Carlito's Way
1993 Directed by Brian De Palma
Synopsis
He's got a good future if he can live past next week.
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.
Cast
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Damn, I forgot how much I loved this film. The first time I saw this years ago, I fell in love with it instantly and saw it many countless times afterwards. I have'nt seen it in so long, I forgot I loved it so much and I was reminded just how much this still manages to blow my mind.
First, I gotta talk about the acting, but this mght take a while...
Al Pacino is fucking incredible. Every emotion he expresses and every movement he makes nails it over the head. Even the narration is amazing. Like his narration, this performance helps you believe that Carlito Brigante is this tired, broken down gangster who wants to find peace in not… -
Wow, dated a little in places but one of Pacino's best performances and typically excellent steadicam work from De Palma. The 2 hours plus never drags, all leading up to a superb climax. I'd always had this in my head that it was a "lesser" work from the period but its easily as good as the best movies of the era.
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I'm glad that this 'Ultimate Gangster' box-set was cheap because I'm not loving what it's giving me so far. 'Carlito's Way' is a mixed bag of a film. On one hand its cliched, predictable and void of all subtlety, but on the other it's well-acted and varyingly entertaining.
The undoubted highlight of 'Carlito's Way' is the acting, with Pacino slightly off his best (still great) and Sean Penn shining in an unusual role. To be honest that is a miracle in itself given the unbelievably shoddy screenplay which they had to work with. To give you an idea of just how little subtlety this film has, in one scene a character will refer to…
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Reformed well-meaning stereotypical ethnic fellow vows to stay away from drugs and violence; except when he's directly involved with drugs and violence. This film is also known as That Other Film That Dudes Who Like Scarface and The Godfather Rarely Mention Because "Scarface, bro!" But Still Love. The studio opted to not go with that title, though, because it doesn't fit so great on posters.
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Despite the thick Puerto Rican accent, it's interesting to see a more understated performance from Pacino for a change (at least in comparison to THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE). Sean Penn is great as Carlito's lawyer who's envious of Carlito's past lifestyle and foolishly believes he can achieve the same. Several intense set pieces sprinkled throughout the movie, with the steadicam panic in the nightclub reminding me a lot of the paranoid coke meltdown in GOODFELLAS, with the best cinematic use of "Lady Marmalade" I've ever heard (sorry, MOULIN ROUGE). Bravura final set piece in Grand Central Station, and is it me or does John Leguizamo seem like a proto-Justin Timberlake in this movie?
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One of the reasons De Palma is so fantastic is because of the way he embodies the myth of the classic auteur, burying his own pet fixations deep within seemingly straightforward movies. But instead of a journeyman plugging along on an endless series of for-hire assignments, he’s (at least during this peak era) a big-budget filmmaker directing the hell out of crazily sensual extravaganzas, layering maximalist fireworks over these obscured strains of subtext. There’s a lot of silly stuff here, from Pacino’s ridiculous accent to Viggo Mortenson’s wheelchair-bound breakdown scene, but it all fits with the peak-disco, coke-addled tone, and it’s worth mentioning that one thing which seems silly actually serves as the key to unlocking an entire hidden set…
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An auteurist homage, De Palma delivers some bravura sequences (e.g. "Rock the Boat") and some silly ones (e.g. final shootout). I never entirely got on this movie's wavelength, but I really liked Pacino.
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I'm glad that this 'Ultimate Gangster' box-set was cheap because I'm not loving what it's giving me so far. 'Carlito's Way' is a mixed bag of a film. On one hand its cliched, predictable and void of all subtlety, but on the other it's well-acted and varyingly entertaining.
The undoubted highlight of 'Carlito's Way' is the acting, with Pacino slightly off his best (still great) and Sean Penn shining in an unusual role. To be honest that is a miracle in itself given the unbelievably shoddy screenplay which they had to work with. To give you an idea of just how little subtlety this film has, in one scene a character will refer to…
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Not quite as good as Scarface, but worthy of as much recognition. Pacino's Puerto Rican accent isn't perfect, but he delivers another excellent performance.
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I have always loved this film and it holds up no matter how many times I see it (which is many). One of my favorite Brian DePalma movies. In fact, as much as I love a lot of his films it might be my personal favorite after Blow Out. And the steadicam shot at Grand Central is just amazing.
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Outstanding, operatic crime drama with vivid characters, memorable set pieces and real pathos. Along with "Heat" it's one of the few great Pacino performances of the 90's, Sean Penn is also outstanding as Carlito's seedy lawyer Kleinfeld. A really high quality film.
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This film is on my all time fav list and the amazing opening and closing shots have stuck with me forever
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There isn't much more relaxing than sitting back and enjoying an Al Pacino gangster flick on a late Thursday night
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Memorizing camera moves. Always moving, long takes, complex angles. In a technical sense its probably one of De Palma's best.
Fine story. Pachino does his thing. Sean Penn is actually pretty good in this, even if he does play a piece of shit. Cant tell if his hair is a wig, if so its great.
This movie has this interesting "last days of old Hollywood studio film making" vibe. Cant really put my finger on it. Could be the terrible soundtrack. (not the disco stuff)
I wonder if Paul Thomas Anderson was inspired by the club stuff in this for BOOGIE NIGHTS.
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What a nail-biter of an ending.