Scarface: Platinum Edition (DVD) - Gaming Goodies

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Scarface: Platinum Edition (DVD)

Originally released back in 1983, there has been much critical assessment of Brian de Palma's Scarface. The movie has been described as the quintessential gangster film, which depicted Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) and his desire to possess "the world and everything in it" by climbing to the top of the pile of the cocaine trade, with his violent temper and use of the "F"-word his most reliable weapons. Tony gets his comeuppance at the climax of the film in a shootout with a Bolivian hit squad. The film is close to 25-years old, so I'm not looking to review

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the movie per se but to take a look at what the Platinum Edition of Scarface has to offer and if it's worth the dough if you're a fan.

The biggest draw for the Platinum Edition has to be the completely remastered sound. Provided that you have decent sound equipment, the audio component of Scarface has never sounded

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better. Apparently each bullet shot has been re-recorded and in the comparative DVD provided by Universal, the difference between the version that has been kicking around for years and the Platinum Edition is night and day. With a surround-sound setup, scenes like the shootout in Tony's mansion and any scene in the Babylon club help to draw the viewer into the into the movie like never before. Strangely enough, it's not just the guns that sound better; the extra oomph of today's technology makes the soundtrack sound better.

Visually, the fidelity isn't so much improved over other DVD editions of Scarface, but it's easy on the eyes. (Though you may want to avert your eyes from some of the fashions.)

An extra feature I liked having are two counters that keep track of the number of bullets fired and F-bombs. I actually chuckled at the closing of the film because the bullets fired and F-bombs are pretty much in sync with one another.

The second disc comes with the Platinum Edition that represents the bonus material, which includes interviews with the director, producer, and the two male leads about the behind-the-scenes battle with the MPAA to get the "X" rating lowered, casting decisions, etc. There is also a surface look at the recently released game, which provides some interesting snippets of information regarding it's three-year production. Besides some insight into the filming of Scarface, there's also a quick comparison between the Network TV version and theatrical versions of the film, where Tony is asked if he got his scar by eating "pineapple."

While Scarface is by no means a Christmas movie -- doesn't quite compare to "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story", though it does compare favorably to "Die Hard" which is a Christmas movie -- it's a cinch for the action movie lover in your life this holiday season. But if you're a fan, the remastered audio alone makes Scarface: Platinum Edition worth a purchase.

- Omni

(November 2, 2006)