Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)

In the late 1960s, Carlito Brigante (Hernandez) emerges as the heroin czar of Harlem.

Director:

Michael Bregman (as Michael Scott Bregman)

Writers:

Michael Bregman (screenplay), Edwin Torres (novel)

Stars:

Jay Hernandez, Mario Van Peebles, Luis Guzmán

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jay Hernandez	...	Carlito Brigante
Mario Van Peebles	...	Earl
Luis Guzmán	...	Nacho Reyes
Sean Combs	...	Hollywood Nicky
Michael Kelly	...	Rocco
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Little Jeff
Jaclyn DeSantis	...	Leticia
Burt Young	...	Artie Bottolota Sr.
Mtume Gant	...	Reggie
Domenick Lombardozzi	...	Artie Bottolota, Jr.
Juan Carlos Hernández	...	Sigfredo
Eric Nieves	...	Chucho
Jaime Tirelli	...	Leticia's Father
Nelson Vasquez	...	Manny Sanchez
Casper Martinez	...	Colorado

Storyline

In the 60's, the Puerto Rican Carlito Brigante, the Afro-American Earl and the Italian Rocco become best friends while in prison. When they are released, Rocco intermediates a heroin business with a family of the Italian Mafia leaded by Artie Badalato Sr. Carlito negotiates with the lord Leroy "Hollywood Nicky" Barnes the area where the trio could operate in his neighborhood and sooner the three friends become powerful. Later, Carlito dates and has an affair with the beautiful Leticia. When Earl decides to move to Barbados with his girlfriend and leave the heroin business, his stupid younger brother causes a situation with the Italian mobsters, and Carlito and Rocco have to resolve the mess to save their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

heroin | puerto rican | mafia | prison | street shootout | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

18A

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 2005 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Carlito's Way: Ascenso al Poder

Filming Locations:

Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gravesend Pictures, Rogue Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Luis Guzmán, who plays Nacho, also played Pachanga in Carlito's Way.

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Goofs

Since the move is set in the mid- to late-60s, Malcolm X Boulevard would not have existed and would only be known as Lenox Avenue. Lenox Avenue was subtitled Malcolm X Boulevard in 1987.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Carlito Brigante: Sooner or later, a thug will tell his tale. We all want to go on record. So let's hear it for all the hoods. The Jews out of Brownsville, the blacks on Lennox Avenue, the Italians from Mulberry Street, the Irish in Hell's Kitchen. Like that. Meanwhile, Puerto Rican's been getting jammed since the fortys, and ain't nobody said nothing. Well, I'm gonna lay it on you one time, for the record. My people. They hit New York and filed into the roach stables in Spanish Harlem and the South...
[...]

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Connections

Follows Carlito's Way (1993)

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Soundtracks

Funky Funky Way Of Makin' Love
Written by John Ellison
Published by Dandelion Music Co. (BMI)
Performed by Soul Brothers Six
Courtesy of Jamie Record Co.

User Reviews

Pointless and not just as a prequel.

It's probably a fact I'm one of the few persons who prefers "Carlito's Way" over the other Brian De Palma directed crime epic "Scarface". In other words; I absolutely love the original "Carlito's Way" and I'm sad to say that this prequel is nowhere in the same league as the first and original movie!

Not just story, character or actor wise but more quality wise! This is a very simplistic, low budget production, that never even was played in cinemas. And rightfully so. This movie has no right to appear in any cinema and it even has absolutely no right to exist in the first place.

It's not like I completely hated this movie but it's simply being such a pointless on to watch. It has almost nothing to do with "Carlito's Way" at all and totally has a different tone and style to it. But also when you look at this movie as just a crime/thriller, it's being a terribly lacking one, that poorly got put together by both its cast and crew.

The cast is most obviously lacking. It consists just out of a bunch of guys, trying to act tough, which does not work out all, simply because they aren't very good actors. They are all terribly unconvincing in their roles, which also really takes away a lot of the tension for the movie and it's being hard to feel involved with anyone or anything in it.

It's not even being a very good 'origins' movie. So supposedly this movie is to show you how Carlito rose to power and gained control over the New York drugs world. But the movie doesn't show you how he slowly rises and gained more and more power and respect but it just simply shows how stuff just happens to him. He doesn't ever come across as a cunning and tough drug-lord, who isn't afraid to steal or kill.

They tried hard though. I mean, there is a scene in which out of nowhere Carlito suddenly shoots and kills a couple of guys. It really came out of the blue, which might sound like a positive thing, ala Michael Corleone in "The Godfather" but it really doesn't fit the character, the moment and just the overall style and story of the movie. It doesn't make sense for him to kill and he never does anything outrageous like that again, later on in this movie, which lets the scene feel all the more out of place and out of character for him. For the rest of the movie he actually comes across as a very nice guy, which probably is being another good indication how miscast Jay Hernandez is in his role. Throughout his career he has always played friendly guys, so why even consider him casting in a tough gangster role, that first got immortalized by Al Pacino, in 1993.

The movie also absolutely tells you nothing about the background or youth of Carlito. In that regard, this movie feels all the more pointless as a prequel. It doesn't tells you anything new, at least nothing interesting and you are obviously way better off watching the original "Carlito's Way" instead and forget about this movie.

But it's not just simply the casting or characters themselves that make this movie a poor and disappointing one. It also really could had used a more tight script, that offered some good moments and surprises and some better storytelling as well. This movie really doesn't get pleasantly told, which makes you feel glad when the movie is finally over.

Bad as a genre flick and even worse as a prequel to "Carlito's Way"!

4/10

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