as a vulgar,
exploitive cartoon. It found new life on
the then burgeoning home video market, where it has since amassed a sizable
cult following. That second life was
spurred on largely by a generation whose perceptions of criminality had been largely
shaped by the prosperity enjoyed by the more prosperous crack dealers of the
time. With figures like “Freeway” Ricky
Ross and Alberto “Alpo” Martinez becoming ghetto celebrities in the wake of the
films release, Scarface played for many as a
timely and relevant parable. Unfortunately,
some even saw it as an inspiration on how to live the American dream.
