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Carlito's Way

Carlito's Way

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WHAT A MAGIC MOVIE !!!
Review: It's one of my favorite movie.Al Pacino is excellent (as usual !) and the script is terrible: you are just scotched to your TV from the begin to the end. Every times i speak about it i just want to see it again and i believe that i will do again this evening.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pacino and Penn give great performances
Review: almost a sequal to scarface..Carlito Brigante is Tony Montana after doing 15 yrs and having a change of heart...I cant beleive there wasnt some thinking on those lines from the actor and director of both movies...Sean Penn nearly steals this movie as David Kleinfeld Carlitos lawyer is more crooked than the crooks he defends..and Luis Guzmán as Pachanga shows why hes one of the best character actors working today...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: One Of The More Decent Films That DePalma Has Made Recently
Review: I am a growing fan of Brian DePalma's old movies(From the 1970s and early 1980s) and first saw this more recent film in a movie theater. "Carlito's Way" is one of the more decent films that DePalma has made in recent times.

In 1975, gangster Carlito Brigante(Al Pacino) is released from prison and tries to lead a straight life. Unfortunately, Carlito continues to find himself sucked into a life of crime.

"Carlito's Way" is a so-so DePalma film. Unlike "Scarface," Al Pacino's previous collaboration with DePalma, "Carlito's Way" is a decent and respectable film. As usual, Pacino gives a powerful performance. Sean Penn gives a surprisingly good performance as Pacino's sleazy attorney. DePalma successfully recreates the look, sound, and feel of the 1970s; "Carlito's Way" almost qualifies as a period piece of this era. "Carlito's Way" is well-meaning and superior to such recent DePalma efforts as "Snake Eyes" and "Mission To Mars." Unfortunately, the film is still easily forgettable. The opening sequence is unconvincing and almost farcical. A chase sequence on a subway train is directly borrowed from DePalma's superior "Dressed To Kill." Some of the music seems out-of-place. Several shoot-out sequences fail to make the movie any more interesting. Some of the dialogue between the characters sounds unrealistic. "Carlito's Way" often seems like a violent television soap opera that has been transferred to the big screen. Even DePalma's cult comedy "Phantom Of The Paradise" is more sincerely heartfelt.

I yearn for the Brian DePalma who made such great films as "Sisters" and "Dressed To Kill." "Carlito's Way" is only for Al Pacino fans and those who feel that they need to see every DePalma film. For DePalma's best crime film, see "The Untouchables."

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: What is so Wonderful about this movie?
Review: This is not that great of a movie. I dont know why people are making such a big deal out of this movie. I saw it, I tryed to understand it, I just thought it wasnt one of Pacino's best....sorry

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Realistic, Gritty Crime Tale
Review: In one of his best performances ever, Al Pacino is the engine that keeps "Carlito's Way" moving from beginning to end. Recently-released from prison, Carlos Brigante (played marvelously by Pacino) is a former Puerto Rican drug lord who ruled New York City's drug world during the 1960's and 1970's. Assisted by his lawyer (Sean Penn) Pacino is determined to stay out of the trade that landed him in prison in the first place. However, as usual trouble always lurks in every corner.

Deciding to buy and operate a Latin nightclub from an owner who is seriously in debt (played by the famous Argentine comedian Jorge Porcel, who had a cult following throughout Latin America due to his sexually-charged comedy skit show "A La Cama Con Porcel; he is know as the Latin-version of "Benny Hill"). Yet as old faces reemerge onto the scene, newer faces have also started to take a foothold in Brigante's former empire, especially Benny Blanco (played by the ever-wonderful John Leguizamo).

Directed by Brian de Palma ("Carrie"), this is one of the most realistic, and historic accurate pictures of life in New York City's urban jungle during the late 1970's/early 1980's. Penelope Ann Miller ("Adventures in Babysitting" is great as Brigante's love interest, and Luis Guzman always is a scene-stealer playing Pacino's right-hand man.

