DJ J-Wealth

In Scarface, when Tony is first offered the job to pick up cocaine, when he hears he’ll be dealing with Colombians, a look of contempt flashes across his face. Later, when Manny presses him on it, Tony says, “I don’t like Colombians,” but never explains why. Here, Oliver Stone is tapping into a very real prejudice many Cuban criminals held towards Colombians in Miami at that time. Before the late 1970s, the cocaine pipeline into South Florida was largely controlled by Cuban criminal networks. But that all changed with the rise of Pablo Escobar and the Colombian Medellín Cartel. Colombian traffickers began pushing out the Cubans, which led to all‑out warfare in the streets of Miami and an unprecedented rise in homicides. The Colombians operated with a level of barbarism far beyond anything the Cubans were used to. They had a reputation for double‑crossing outsiders, especially Cubans. They were willing to kill civilians, wipe out entire families of rivals. There were even reports in the press of victims being dismembered with chainsaws – which was incorporated into the film. That moment when Tony hears he’ll be doing the pickup with “Colombians”, that look of distrust and contempt is one of recognition. He’s aware of their reputation, and it’s why he’s so vigilante and suspicious when he goes into the deal.