Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005) (V)

Director:

Michael Bregman

Writers (WGA):

Michael Bregman (screenplay)
Edwin Torres (novel)

Release Date:

1 December 2005 (Iceland)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Heroin | Mafia | Prison | Prequel | Corrupt Cop

Cast

Jay Hernandez	...	Carlito Brigante
Mario Van Peebles	...	Earl
Luis Guzmán	...	Nacho Reyes
Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs	...	Hollywood Nicky (as Sean Combs)
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

Also Known As:

Carlito's Way 2: Rise to Power (USA) (working title)
Carlito's Way: The Beginning (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence, sexual content and drug material.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Iceland:16 | Brazil:16 | Norway:15 (TV rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Rogue Pictures

Trivia:

The movie is based on one of Edwin Torres' book series on the criminal life of Carlito Brigante. This is based after the first book in the series "Carlito's Way". Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way (1993) took the first books title because at the time it was decided that they would not take the title of the second book "After Hours" to avoid confusion with the Martin Scorsese -directed movie of the same name (After Hours (1985)).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: 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.

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...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Follows Carlito's Way (1993)

Hey, it could have been worse

I haven't read the book nor watched the original Carlito's Way... all I know about the latter is who stars and who directs that one, and I know even less than that about the novels. Perhaps that's why this didn't come off as being as awful as people seem to feel it was... no basis for comparison. The story isn't poor, and it's decently enough told. The plot develops throughout, with some surprises. The acting varies. The lead could be better. Combs, eh, I don't know. Young isn't bad, but hey, is he ever? The pacing is fine. The music is fair. Editing could be better, but it's not terrible. Effects and such do reveal a budget, one that wasn't the biggest, but it's not as obvious as it could be. There is hardly any action, and it's certainly not worth watching this for. There could be more tension, where such is attempted built. Language is... loose, and there's violence, sexuality and drug use as well... this is hardly a film for children. The voice-overs leave a lot to be desired. All in all, you could find movies that deliver considerably less. Be aware that this is more of a gangster feature than an action flick. I recommend this to people who enjoy cinema(or, in this case, direct-to-video releases) regarding the environment. 5/10