Carlito's Way (1993)

A Puerto Rican former convict, 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 N.Y.C.

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
Sean Penn	...	Kleinfeld
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Gail
John Leguizamo	...	Benny Blanco
Ingrid Rogers	...	Steffie
Luis Guzmán	...	Pachanga (as Luis Guzman)
James Rebhorn	...	Norwalk
Joseph Siravo	...	Vinnie Taglialucci
Viggo Mortensen	...	Lalin
Richard Foronjy	...	Pete Amadesso
Jorge Porcel	...	Saso (Ron)
Frank Minucci	...	Tony Taglialucci
Adrian Pasdar	...	Frankie
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 | violence | puerto rican | drugs | gunfight | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

PA

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

12 November 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Carlito's Way

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-American.

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Goofs

In the final shootout scene, Carlito shoots one gangster on the escalator and you see the bullets hit and the blood spurt out. In the immediate next scene the gangster is going down the escalator without a mark on his shirt but blood smeared on the back of the escalator.

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Quotes

Gail: Yeah, I had a dream Charlie. But now I'm awake, and I hate my dream.

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Connections

Followed by Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)

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Soundtracks

Lakmé
(duet "Dôme épais le jasmin")
Composed by Léo Delibes (as Leo DeLibes)
Performed by Joan Sutherland, Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo,
Jane Berbié (uncredited)
Conducted by Richard Bonynge (uncredited)

User Reviews

Carlito's Way -- The Master of its Genre

Al Pacino, Sean Penn, and Penelope Ann Miller create an artistic and romantic twist to the gangster genre in Carlito's way, story of a convicted gangster by the name of Carlito Brigante, known to his ex-lover as Charlie, who manages to get his way out of jail thanks to crooked drug-addicted lawyer David Kleinfield. After his release, he's convinced himself that he's never going back to his life of crime, but before he knows it, he's inevitably being pulled back thanks to his corrupt friends and family.

While Scareface centered around the action and grittiness of the gangster life more then anything else, Carlito's Way tends to lean to the romantic side, giving the film an artsy twist. For example, in one scene there is a close up shot of a revolver, the chamber slowly moving to an empty slot. There is another famous scene with Carlito inside of a dark bathroom, his back against a wall with a pistol in hand. The way the camera is placed, the way Carlito is standing, and the way the lighting reflects off of the wall and his leather jacket are all taken in to account by De Palma. To make a long story short, Carlito's Way is very beautiful, and this is all thanks to De Palma. He directs the movie very well, you can tell that he put some true dedication in to this film.

Needless to say, the acting is incredible, no matter what you might be hearing. Al Pacino is as always great, and Penelope Ann Miller is as well. But most of the time you'll find yourself deeper inside Sean Penn's character then Pacino's or anyone else's. He's steals nearly every scene he's in, if not then he steals all of them. He's almost too convincing.

The scores are very, very strong and add on to the artistic feel to the movie. Not only do they add on to that, but it adds to the tension, the romance, and the tears as well.

To sum it all up, Carlito's Way is the best gangster film ever made. I love it more and more every time I think about it.

*****/*****

Riveting.