Although many viewers tend to see streaming services as a way to easily watch whatever they want, there are plenty of cons. For example, with every great movie added to a streaming service, it seems as though another favorite is removed just as quickly. Now it’s been revealed that Netflix will be removing a fan-favorite Al Pacino film as soon as early next month on November 1.
Which film, do you ask? It’s none other than the classic Brian De Palma film Scarface.
The 1983 crime film has gradually grown into one of the most popular gangster films in pop culture. Interestingly enough, it’s actually a remake of a 1932 film of the same name from director Howard Hawks. But the 1983 remake quickly overtook it and became a widely known classic. This is, of course, mostly thanks to Al Pacino’s terrific performance as one Tony Montana.
As such, it’s a shame to see the Al Pacino epic removed from Netflix. It’s certainly been an easy way for fans to view the 1980’s classic. But, with so many streaming services around, it seems as though titles are constantly shifting to new homes. So, for those who don’t own the film physically, they’ll have to prepare to see where Scarface pops up next.
It’s worth noting that Scarface is actually one of several remakes produced by Universal in the early 1980’s. For example, John Carpenter’s The Thing was another remake of a classic Howard Hawks picture. In addition, Universal released a remake of the 1942 film Cat People. Unfortunately, all three films were initially met with negative reviews at the times of their releases. Scarface and The Thing quickly overcame this, however, but Cat People has remained a more obscure film over the decades.
So, while Scarface is no longer available to stream on Netflix, one can hope it pops up somewhere else soon. Similarly, it’d be great for The Thing and Cat People to start circulating on streaming services again as well. More audiences deserve to discover and enjoy these classics.