‘Scarface’ 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Edition (The Film Vault)

At the tail end of last year, we announced that Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery were bringing four key titles back to Blu-ray stands in a highly desirable collector’s presentation. The four titles released were Sam Mendes’ WWI epic 1917, Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster classic Goodfellas, Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner, and Al Pacino-starring, Brian De Palma-directed Scarface, which we were sent a copy of to check out.

Frequent visitors to the site will know how high I hold Scarface in my ‘top movies of all time’ list. Titles in my top ten come and go but along with perhaps The Godfather, Scarface remains towards the top of that chart. I won’t go too much into the plot or review the film itself here but, for those not acquainted with one of Pacino’s finest couple of hours, here’s a quick recap.

Pacino leads the cast as Cuban immigrant Tony Montana who, after arriving in the US through Miam in the early 1980si, establishes himself as a bit of a bad-ass and quickly rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld to become a drug-dealing kingpin, extremely ruthless and horrifically homicidal. Iconic, and almost timeless, save for the big hair and Georgio Moroder soundtrack, Scarface still is one of the best and most influential gangster movies ever made. It has influenced everything from the hip-hop world to video games, and remains one of director Brian De Palma and writer Oliver Stone’s most memorable works.

So, absolutely a collector’s edition is warranted, even if has graced the 4K format previously. The new edition, priced at around £49 at the time of writing, comes in a solid, crystal display plaque (individually numbered) that almost certainly dominate any collector’s Blu-ray shelf. Inside, there is a branded envelope containing large format art cards featuring film stills and behind-the-scenes imagery, as well as both a 4K and normal Blu-ray (HD) copy of the film. There is also an A3 poster, a copy of Tony Montana’s Green Card, and some special features, including the Scarface 35th Anniversary Reunion feature, as well as featurettes, The Scarface Phenomenon, The World of Tony Montana, The Rebirth, The Acting, and The Creating, as well as some deleted scenes.

It’s quite a hefty price at just under £50, but this is the kind of release that will almost certainly not be bought to be played, but instead kept on a shelf to mature in collectability – much like the growing Steelbook market. Universal and Warner Brothers have tried a different approach with this, feeling the market with the four releases, two from each studio and only time will tell if this is a success or not.

If you’re after the movie specifically, then it might be worth seeking out the still-available standard 4K version, but for Pacino/ Scarface completists, this is an absolute must as the presentation is absolutely stunning.