90
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Los Angeles TimesMark Chalon SmithLos Angeles TimesMark Chalon SmithScarface is one of best of the early gangster movies; its wit and building velocity speeds it past Little Caesar and keeps pace with Public Enemy.
- 100TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineOne of Hawks's undisputed masterpieces, and a landmark in the screen depiction of gangsters.
- 100Time OutTime OutIts seminal importance in the early gangster movie cycle outweighed only by its still exhilarating brilliance, this Howard Hughes production was the one unflawed classic the tycoon was involved with.
- 100Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonGangster classic. [21 Jan 2005, p.C6]
- 90The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyScarface is by far the most visually inventive and tonally anarchic movie that Hawks made. Among other things, it’s a tribute to the freedom that independent producers afforded directors then—and still do today.
- 88Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrA dark, brutal, exhilaratingly violent film, blending comedy and horror in a manner that suggests Chico Marx let loose with a live machine gun.
- 88Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrHere's the third classic you'd better know if you're going to know anything about American gangster movies. This one is powered by Paul Muni's thinly disguised and daringly simian take on Al Capone. [01 Nov 1991, p.35]
- 80The Observer (UK)The Observer (UK)Some of the humour is dated, but mostly it's astonishingly modern, full of unforgettable images. Muni is stunning and George Raft, who, like Sinatra, enjoyed the company of mobsters, gives an iconic performance: his cool, coin-tossing habit is referred to both in Singin' in the Rain and Some Like it Hot. [09 Apr 2006, p.18]
- It is a stirring picture, efficiently directed and capably acted, but as was once said of The Covered Wagon, that it was all very well if you liked wagons, so this is an excellent diversion for those who like to take an afternoon or an evening off to study the activities of cowardly thugs.