The DVD version contains production notes, cast biographies, and the original theatrical trailer and the sound and picture quality are excellent. Pacino (a Bronx native) masters a perfect Puerto Rican accent in the same way he mastered his Cuban-emigre accent in "Scarface". "Carlito's Way" is guaranteed to keep you entertained due to thrilling performances by the entire cast, amazing cinematography, great directing, and most importantly, incredible realism. Destined to become a modern urban classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ANOTHER WINNER FROM AL PACINO
Review: A DRUG DEALER [AL PACINO, IN ANOTHER EPIC PERFORMANCE], RECENTLY RELEASED FROM PRISON AFTER SERVING 5 YEARS, TRYS TO GO STRAIGHT. BUT, HIS BEST FRIEND AND CROOKED LAWYER [SEAN PENN] GETS HIM INTO SOME SERIOUS TROUBLE AND NOW MUST FIND A WAY TO GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION ALIVE. PLUS, HE ALSO TRYS TO STAY STRAIGHT FOR HIS PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND [PENELOPE ANN MILLER]. THIS VIOLENT GANGSTER MOVIE IS REALLY ENJOYABLE AND IT OFFERS GREAT PERFORMANCES FROM EVERYONE INVOLVED. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT AL PACINO DIDN'T WIN AN OSCAR FOR HIS PERFORMANCE IN THIS MOVIE. I DOUBT SERIOUSLY IF ANY OTHER ACTOR PUT ON A BETTER PERFORMANCE THAN HIM IN 1993. IF YOU LIKE GANGSTER MOVIES, THEN THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF YOUR BEST BETS. THERE'S NEVER A DULL MOMENT IN THIS MOVIE.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent, one of Pacino's best performances
Review: The first collaboration between director Brian De Palma and Al Pacino since Scarface, Carlito's Way boasts one of the best performances to ever be captured from legendary actor Pacino. The storyline can be summed up as a "what if Tony Montana wanted to go straight" kind of deal, and it works exceptionally. When Carlito (Pacino) is released from prison at the beginning of the film, he vows to go straight and forever leave behind his criminal past. He dreams of retiring to the islands with his estranged girlfriend (Penelope Ann Miller), but that's easier said than done as he finds that not many people can leave a life of crime behind alive, and his loyalties may prove to be his undoing. Carlito's Way is one of De Palma's best films, riding on Pacino's shoulders as he gives a knockout performance, while Sean Penn is perfectly cast as his sleaze ball lawyer. All in all, if you've never seen this film, I strongly recommend it, and seeing a modern day acting legend like Pacino give his best is enough reason to see this.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Escape to Paradise
Review: Carlito, played by Al Pacino, has just been released after five years in jail for drug dealing. His shady lawyer friend, Adam-well played by Sean Penn, gets Carlito released early on a technicality. Carlito struggles to change his life, but his old world keeps pulling him back in. His dream is to earn $75,000, move to Paradise (Bermuda), and buy into a car rental company. He comes oh, so close.

Carlito rediscovers his great love, Gail, and they pick up where they left off before he was incarcerated. They try to make a break for Bermuda, but Carlito's life catches up with him.

This is not a typical gangster movie-Carlito has reformed. Al Pacino brings humanity to the gangster. The movie moves at a steady pace. I especially enjoyed the opening and the closing. It is a good choice.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: kool flick
Review: i hear they are remaking carlitos way. big mistake, any remake will only pale in comparison. oh, and btw , "the warriors" remake coming out in 06 will be a joke. when will screenwriters get a little imagination and stop remaking kool movies from yesteryear?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gritty, realistic and authentic. And some fine acting too.
Review: When I rented this DVD I hadn't realized that I had seen it in a theater when it was first released in 1993. I remember that I liked it then. And, guess what? I like it even more now.

Directed by Brian DePalma and adapted from two novels by Edwin Torres, who just happens to be a judge in the New York Supreme Court, the screenwriter, David Keopp, did a wonderful job of bringing this story to the screen. Yes, it's fictional. But it has all the gritty realism of authenticity. And it also has some wonderful actors.

Al Pacino stars as Carlito, a Puerto Rican gangster. When we first meet him, he's just been released from prison because of a technicality. He wants to go straight now. Keep out of trouble. But it seems impossible. He's immediately drawn into to some heavy gunfights when his nephew gets involved in some drug sales. It's bloodshed and murder and a very exciting scene.

Sean Penn is cast as his lawyer. He's a sleazy type. He's flashy, he's obnoxious and he's addicted to cocaine. And Carlito also owes him a favor, a big favor.

Carlito really tries to go straight, and even re-ignites a flame with his old girlfriend. He's working as a manager of a nightclub and saving his money. Supposedly, if he can get together $70,000, he'd be able to move to a Caribbean Island and run a car dealership. That's his dream. And I found myself wishing it would happen.

Naturally there are complications. The mob is involved. And so is the lawyer. And Carlito is drawn into another crime, this one with dire consequences. The ending is inevitable.

The film moved fast, the story was tight and well constructed, and I felt real emotion for Carlito and the hard choices he had to make. The story was set in the 1970s and I loved the soundtrack of all the old music too.

As an added bonus, there was a wonderful special on the DVD about the making of the film. There are interviews with the judge who wrote the novel and he talks about it being based on his own experiences growing up Puerto Rican in New York. We also hear from the screenwriter and the stars themselves. All this really added to my enjoyment of the film.


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