"You do whatever you have to do to survive" (Carlito's Way (DVD))

Member Name: gfunkhero

Product:	Carlito's Way (DVD)
Date:	04/07/03 (158 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cast, Great Story , Pacino

Disadvantages: Very few if any negatives

This is as good a ganster film as you're gonna to get. This is as good a thriller as you're gonna get. From start to finish this is a brilliant film. Pacino is in top form as Carlito Brigante, a Puerto Rican ex-drug lord, just out of Riker's Isle, who vows to go straight. He takes up a job offered to him by his lawyer, David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn), the man responsible for getting him out of jail, as a club owner. Carlito meets up with his old flame Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) and together they plan to move up out of New York and relocate to the Bahamas. However, trouble seems to follow Carlito like an obedient lap dog and the DA uses all their power to try and pin him down. The trouble really starts for Carlito when Kleinfeld gets him involved in a spat he is having with an italian mob boss. Things go tragically wrong and Carlito finds himself once again on the run.

Brian De Palma once again delivers a scorcher of a film, linking up with Pacino again following the highly successful "Scarface". Pacino plays a similar role to the one of Tony Montana in "Scarface", however Carlito is much more likeable character. While "Scarface" was tough and grizzly, "Carlito's Way" is vibrant, energetic and emotionaly moving. From the opening scene, which shows Carlito being whisked away to an emergency room following a shooting, you can't help but get drawn into the movie. The film is brilliantly shot with lots of colour giving it a distinctive hispanic vibe. De Palma keeps the film moving at breakneck speed and the watcher can't help but devote their entire attention to the movie.

The cast is very strong with Pacino at his charismatic best. Sean Penn is excellent as the slimy lawyer, and Luis Guzman and Viggo Mortensen also put in good performances as hispanic gangsters. The script is also excellent.

As a thriller I have never seen a more intense and exciting film. I would t
horoughly recommend this film to anybody.

Summary: