Carlito's Way (1993)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers (WGA):

Edwin Torres (novels)
David Koepp (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 November 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Violence | Drugs | Puerto Rican | Murder

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win

Cast

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

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

144 min | USA:145 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/16 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | New Zealand:M | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

4th Avenue Subway Station, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Bregman/Baer Productions

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 (1985).

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the start of the film, when Carlito goes with his nephew to drop off some money, one of the dealer's henchman is setting up the pool table. The Triangle is full of balls yet an additional two balls can be seen in the bottom right corner of the screen on the table.

Quotes:

Carlito: Favor gonna kill you faster than a bullet.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bullets Over Hollywood (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Rock The Boat

Great movie..vastly underrated!

Great movie..and I can see why it is underrated...possibly due to obvious comparisons to Scarface (Brian De Palma, Martin Bregman, Al Pacino team), which was much more brutal in its approach.

Al Pacino as Carlito, awesome as he is, is still much softer compared to the sledgehammer Tony Montana. And then there is some romance mixed in with the story of a gangster trying to reform himself.

I didn't like the romantic scenes myself...thought they interrupted the flow of the story...hence I gave it a 9 instead of a 10! There is also some clichéd dialogue. I happen to be a big Pacino fan and so I am being a little bit (though not entirely) biased and am sidelining all these things. If you excuse these small potatoes, this one is a great flick from start to finish, very entertaining, with some fantastic performances from the supporting cast, e.g. Sean Penn. Special mention, also, of Viggo Mortensen who comes in for a short role, but plays the part wonderfully.

As for Al Pacino in lead role, he makes sure he steals the show, as usual. Brilliant!