Scarface has had a massive influence on pop culture since its release, turning up in video games, films, music, books and street culture. Regardless of whether the influence has been all good or bad, the film was powerful and one which impacted the lives of many people back then and continues to do so to this day.
The most influential film of the 80’s is being released on Blu-ray on September 5th and we are holding a competition for you to get your hands on a trio of cult gangster films ahead of its release! Enter the competition HERE.
New generations of young adults will sit down to watch this classic, saying: “My sister/uncle/dad told me it was the biggest film of the 20th century” whilst they snigger about how old it is. However, like me, when watching the film for the first time you realise how timeless it is, even how AHEAD of its time it is. The film has no doubt become a cultural icon, particularly in Hip Hop.
To celebrate the new release of the 1983 film, we look back at all of the Scarface references that have appeared in pop culture over the past few decades.
1. DISNEY took inspiration from the notorious film as we saw in the Lion King. The character Scar has a scar identical to Tony Montana’s.
2. SOUTH PARK saw Eric Cartman’s boss being influenced by Tony in the episode ‘Medicinal Fried Chicken’ when he used the famous line “Don’t ever try to f*ck me, Eric.”
3. BLINK 182 got their name from the number of times Al Pacino said the ‘F’ word in Scarface. Seriously.
4. MEET THE FOCKERS was even influenced by the 80’s hit. The American blockbuster saw baby LJ accidently turn on the TV to see a shooting scene in Scarface.
5. GRAND THEFT AUTO III features the Scarface soundtrack which isn’t surprising as they emulated the whole gang culture that Scarface represented. The songs are heard on the car radio.
6. SNOOP DOGG reportedly used to watch Scarface every month: “I think any brother watching it can identify with what the main man is going through.”
7. THE SIMPSONS had several Scarface influences in the episode ‘Lisa’s Rival’.
8. DEMOLITION MAN movie saw Simon Phoenix tells John Spartan to ‘Say hello to my little friend!’ Say no more.
9. LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS Bacon says: “I’ve watched Scarface… If you want to know how to do a drug deal, watch Scarface”.
10. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS ‘Battle for Bikini Bottom’ video game sees SpongeBob saying “Say hello to my little bubble friend” – clearly parodying the famous line from Scarface.
11. THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR sees Will imitate Tony Montana in episode ‘Day Damn One’.
12. 50 CENT is clearly a fan of Scarface when he quotes Tony’s famous line in song ‘My Buddy’, rapping “say hello to my little friends”.
13. FILM DRAGONS FOREVER’S opening scene is almost identical to the scene in Scarface where Tony Montana takes revenge on Frank Lopez after he attempts to have him assassinated.
14. REM‘s track ‘The Someone Like You’ references the classic film, saying: “And with the fury lock of Sharon Stone Casino, Scarface Al Pacino”.
15. RADICAL ENTERTAINMENT developed a video game as tribute to the timeless classic called ‘Scarface: The World is Yours’. It is based on the concept that Tony survived the raid on his mansion at the end of the film, and he now needs to rebuild the criminal empire he lost.
16. CRASH OF THE TITANS computer game parodies Tony Montana’s mansion in Scarface.
17. DESIGNER Anthony Franco’s ‘Fall and Winter 2011’ menswear and womenswear collection that starred in LA fashion week was heavily inspired by the swagger and notoriety of the Scarface wardrobe.
18. IN ENTOURAGE Vince refers the movie he wants to do next, ‘Medellin’ as ‘his Scarface’ in the episode ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’.
19. LEGEND NOTORIOUS B.I.G’s says the famous lyrics “Never get high on your own supply” in his track ’10 Crack Commandments’ – some advice that Tony Montana famously ignored in the film.
20. MARIAH CAREY’S song ‘Heartbreaker’ featuring Jay-Z pays homage to the famous bathtub scene in Scarface. We see Jay-Z in a circular bath tub smoking a cigar while a blonde Mariah Carey is sitting in front of the mirror in the background.
