Hollywood’s been out of new ideas for God knows how long now, and the fact that a Scarface remake is going forward really proves it. Although it’s over thirty years old now, it still holds up just fine, and doesn’t need no stinkin’ remake.
There is indeed a remake in the works that will take place in L.A., and as Al Pacino told the Hollywood Reporter, “Oh, it’s fine. It’s part of what we do. We remake things.” And the 1983 Scarface is so good, many people have forgotten it’s a remake of the 1932 classic directed by Howard Hawks.
Nobody needs Al Pacino’s permission to remake Scarface, but it’s nice to see that somebody’s asking his opinion of a redo, and that he’s diplomatic enough not to bash it. Tony Montana is his favorite role, even more than Michael Corleone, and again, we can’t figure out the reasoning why, except to try and make more money. The ’83 version made a hell of a statement that still holds up, what more can a remake really say or add to it?
Then again, a lot of people who loved the original hated the remake, much like another Howard Hawks classic that purists felt was desecrated, The Thing. Scarface also has such a loyal fan base, why risk alienating it? Then again, they made a video game of The Godfather, and it didn’t wreck the legacy of Part I and II at all, so whatever anyone does to Scarface, it should continue to stand strong as well.
