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

When the mob guys stop Carlito at the club and had him sit down to size them up, they joke with him about looking Italian. In actuality Al Pacino (Carlito) is Italian.

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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: Who the fuck are you? I should remember you? What, you think you like me? You ain't like me motherfucker, you a punk. I've been with made people, connected people. Who've you been with? Chain snatching, jive-ass, maricon motherfuckers. Why don't you get out of here and go snatch a purse.

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Connections

Referenced in Fade to Black (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Rock Your Baby"
Written by Harry Wayne Casey (as Harry Casey) & Richard Finch (uncredited)
Performed by Ed Terry

User Reviews

The reason I'm a Pacino fan

If I had to pick the movies that made Pacino my favorite actor, it would be this underrated classic. He is both a man's man and a lady's man. He show humor and bravado. He plays a character who can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Pacino is in top form here, working with good actors, a fine script, and a well told story. His best scenes are with Penelope Ann Miller and Sean Penn (who also shines). He gets your attention from his opening speech, where he's making a statement to the court that sounds like an Academy Awards speech. Very entertaining and humorous. It get even better from there, as he goes through a whole range of emotions, portraying a very interesting character, and making him even more interesting. I loved it!