As Tony Montana, Al Pacino's character will live on in infamy forever but as of October 3, 2006 he’s been revamped and is now (believe it or not) better than ever. From Universal Studios comes this 2 disk platinum edition of Scarface that’s sure to make any true fan of the movie drool with lust over the re-release of a film that’s proved itself long ago as a cult classic. Between attractive packaging, a whole collection of extras and completely restored digitally enhanced audio, this set is a must own for everybody that’s loved the movie from its original introduction in 1983.

For the few that need a refresher of the story, it’s the tale of a Cuban refugee that comes to America with no money, no education and a prison record like so many of his countrymen at the time. The difference between them and Tony Montana (Al Pacino) is that he knows what he wants in this life and nothing and no-one will stop him. We follow Tony from the camp he’s locked in to his rise in power in the cocaine drug trade in Florida. But like all men in power in corrupt situations like that, all the money, women, and drugs in the world can never make him truly happy. As history has proven there is but only one outcome for men such as this, death. But one thing can be said for sure: before Tony Montana’s inevitable end he definitely makes his mark as a powerful and dangerous man.

There’s a lot of supporting characters in Scarface such as the girl Tony wants and eventually gets, Elvira Hancock played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Tony’s boss Frank Lopez played by Robert Loggia shows a drug boss at the end of his run of power that gets careless and pays with his life. There’s Tony’s best friend Manny Ribera played by Steven Bauer who, although the most loyal person in Tony’s life, finds out that men in power can never truly trust anyone. There’s also Tony’s sister Gina played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio who learns that greed and the lust for someone else’s better life isn’t always better. These characters and quite a few more in the film are only there for one reason and that’s to support the character of Tony Montana. Unlike most films this movie is about only one man and not the relationships he has with the people around him as much as the personal struggles he goes through to become great. Once great, he must figure out what’s enough and what he ultimately wants from his world.

It's funny there’s a running theme in Scarface which is the pan-am airline motto seen near the beginning of the film “the world is yours” but the big question is what do you do with it? Sure, Tony Montana has to struggle quite a bit to get to the top, but what man can be really happy if he has everything? Sure it sounds nice, but you have to have goals in your life or what’s the point in living? The scene when Manny and Elvira and Tony are in the ritzy white restaurant that most can only dream of eating at really is a powerful one. Tony has everything a man can want and he seems to have made all his dreams a reality but you can see in his face that he really has nothing and it is these scenes that screenwriter Oliver Stone brought to life from the paper to make a movie that will always have a place in film history. I’m not forgetting director Brian De Palma either, who nailed these scenes down and brought the characters to life through the actors portraying them.

I could go on forever rambling about the obvious meaning in this film as well as my own opinions but critics have been analyzing Scarface for over 20 years and one thing is a pretty general consensuses: this is a great film. Now as far as the platinum edition goes, Universal Studios took something great and polished it to near perfection. The biggest improvement in this new release is the sound which is evident almost immediately. There were always a couple of scenes that irritated me slightly such as the ones shot in the refugee camp and the chainsaw scene but after hearing it on the new DVD I can honestly say it sounds a thousand times better. Another thing that’s immediately noticeable is the overall look of the film, where it was slightly grainy before seems almost flawless now. As a matter of fact, it’s hard to tell this film was shot in the early 80's. Now as for the look of the packaging for the two disk set, the outer box alone is nice enough to insist you rush out and replace your old copy with this new one, especially considering the suggested retail price for the new set is around 28 dollars you can't really go wrong. The platinum edition is a two disk set and on the second disc you’ll find some great deleted scenes, the world of Tony Montana where experts fill you in on the goings on in the world of drug lords, a making of the video game, and much more. There is one more feature that I think deserves notice and that’s the Scarface Scorecard (which you can turn on to run throughout the film) which gives a running count as to how many bullets are shot in the film as well as how many times the f-word is used.. I know the answer but I'll let you find out for yourself.

Fans of Scarface will love this new release. Sure, you probably already own a previous version, but why not own the definitive collection with lots of extra content, superb visuals and decent sounds? You owe it to yourself to run out and get this release ASAP. Scarface the Platinum Edition is on sale everywhere now and you can learn more by visiting www.scarface-dvd.com . - Dean "willy" Martell.