Carlito's Way (1993)

A Puerto-Rican ex-con, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of NYC.

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Edwin Torres (novels), David Koepp (screenplay)

Stars:

Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Carlito 'Charlie' Brigante
Sean Penn	...	David Kleinfeld
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Gail
John Leguizamo	...	Benny Blanco
Ingrid Rogers	...	Steffie
Luis Guzmán	...	Pachanga (as Luis Guzman)
James Rebhorn	...	Dist. Atty. Norwalk
Joseph Siravo	...	Vincent 'Vinnie' Taglialucci
Viggo Mortensen	...	Lalin
Richard Foronjy	...	Pete Amadesso
Jorge Porcel	...	Saso (Ron)
Frank Minucci	...	Tony Taglialucci
Adrian Pasdar	...	Frankie Taglialucci
John Ortiz	...	Guajiro (as John Augstin Ortiz)
Ángel Salazar	...	Walberto

Storyline

A Puerto Rican ex-con pledges to stay away from his former drug dealing ways but finds himself being dragged back by his past connections and the naive machinations of his lawyer and best friend. Hoping to raise enough money to get away from New York, Carlito Brigante takes on the job of running a nightclub, renews an affair with a dancer but old associates and old instincts suck him back into a world of violence and mistrust.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | drugs | puerto rican | violence | dancer | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, drug content, sexuality and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

10 November 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Atrapado por su pasado

Filming Locations:

Dock Lane, Kings Point, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,112,190 (UK) (14 January 1994)

Gross:

£2,122,432 (UK) (4 February 1994)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Epic Productions, Bregman/Baer Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carlito's Way is adapted from the novel "After Hours" by 'Edwin Torres'. However, it took the title from Torres' first novel about the rise of crime boss Carlos Brigante so that it would not be confused with Martin Scorsese's New York club-based comedy-drama, After Hours.

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Goofs

Near the end of the film when Carlito is getting his money from the lockbox under the bar, he opens it to see 2 stacks of $100 bills. The face pictured on the bills is not Benjamin Franklin, but Ulysses S. Grant, who should be on the $50 bill.

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Quotes

Carlito: [to Gail] There I am, sitting in jail, wondering where you are, what you're doing, who you're with.

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Connections

References The Godfather (1972)

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Soundtracks

"TSOP - The Sounds of Philadelphia"
Written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
Performed by Mfsb (as MFSB) featuring The Three Degrees

User Reviews

Mind blowing story

What can I say about such a movie? Simply brilliant. I make a point of watching this movie each year and every time I watch it I simply fall in love with it even more. The direction is brilliant as is Pacino's superb on-time acting. Al deserves an Oscar for this flick. As human beings, we love story telling. It's in out nature, and this story is excellent. As mentioned before in a previous review, Carlito's way is Scarface with feeling. Simply involving. I would dare say it does leave you on the edge of your chair with great anticipation, probably due to Pacino's on screen presence and experienced acting mannerisms. Penn, once again is brilliant and shines through as the high-classed, cocaine addicted Kleinfeld. If you have not seen this movie, do yourself a favour. Rent it out, dim the lights, snuggle up tight with your loved one and enjoy one of the greatest movies of all time. 9 out of 10.