There are few actors more recognizable and respected in Hollywood than Al Pacino, who has been a staple of the big screen since the 1970s. Pacino first became a star in 1972 with the release of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, a crime epic that is now widely regarded as one of the best movies of all time. Pacino would reprise his role as Michael Corleone for the acclaimed The Godfather Part II (1974) and a 1990 threequel, but he also branched beyond this franchise, playing memorable characters in a range of films.
In 1975, for example, Pacino starred in Dog Day Afternoon, and the following decades would see him star in projects like Dick Tracy (1990), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Heat (1995), and Once Upon A Time... in Hollywood (2019). One of Pacino's most iconic roles, however, came in 1983 in the form of a collaboration with director Brian De Palma, with the pair ultimately making what is now considered a crime thriller cult classic.
Scarface Earns A Dismal Accuracy Grade From Gun Expert
Al Pacino's Major Shootout Features Some Notable Errors
A firearms expert analyzes Scarface features Pacino starring as Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who works his way up to become the most powerful drug lord in Miami. The film, which was written by Oliver Stone, was only a modest success at the box office in the '80s and critics' reviews were mixed to negative, but it has since become a cult classic, due in no small part to the iconic ending shootout.
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In a recent video for Insider, firearms expert and former special operations soldier Patrick McNamara analyzes Scarface's climactic shootout, revealing that the entire sequence is severely lacking in realism. Despite featuring exaggerated muzzle flashes, an incorrect portrayal of a grenade launcher, and a general lack of gun skill, McNamara its that he still very much enjoys the scene. Check out his analysis and score for the movie out of 10 below:
That wasn't real but I liked it nonetheless. He launches around into the door and he's only about seven meters away. The arming distance I believe for M203 is like 20 meters, so it wouldn't have detonated when it hit the door, it just would have sheared right through that door.
The rate of fire at which Tony Montana’s rifle was firing was pretty pretty accurate. I mean the muzzle flash though, that was extreme. So what muzzle flash refers to is the amount of light that is coming off that that muzzle when the round leaves the muzzle of the weapon itself. You don't want muzzle flash because it could give away your position.
I appreciate that he's not a commando in this. He looks like he a drug dealer shooting a gun. Firing it from the hips spraying and praying. You know when I talk about spraying and praying all I'm saying is you're just you're just squeezing the trigger, you’re oriented at the target somewhere but you're not aiming. It's indiscriminate fire. You're praying that those rounds hit, that all this indiscriminate fire hits what you're potentially aiming at. There's no way that I would teach people to spray and pray ever.
He’s got his mags duct taped together jungle style. Some guys will have two magazines and they'll put something to create a gap in between them so they could drop one when it's empty and switch it and the other the full one goes into the mag well […]
I would rate this clip a one [out of 10], not necessarily based on the gun handling. The volume of rounds from a particular weapon system, the inability to understand what the arming distance is on the M203, so for mechanic sake you know I just thought it was not good.
Our Take On Scarface's Lack Of Realism
How Much Does It Actually Matter?
Even though Scarface's big shootout might not be realistic, it's clear that McNamara still recognizes the entertainment value of the scene. Plus, as he explains, it makes sense that Tony isn't handling the gun like a soldier, as he lacks any formal training. Despite its lack of accuracy, Scarface's ending action sequence remains one of the reasons why the film now enjoys the reputation that it does, and Pacino's "Say hello to my little friend" line is now one of the most iconic and quotable lines in movie history.
Though reviews for Scarface may not have been glowing at the time, the late famed movie critic Roger Ebert awarded the film a perfect score of four stars.
Scarface's critical reception has varied over the years, but it currently enjoys a 79% critics' score and 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Clearly, this is a film that is now appealing to viewers, and its over-the-top violence is certainly one reason for its newfound success. Scarface might not be accurate, but it's certainly entertaining, and that's why it is now widely regarded as a cult classic.
Source: Insider
Brian De Palma's iconic crime drama is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same name and follows Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who begins a life of crime after arriving in Miami. It chronicles his rise from a penniless thug to one of the richest and most ruthless kingpins in the world, amassing a criminal empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Writers
- Oliver Stone, Howard Hawks, Ben Hecht
- Main Genre
- Crime
- Budget
- $25 million
- Studio(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
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