Synopsis
In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio "Tony" Camonte, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Paul MuniTony 'Scarface' Camonte
- Ann DvorakCesca Camonte
- Karen MorleyPoppy
- Osgood PerkinsJohn 'Johnny' Lovo
- C. Henry GordonInsp. Ben Guarino
- George RaftGuino Rinaldo
- Vince BarnettAngelo
- Boris KarloffGaffney
- Purnell PrattMr. Garston, publisher
- Tully MarshallManaging editor
Recommendations
- 100
TV Guide Magazine
One of Hawks's undisputed masterpieces, and a landmark in the screen depiction of gangsters. - 100
Time Out
Its seminal importance in the early gangster movie cycle outweighed only by its still exhilarating brilliance, this Howard Hughes production was the one unflawed classic the tycoon was involved with. - 100
Chicago Tribune
Gangster classic. [21 Jan 2005, p.C6] - 90
The New Yorker
Scarface is by far the most visually inventive and tonally anarchic movie that Hawks made. Among other things, it’s a tribute to the freedom that independent producers afforded directors then—and still do today. - 88
Chicago Reader
A dark, brutal, exhilaratingly violent film, blending comedy and horror in a manner that suggests Chico Marx let loose with a live machine gun. - 88
Boston Globe
Here's the third classic you'd better know if you're going to know anything about American gangster movies. This one is powered by Paul Muni's thinly disguised and daringly simian take on Al Capone. [01 Nov 1991, p.35] - 80
The Observer (UK)
Some of the humour is dated, but mostly it's astonishingly modern, full of unforgettable images. Muni is stunning and George Raft, who, like Sinatra, enjoyed the company of mobsters, gives an iconic performance: his cool, coin-tossing habit is referred to both in Singin' in the Rain and Some Like it Hot. [09 Apr 2006, p.18] - 70
Los Angeles Times
Scarface is one of best of the early gangster movies; its wit and building velocity speeds it past Little Caesar and keeps pace with Public Enemy.
