Scarface (1983)

5 / 5  May '11
Tagline:  The world is yours...
Directed by:  Brian De Palma
Written by:  Oliver Stone
Actors include:  Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Thriller
Length:  170 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
I've maybe only seen a handful of gangster films, but this one definitely takes the cake.  It's one of the rare occasions that a remake eclipses the original but it most definitely does.  I'm a big fan of [Artist435211]'s work but I'd have to agree that this is his masterpiece.  It's so insanely brutal and violent and it's got such a striking message to go with it.  Scarface ([Artist161806] in the role of his life) is a Cuban immigrant in Miami who gets involved in organized crime.  Before you know it, he's eyeing up the Bosses old lady ([Artist230874]), making deals on his own and getting into loads of trouble.  It really takes you through the rise and eventual domination of Scarface showing us all the gory details and betrayals.  It's brilliantly made, it's absolutely riveting and the details and characters are unforgettable.  Definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen, I'm really kicking myself for not seeing this earlier.

Availability:  On DVD

Raising Cain (1991)

3.5 / 5 May '10

Tagline: De Mented, De Ranged, De Ceptive, De Palma
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Written by: Brian De Palma
Actors include: John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich, Steven Bauer
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Horror, Drama
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
It's not bad, though it's definitely not one of Brian De Palma's best. It features John Lithgow as Carter...and Cain and a few others. His Wife is concerned with the amount of time and attention he's giving to their daughter plus he's constantly monitoring him. When the wife meets up with an old boyfriend and sparks start flying things get rather dangerous. Especially when people warn her that her husband may be into recreating the experiments that his evil Father worked on. Lithgow is very over the top here yet he does a good job and really without him the movie would have very little. This does involve a few killings though we aren't exactly going to see much, it's more about the idea. It's also rather confusing in places as we see his hallucinations and various other things that we think are happening but later find out they aren't so. This leaves a slightly unsatisfying taste in the mouth yet at the same time...it's DePalma seemingly trying to borrow from Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch so of course it's weird. Oh well it could have been worse and at the end it made sense for the most part.

Availability:  On DVD