Scarface

Giorgio Moroder's synth-driven score pulses through every scene of Brian De Palma's gangster classic, capturing the glamour and vice of 80s Miami in equal measure.

Set in the early 80’s, small time Cuban criminal Tony Montana (a ferocious Al Pacino) is promised an American green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official. He quickly rises up the ranks of the drug cartel in Miami, creating an empire sustained by cocaine and wholesale murder. However increasing pressure from police, rival drug cartels, a mounting drug habit and an intense obsession with his sister (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) begins to see his fragile world implode.

Curator’s note
A remake of the 1932 crime classic, director Brian De Palma and writer Oliver Stone updated the film from prohibition era Chicago to Miami in the 80s during its massive Cuban refugee migration. Upping the violence, the cocaine fuelled epic became a cultural touchstone, referenced extensively in comic books, video games, television and especially in hip-hop culture. At the heart of that cultural impact is Giorgio Moroder's score. Its moody synth-wave textures and propulsive pop and disco tracks don't just accompany the film — they define it, capturing the essence of 80s Miami glamour and vice in a way that feels inseparable from De Palma's vision.