Carlito's Way (DVD)

Carlito Brigante is the last real cowboy. The long leather coat he wears, and his honourable conduct towards the young upstart Benny Blanco (John Leguizamo) all point towards his lineage on the long dusty trail to the West, together with his Hispanic background. To illustrate this point I will look at the pool room scene - in my opinion the best scene in any movie I have ever seen, but first, a plot summary for those of you who just want a flavour of the film: It is 1975, at the height of the disco era. Carlito (Al Pacino) has just been released after five years on appeal from a thirty year jail sentence after his lawyer David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) discovered ...  Read the complete review

WHAT IS IT ABOUT: Al Pacino stars as Carlito Brigante, a mafia legend who is intent on going straight upon his release from prison. Through family, and ultimately his corrupt lawyer, he ends up being drawn back into organised crime, yet he desperately wants to leave it all behind to be with the love of his life, Gail. WAS IT ANY GOOD: This has to be one of the all-time greats in terms of mafia films. First up, Pacino is perfectly cast as an 'older' gangster. His true age reflects that of his character, and he plays the part with easy brilliance. Unlike The Godfather Part 3, they don't make the mistake of artificial ageing, and Pacino is just right ...  Read the complete review

We're first introduced to Carlito Brigante when the film opens with him taking a slug in the chest at Grand Central Station. As consciousness slips away, he reflects on his life and the events leading up to his shooting. Brigante is a Puerto Rican former drug lord who had his 30 year sentence for drug dealing quashed by the court of appeal thanks to prosecutors using illegal wiretaps and a smart lawyer (Dave Kleinfeld) after serving 5 years. He's determined to go straight once he's free but his old cronies and the streets he grew up in are calling him back. He finds the world's changed since his incarceration, all his old buddies are either dead or locked up ...  Read the complete review

Carlito's Way is Brian De Palma's 1993 gangster epic starring Al Pacino as Carlito Brigante, and Sean Penn as Lawyer David Kleinfeld. The plot is based around ex-con Carlito and his attempts to reform his life after getting out of jail early, a character who is almost like a reformed Tony Montana from Scarface without the temper, while struggling with the way the world has changed during his years in jail. One of the early scenes involves Carlito and his lawyer Kleinfeld in court, with Carlito being released after 5 years due to a piece of evidence that had to be discounted. Pacino immediately sets the tone for his performance with a great speech ...  Read the complete review

Given a doom-laden feel by the fact that Carlito (Al Pacino) is narrating the whole film while he is dying from a bullet wound, this is one of Brian De Palma's very best films. It's a classic crook-growing-straight tale, culled from novels written by Edwin Torres, a former judge. Escaping jail on a technicality in the mid-70s, former gangster Carlito Brigante returns to the barrio to piece his life together, find the girl he once loved (Penelope Ann Miller), and escape crime forever. But nothing works out - some people (Luis Guzman, John Leguiziamo) expect him to return to crime, and his lawyer (Sean Penn) can't stay out of trouble. Eventually, his ...  Read the complete review