New aquisition: Wall Street (1987)

 

Scarface (1983)

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

Deliberately sleazy, but engrossing gangster saga (clearly an Oliver Stone script!) with no redeeming character in sight with screechingly over-the-top performances by Pacino and Pfeiffer, a gawdawful 80s soundtrack (which was already dated at the time of its release) and lots of explicit violence.

Halliwell (no star): "Absurdly brutalized remake, with detailed violence and a superabundance of foul language; the film seems to want to make a political statement."

Maltin*1/2: "...but this film wallows in excess and unpleasantness for nearly three hours, and offers no insights except that crime doesn't pay. At least the 1932 movie moved. Even so, this has become a pop-culture phenomenon, with Pacino's Montana an underdog hero!"

Savages (2012)

Pot growers face off against the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend.

Basically a standard crime thriller with a highly contrived plot, but made with expertise and a capable cast; the double entendre ending is superfluous and disappointing.

Maltin**: "Stone encourages  his actors to go way over the top in this long, boring look at mostly scummy characters. Travolta comes off best as a corrupt DEA agent."

Snowden (2016)