Whats the Big Deal About Scarface?

This year the highly glorified gangster movie Scarface was re-released for the second time in two years and I honestly don't know why that is. I don't understand what the fuss over this movie or the character comes from nor do I understand why it is influencing our already drug driven inner cities. Do the inner city youth and young American even know the history of this character? Scarface was a racist murderer who brought, sold and distributed cocaine and this movie has a generation itching to follow in his footsteps. With the re-release of Scarface in 2004 there was frenzy about purchasing the digitally re-mastered film but I was a lot less enthusiastic than my peers. A friend asked if I was going to purchase the movie and my response was "who is Scarface?" His reply was, "How are you into rap and you don't know who Scarface is?" His facial expression was that of amazement and disbelief and it was enough for me to go out and purchase the movie to see what the big deal was about. First how about a little history?

In 1932 Paul Muni starred in a film loosely based on the real-life mobster Al Capone, the film was titled Scarface, which is Al Capone's nickname. Fifty-one years later in 1983 director Brian dePalma casted a Italian actor who was on the come up to play a Cuban immigrant who murdered his was to the top of Miami's cocaine underworld, the name of the film was Scarface. In 1983 the release was modest and received less than steller reviews. Now, twenty-three years later Scarface has a video game, clothing and footwear line and even cell phone ring tones. Personally I have a hard time trying to figure out what the big deal is.