📌 In This Deep Dive
In Netflix’s 72 Hours, Kevin Hart’s character Joe Nixon unleashes his alter ego Ricardo Montana, a drug-fueled Scarface parody born from a chaotic interpretation of Al Pacino’s Tony Montana. Beyond the hilarious 1983 film reference, this fictitious drug lord bridges generational pop culture with iconic crime cinema history. In reality, all that absurd cartel swagger hides a deeper reflection on midlife anxiety, fading youth, and the quiet fear of growing older.
Let’s be honest, modern comedies sometimes hide absolute gems that deserve a closer look. It’s happened to us a few times recently, like cracking up watching Sacha Baron Cohen play local warlord Pavio Curto mocking the leads in Balls Up, or that piano scene in Ladies First where a cover of Ginuwine’s “Pony” gives the song a whole new meaning. There’s always something to pick up on, even in a simple, unpretentious comedy, and that’s exactly what happens in 72 Hours, the new Netflix movie starring Kevin Hart.
Without a doubt, the funniest parts of the movie happen when Hart takes drugs (not entirely voluntarily, either) and suddenly transforms into someone else: Ricardo Montana. It’s a reference that a lot of younger viewers probably won’t catch, mostly because it highlights the age gap between Joe Nixon, the 40-something main character, and the younger crowd watching him slip into this alter ego, wondering where on earth he’s pulling this persona from.
By the end of the film, it’s the drug lord played by Andy Garcia who finally asks it outright: “Who the f–k is Ricardo Montana?” So, it’s time to give that question a definitive answer.
Ricardo Montana: Kevin Hart’s Scarface caricature
In fact, Kevin Hart’s character lays it out on day one of his wild bachelor party adventure: he doesn’t do cocaine. The last time it happened, he was watching Scarface, Brian De Palma’s movie with Al Pacino’s iconic performance as the Cuban drug lord taking over Miami, and… well, things got weird. A strange persona surfaced, something completely foreign to him, basically his own way of tapping into the spirit of that film, complete with all the arrogant swagger of Pacino’s character, convinced he could rule the world no matter what.
When we first hear that explanation, we don’t fully get what he means. But then, on the yacht, the completely average Joe Nixon is forced to take two heavy snorts of the exact drug he wanted nothing to do with, and there he is: Ricardo Montana, the unhinged (and completely made-up) drug lord of 72 Hours.
In Kevin Hart’s unhinged mind, Ricardo Montana is the even crazier rival to Tony Montana, the protagonist of Scarface. The movie came out over forty years ago, so it’s totally understandable that Joe Nixon’s younger crew didn’t catch the reference. But for anyone who considers themselves a movie buff, Scarface went down in history as the most brash, brazen portrait of a modern drug kingpin.
Brian De Palma’s film, released in 1983, was actually a remake of an old classic, Howard Hawks’ 1932 Scarface. But where the original was about an Italian-American thug inspired by Al Capone, the ’80s version updated the story to fit the far more infamous cocaine trade of 1980s Florida. And of course, Antonio “Tony” Montana was a Cuban immigrant who came to America to rise through the criminal underworld and take over everything.
Al Pacino’s performance became legendary for that pure, raw arrogance: a boundless ambition that ultimately became his death sentence for reaching too far. What Kevin Hart does with Ricardo Montana is basically invent a parallel figure to rival Al Pacino’s swagger. He takes the iconic last name, pairs it with a generic Spanish first name, and that’s it, a new drug lord is born
The meta gangster casting of 72 Hours
With Ricardo Montana, 72 Hours slips a high-concept movie reference into a comedy that was already firing on all cylinders. The casting alone hinted that the film was leaning heavily into iconic crime-cinema figures across two different generations. Jaze, the mob boss targeting Joe Nixon, is played by Michael Mando, famous for playing Nacho in the Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul universe, while his father, the older generation’s boss, is played by Andy Garcia, the very man who represented the final generation of Corleones in The Godfather Part III.
And just like that, 72 Hours turns into a crowd-pleaser for every age bracket while sending a quiet message to older viewers who feel time slipping away as youth fades: getting older isn’t something to fear, and before it’s too late, you need to go to the person you love and tell them outright that you want to spend the rest of your life with them. Basically, it’s a way of telling Kevin Hart: forget Ricardo Montana, forget your last 72 hours, and go run after the woman you love.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, Ricardo Montana is a completely fictional character created for Netflix’s 72 Hours. He is the chaotic alter-ego adopted by Kevin Hart’s character, Joe Nixon, whenever he tries to play the role of an intimidating drug lord during a Miami weekend.
Ricardo Montana is a direct parody of Al Pacino’s iconic character Tony Montana from Brian De Palma’s 1983 crime classic Scarface. The character spoofs Pacino’s exaggerated accent, explosive outbursts, and classic 1980s Miami cartel tropes.
Kevin Hart plays Ricardo Montana. The persona is an alter-ego adopted by his character, Joe Nixon, an aging ad executive desperately trying to impress a group of Gen Zers and save his career.
