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‘Scarface’ achieves cult status with Al Pacino in starring role

Pacino received more leading roles after his success as Michael Corleone in The Godfather. One of those roles, Tony Montana in Scarface, would rival The Godfather as his most famous performance. Universal Pictures / Photofest
December 20, 2024

When Scarface premiered in 1983, starring Al Pacino as a Cuban drug trafficker in South Florida, the movie was regarded as a flop. That didn’t surprise Pacino. “The whole film was a blatant indictment of the 1980s, and it went against the status quo — the ‘Just Say No’ campaign of Nancy Reagan and the establishment of the time,” he writes in his new memoir, Sonny Boy. “It certainly didn’t fit into the Hollywood mold either.” In the memoir, Pacino calls the movie a “flop — not commercially, but critically. Artistically. Spiritually.” Pacino’s book begins with his difficult upbringing in New York City, where ...

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They don’t just kill each other

Innocent victims of Mob violence are one of the most underreported aspects of organized crime. This is due in part…

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The Buffalo Mafia’s ill-advised art thefts

“Art Collection Is Looted; Loss Put at $1.3 million,” read a headline in the August 22, 1968, edition of the…

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Artifact Spotlight: Alternative liquor products from Prohibition

When Prohibition started on January 17, 1920, beer brewers, liquor distillers and winemakers were in a predicament. The 18th Amendment…

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‘The Green Felt Jungle,’ published 60 years ago, rattled Las Vegas

When The Green Felt Jungle was published 60 years ago, the book created a stir by detailing Mob influence and…

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Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar killed 30 years ago this month

Warning: This blog contains graphic images that some readers may find disturbing. Thirty years ago this month, the bloody reign…

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Ninety Years Ago Today, Prohibition Ended at 2:32 p.m. Pacific Time

On Tuesday, December 5, 1933, the unprecedented repeal of a constitutional amendment went into effect, officially relegalizing intoxicating liquors in…

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Artifact Spotlight: Frank Gusenberg’s Colt .38 Special Revolver

This Colt Detective .38 Special was the only firearm found at the crime scene of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. This snub-nosed revolver was the go-to sidearm for lawmen and lawbreakers alike.

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