--- title: "Scarface: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/scarface-1932/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/scarface-1932" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Scarface (1932): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 9 reviews: 7 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics regard Scarface as a major early gangster film whose force survives its historical importance. Praise centres on Hawks’s inventive direction: the opening tracking shot, expressive shadows, visual contrasts and rapid montage give the violence pace and character. The reviews also find considerable wit beneath the brutality, with several praising the dark humour, lively script and cast, while its depiction of gangster style is repeatedly credited with helping establish the genre’s conventions. The spread is broadly favourable rather than unanimous, with seven positive assessments, two mixed and none negative. Reservations concern the film’s moralising and the handling of its cruelty: the Los Angeles Times notes the unusual combination of brutality and preachiness, while Variety finds it unusually cruel, though softened by moralising and punishment. Variety also singles out George Raft’s restrained, coin-tossing performance as a source of sympathy within that harsher assessment. ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 5/5. Turner calls it the greatest gangster film of the 1930s, and even the greatest ever. He praises its gritty realism, while noting that Hollywood’s moral watchdog interfered with the production and ending. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-88xt0v/scarface/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2021. Brody regards the film as a landmark of cinematic modernity, praising its audacity and lasting power. He especially singles out Hawks’s inventive direction, from the opening tracking shot to the striking visual contrasts throughout. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/scarface-startles-anew-on-the-criterion-channel) ## Time Out — PT Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The review presents the film as both historically seminal and still exhilarating. It singles out its brilliance as a landmark of early gangster cinema. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/scarface) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 March 2007. Newman regards the film as a true classic of the gangster genre. He praises its atmospheric, darkly comic tone and sizzling script and cast. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scarface-2-review/) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic finds the film remarkably fresh and influential despite its age. They single out its vivid depiction of gangster style and the conventions it helped establish. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/scarface-1932-version-7434135.html) ## Los Angeles Times — MARK CHALON SMITH Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 1991. Smith considers the film one of the best early gangster movies, praising its wit and building velocity. He singles out its consistently interesting visual style while noting its unusual mix of brutality and preachiness. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-05-03-ca-931-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith Rating 4/5. 17 November 2024. Smith praises the film’s enduring swaggering power and its balance of social commentary with offbeat humor. He singles out Hawks’s rapid-fire montage and expressive shadows as especially potent. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/scarface-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-howard-hawks/) ## The New York Times — Mordaunt Hall Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 1932. The article is identifiable as a review, but its text is inaccessible here. I cannot verify the critic’s verdict or what the review singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1932/05/20/archives/paul-muni-as-scarface-tony-in-a-story-of-chicagos-murderous-beer.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1932. The review finds the film unusually cruel, though its moralizing and punishment of sinners soften the impact. It singles out George Raft’s restrained, coin-tossing performance for sympathy. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1931/film/reviews/scarface-1200410563/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/scarface-1932.md