Originally conceived as a two-part TV pilot, The Scarface Mob is a gritty and thrilling dramatization of Eliot Ness’s account of his hunt for ruthless gangster Al Capone in Chicago during the prohibition. The film would go on to spawn The Untouchables, one of the most widely celebrated TV crime dramas of all time. Chicago, 1929. Al Capone’s ruthless gang of thugs are dealing in bootleg booze in blatant defiance of Prohibition laws, and paying off corrupt cops and crooked politicians to stay out of their way. That is, until Federal Investigator Eliot Ness is tasked with bringing down Capone’s criminal empire. To aid him in this task, he assembles a crack team of men he is sure will be incorruptible, to identify and sabotage the Capone gang’s distilleries. But when Capone, Scarface himself, gets wind that his operation is under threat, he decides to take matters into his own hands. Tautly directed by film noir veteran Phil Karlson (The Phenix City Story) and featuring memorable performances by Robert Stack (Written on the Wind) as the righteous Eliot Ness and Neville Brand (Riot in Cell Block 11) as the unhinged Al Capone, The Scarface Mob is a tense crime drama waiting to be rediscovered.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/TWWb5imBhfk?si=y29xnAlG33Yh2WIJ&t=2252]

Video Quality

The Scarface Mob comes to Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio derived from a new HD master provided by Paramount. The Paramount deal that Arrow struck has yielded some dream titles getting proper releases for the first time, but the quality has not always been flawless due to Paramount handling some of the titles themselves rather than allowing Arrow to work their normal magic. Given the scarcity of the title in this form previously, we are thrilled to have access to it in such high quality, but there are some obvious source limitations to contend with.

The natural film grain appears to be intact with nothing egregiously smoothed over and robbed of its natural provenance. Detail and clarity are strong with nice texture in the costumes and fixtures of the production design. The film features a lovely black-and-white palette with a considerate handle on the contrast. Black levels present with a nice depth with consistent stability throughout, and highlights hold firm with no blooming at play. Where the transfer is somewhat underwhelming is in some of the dirt and damage, including vertical lines that plague certain stretches. We are used to this from other labels, but it is more of a rare occurrence from Arrow. At least there does not appear to be any annoying digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such nuisances. Arrow Video has done its best with what Paramount has provided to them.

Audio Quality

The film has been given an LPCM 2.0 dual mono presentation which, like the video, experiences some unexpected variance in quality. Dialogue comes through clearly most of the time, yet there are some exchanges and lines that seem to be from a weaker patch of the source that sounds muffled. For the most part, the track presents the vocals in harmony with the various environmental sounds with decent clarity. When the Wilbur Hatch score emerges, the track stays in pretty good shape with only some swings in quality that complement the weaker segments. Arrow Video has provided as strong of a track as the source will allow. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.

Special Features

The first pressing of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of The Scarface Mob includes a 43-page booklet featuring the essays “Birth of The Untouchables: The Scarface Mob” by film historian Barry Forshaw and “The Untouchables | The Scarface Mob Liner Notes” by Dan Lynch and Kelly Lynch. These provide a great history and analysis of the film, performers, behind-the-scenes details, and more in a thoughtfully written style. The case includes six postcard-sized reproduction art cards and a double-sided poster. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Gang Busters: A 23-minute video essay from film critic David Cairns that explores the career of filmmaker Phil Karlson from his early collaborations with silent stars to his transition into directing with various studios, plus his relationship with Desilu and beyond. This is a pretty great piece that gives great context to the creative.

Philip Kemp on The Scarface Mob: A 19-minute piece from film critic Philip Kemp who discusses the historical events that make up the Eliot Ness book, how it has been adapted for the silver screen, how the versions differ from one another, what Robert Stack brings to the main role, and much more.

Theatrical Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided here.

Image Galleries: This disc provides image galleries for Posters and Stills, Lobby Cards, and Publicity Photos.

Final Thoughts

The Scarface Mob is a pretty strong dramatization of this notorious slice of history, even if you can tell this was originally intended for television. The narrative is very straightforward, but the way it is told keeps you engaged throughout. This goes double for the performances from the towering figures on both sides of the law. Some key sequences here build tension like no other, and you will be glad it was stitched together like it was. Arrow Video has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fine A/V presentation and a welcome collection of supplements. This is a fine addition to any collection. Recommended

The Scarface Mob will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on April 30, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.