Scarface Nation: The Ultimate Gangster Movie and How It Changed America is a 2008 book written byKen Tucker and published bySt. Martin's Press about the 1983 American crime filmScarface and its influence on society, film, and the music industry.
Tucker is a former critic forThe Philadelphia Inquirer. He interviewed most of the film's cast and crew, exceptAl Pacino andMichelle Pfeiffer. He observed that they were unaware of the reasons for the popularity and influence of the film. Tucker researched for two years; he read the 1930 novelScarface byArmitage Trail and watched both the1932 and 1983 films numerous times.[1] He also bought a lot ofScarface-related products, such as flip-flops, shower curtains, dartboards, and poker chips.[2] TheScarface pajamas that he bought "kind of freaked out [his] wife".[3]
The book is divided into seven main chapters: Major Immigrant Smuggling Ring, The Director, Scarface Music, Howard Hawk'sScarface, Armitage Trail'sScarface, Movies TV Shows Novels, and A Meaning ofScarface.[4] An appendix titled "Scarface as a business plan (or the 8 Habits of Highly Successful but Tragic Gangsters)" was also included in the book.[2]Martin Scorsese toldSteven Bauer that "Hollywood is going to hate this film, because it's about them". Tucker notes that the film was created by White males, yet it has influenced Black and Hispanic youth the most.[5] By the suggestion ofSidney Lumet, the origin of the main characterTony Montana was changed from an Italian to a Cuban.[2] In his work, Tucker callsScarface an "ultimate gangster film" and "a great shallow masterpiece".[5][2]
Louis Bayard wrote forSalon that Tucker had set a difficult mission for himself, writing about a film that was "not good at all".[6] S. James Snyder wrote forTime magazine that "Tucker bolsters his argument that whatever your opinion on the film,Scarface cannot be dismissed."[5]