A gangster crime thriller with a huge Hollywood legend in what some say is his “finest ever role” is airing on Film 4 tonight.

Scarface, starring Al Pacino, tells the story of the Cuban immigrant, Tony Montana, who arrives in Miami as a refugee and becomes a powerful drug lord. Also starring Michelle Pfeiffer, the neo-noir follows Tony’s journey, first working for a big time drug dealer to taking over the firm and his harrowing downfall.

Released in 1983, the film was nominated for three Golden Globes, including Best Actor for Pacino. While he was already a successful star in his own right, Scarface is credited with helping launch Michelle Pfeiffer’s career. It is regularly lauded as one of the greatest films ever made with Entertainment Weekly ranking it as number 8 on its Top 50 Cult Films list. Empire also rated it as one of the top 500 best films ever made, while Total Film placed it at number nine in the top 30 gangster films ever made.

Chillingly the film also inspired former Iraq president Saddam Hussein. The company the dictator set up to launder money was called Montana Management and was named after Tony’s money laundering business in Scarface.

Scarface is now widely considered a cult classic and is praised by critics and fans alike. It was a solid 79 percent critics rating on movie review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, while fans have rated it at 93 percent.

One critic said: “Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone created a pop culture sensation with the longest of tails, one of the first examples of a film largely reviled by critics that built an enduring legacy.” While another added: “Working from Oliver Stone’s script, De Palma shapes a chilling, unpleasant but perversely entertaining portrait of the cocaine business. To his credit, its 2 hours and 45 minutes fly by like so many bullets.”

And a third wrote: “De Palma directs it as a blood-drenched thug opera, a mix of the graceful and the garish with Pacinos guttural thug-in-a-suit spitting out dialogue like broken glass in a harsh Cuban accent.”

Fans were even more forthcoming with their praise. One wrote: “The Horror movie of mob movies. Scarface isn’t just a gangster movie — it’s a full-throttle descent into crime-fueled madness. Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone push the excess to almost operatic extremes: relentless, often grotesque violence, non-stop drug use, and a script that veers between dark humor and terrifying intensity.”

Another said: “Best movie by Pacino! Drama and some facts are brilliant!” While a third added: “All around amazing movie with a really good soundtrack! The main character, played by Al Pacino, delivers one of the most powerful and unforgettable performances in film history. Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone else doing the role even half as well.”

Scarface is on Film 4 at 12.15am on December 27.

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