Summary

• Scarface, starring Al Pacino, is a remake of a 1932 movie based on the 1929 novel by Armitage Trail, but the true story behind Tony Montana is still uncertain.
• Al Capone, the American gangster and boss of the Chicago Outfit, served as the real Scarface and inspired various books, movies, and TV shows.
• The real Tony Montana, an Italian man associated with the Chicago mafia, claims to be the basis for Al Pacino's character but led a different life as a mid-level figure involved in mob-owned establishments.

Scarface is one of Al Pacino’s most memorable movies, but the truth behind the real Tony Montana is still unclear. Brian De Palma's 1983 crime epic Scarface, is a remake of the 1932 movie of the same name directed by Howard Hawks and (loosely) based on the 1929 novel by Armitage Trail. De Palma enlisted Al Pacino as the main character, Tony Montana, a role that defined his career and gave it an even bigger boost, as he was already a respected and well-known actor thanks to his role in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. And after becoming an iconic character, many wondered about the real Tony Montana.

The Scarface remake tells the story of Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee who arrives in Miami in the 1980s and soon gets involved in the drug business, marking the beginning of Montana’s criminal life, which was marked by betrayal and a lot of violence. The popularity of Tony Montana grew with time, becoming not only one of Al Pacino’s most notable characters but also one of the most popular ones in the crime and gangster genre. Montana is only partly based on Tony Camonte, the protagonist of the 1932 movie, however, Camonte was based on one of the most famous gangsters in history.

Scarface Is Loosely Based On Al Capone

Alphonse Gabriel Capone was an American gangster and businessman who became known during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit, an organized crime syndicate, and can be seen as the real Scarface. The Outfit rose to power in the 1920s under Johnny Torrio and Al Capone’s control, during which many bloody gang wars took place for control of the distribution of illegal alcohol – after that, the Outfit got involved in many other criminal activities, such as loansharking, prostitution, and political corruption. Al Capone was involved in organized crime from an early age, and his whole life was defined by his criminal activities.

However, he had a good public image and was even cheered when he appeared at ball games, but his image was damaged when the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre happened, in which seven gang rivals were murdered in broad daylight, prompting citizens to demand government action against Capone and company. Capone was imprisoned in 1931 but released eight years later as he showed signs of neurosyphilis, and died in 1947. His many criminal activities and public image have made him part of pop culture, inspiring various books, movies, and TV shows and serving as the basis for various characters, as are Tony Camonte and Tony Montana.

Of course, the title of the novel and movies was also based on Al Capone, who was once slashed with a knife three times on the left side of his face, with the wounds leading to the nickname “Scarface,” which Capone hated, but inspired the real Scarface. Scarface's Tony Montana is an entirely different character from Tony Camonte, but they both have the most notorious gangster in history as their inspiration.

WHERE TO WATCH: Stream Scarface on Netflix

Tony Montana Isn't The Only Movie Gangster Inspired By Al Capone

While Scarface is not a true story, Al Capone remains the inspiration behind the real Scarface, and he's inspired plenty of other movie gangsters as well. The first Al Capone movie came out in 1959 and bore his name, starring Rod Seiger as the titular character. In 1995 the gangster was revisited in the film Dillinger and Capone, which chronicled both gangsters and starred Martin Sheen and F. Murray Abraham as Jon Dillinger and Al Capone, respectively. In 1967, director Roger Corman decided to recreate the real Al Capone's most famous outing with The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. The film saw Jason Robards in the lead role of Capone, and also starred a younger Jack Nicholson in an uncredited role.

Finally, the 1987 film The Untouchables takes the cake as the most beloved rendition of Capone's story. It follows law enforcement as they assemble a team to take down Al Capone and his criminal dealings during the Prohibition era. The film has a breakout cast, starring the infamous Robert de Niro as Capone, alongside other stars like Kevin Costner and Sean Connery. The man who inspired Scarface has also been the inspiration behind plenty of other films, as Hollywood loves a good gangster movie.

The Real Tony Montana Was Totally Different From Scarface

While the true story of Scarface can be linked back to Al Capone, the real Tony Montana claims he was the basis for Al Pacino's character in the iconic movie. However, looking at the life of real-life Chicago organized crime member Tony Montana, he is clearly much different than the drug kingpin who ruled Miami in Brian De Palma's movie. First, the real Tony Montana is an Italian man who was involved in the Chicago outfit of the mafia. But while he was allegedly associates with the likes of Tony Spliotro, and inspired the true story behind Casino, Montana was a mid-level figure.

Montana was used as a frontman to run a variety of mob-owned establishments like restaurants and clubs. Montana wrote a book entitled The Real Tony Montana with Nathan Nelson in 2014 which details several elements and stories from Montana's life inside the world of organized crime. Within the book, he claims to have never killed or robbed anyone, though he did serve two years in prison from 1986 to 1988 as part of the large-scale sting operation of organized crime in Las Vegas. Montana ed away in 2019.