Al Pacino plays Antonio "Tony" Montana as the main character. The film is a loose remake of the 1932 Howard Hawks gangster film of the same title. It tells the story of a fictional Cuban refugee who comes to Florida in 1980 as a result of the Mariel Boatlift. Tony becomes a gangster against the backdrop of the 1980's cocaine boom. The film chronicles his rise to the top of Miami's criminal underworld and subsequent downfall in Greek tragedy fashion.