★★★★
THEY DON’T MAKE ’em like Scarface anymore, but then, they didn’t really make them like Scarface back then, either. The febrile combination of director Brian De Palma, screenwriter Oliver Stone and actor Al Pacino shaped an operatic crime epic unlike any other, and this book by veteran film journalist Glenn Kenny reveals a behind-the-scenes story almost as fraught as Tony Montana’s own history.
After a quick historical and film primer on the history of Prohibition, gangster movies and cocaine use in the US, Kenny profiles the personalities involved, analysing their careers before the film to give context to their decision-making on Scarface. His deep knowledge of film history and long career help, treating the movie seriously even in its less serious moments, as do his friendships with figures who had close ties to the filmmakers at the time, like screenwriter and Hollywood insider Jay Cocks.