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Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo ... see more see more... , Ingrid Rogers , Viggo Mortensen , James Rebhorn , Joseph Siravo , Richard Foronjy , Jorge Porcel , Adrian Pasdar , Rick Aviles , Garry Blackwood , John Michael Bolger , Christopher Bregman , James Bulleit , Gene Canfield , Anthony Catanese , Joe Conzo , Caesar Cordova , Richard Council , Tony Cucci , John Finn , Mel Gorham , Owen Hollander , Al Israel , Sharmagne Leland-St. John , Paul Mazursky , Michael P. Moran , Vincent Pastore , Rene Rivera , Angel Salazar , Jaime Sánchez , Elliott Santiago , Jon Seda , Rocco Sisto , Tera Tabrizi , Brian Tarantina , Jaime Tirelli , Nelson Vasquez , Frank Ferrara , Orlando Urdaneta , Bonnie Timmermann , Steven Puente , Chuck Zito , Luke Toma , Bo Dietl , Michael Hadge , Vincent Jerosa , John Hoyt , John Ortiz , Frank Minucci , Marc Anthony

Carlito's Way is a tale of a former hood trying to escape his former life. Al Pacino is Carlito Brigante, a high-level Puerto Rican drug dealer sprung from a three-decade jail sentence after only five... read more read more... years, thanks to a technicality and his sleazy, cocaine-addled lawyer, Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn). Carlito renounces his previous ways and takes a job as the manager of a club that Kleinfeld has invested in, planning to save enough money so that he can eventually move to the Caribbean. But no sooner is Carlito back on the streets of New York than his old life claws at him in the form of both old partners (Luis Guzman) and vicious up-and-comers (John Leguizamo). Nevertheless, Carlito stays clean and even restarts his relationship with a dancer named Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), until he is finally led astray by Kleinfeld, who manipulates Carlito into participating in the murder of a Mafia don from whom Kleinfeld has stolen a million dollars. At that point, the race is on to see whether Carlito and Gail can escape his world for good. The film is based on two novels about Carlito written by New York State judge Edwin Torres. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

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88% liked it

114,099 ratings

Critics

78% liked it

40 critics

R, 2 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Brian DePalma

Release Date: January 1, 1993

Keywords: gangster, crime

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DVD Release Date: May 26, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (5,298)

  • blkbomb
    January 29, 2012
    blkbomb
    Carlito: I don't invite this shit, it just comes to me. I run, it runs after me. Gotta be somewhere to hide. 

    "He wanted out. He'd do anything to get there."

    On one hand I love Carlito's Way for the performances from Pacino and Penn, for De Palma's signature touch of violence, ... read moreand for how the story progresses on the back of its characters. Still, I can't help feeling like this isn't as good as it should be. It's good, but far from being an amazing film. With the talent in front of and behind the camera, I just always expect more. But still as it is, it is still a pretty fantastic piece of the Crime Drama genre. It doesn't reach the point of De Palma and Pacino's Scarface, but it is better than 90% of the other movies that try to do a story like this.

    Carlito has just been released from prison where he was serving a thirty year sentence. Instead, he is released after just five because his lawyer, Kleinfeld was able to get him off on a technicality. Carlito expresses right from the out set that he wants to be done with the gangster scene. All he wants to do is make some money so that he can move down to the Bahama's with his girlfriend Gail. Things don't go that perfectly though as his friends are constantly bringing him back into the gangster scene. The film is very character driven, but as the plot progresses, it leads to an extremely suspenseful final twenty minutes. De Palma just knows how to shoot amazing scenes on stairs in train stations. The one here resembles the one in The Untouchables to a high degree. 

    The movie is weakest when the narration is going on. The dialogue for it doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the movie. It just feels very awkward and even silly. Whenever I hear the voice over come on, I just wish that it wasn't in the film, or at least cut down a little.

    Carlito's Way does have some amazing scenes as you would expect from De Palma. I already mentioned the scene in the train station. But the best scene in the movie is the first time we see Carlito pulled down into crime. He goes on a drug pickup with his cousin. The pickup doesn't go very well and a lot of shooting ensues. It all is capped off by one of the coolest little speeches ever.

    While this isn't a masterpiece, it is still a worthwhile film for sure. De Palma has made better movies than this, but it still shows a lot of what makes him great. It is hard to watch this and not compare it to Scarface, but you should probably try your hardest not to.

    Carlito: I'm reloaded! Okay? Come on in here, you motherfuckers! Come on, I'm waitin' for ya! What, you ain't comin' in? Okay, I'm comin' out! Oh, you up against me now, motherfuckers! I'm gonna blow your fuckin' brains out! You think you're big time? You gonna fuckin' die big time! You ready? HERE COMES THE PAIN! 
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    July 3, 2011
    LoughnerWasLucid
    Luiz Guil-whatever-his-name-is-Pugface-lookin samoan... its like everything Pacino says he just repeats it: "yo Benny you gots ta pay me!!!" "yeah,Benny u gots ta pay him!"
  • moonrivers
    May 26, 2011
    moonrivers
    DePalma delivers a work w/o the overexaggerated Hitchcockian tricks of yore and the result is taut, edge-of-your-seat film-making. Pacino is restrained, powerful, while Penn's arc into paranoid coke frenzy plays vividly true. A worthy addition in anyone's gangster film collection.
  • crunchbunch
    February 20, 2011
    crunchbunch
    Carlitos Way is yet another top notch Al Pacino gangster film in which we see legendary 'Carlito Brigante' try to cut his ties with the underworld and make it on his own, straight.

    The storyline is solid and well paced, the characters are well developed and with Al Pacino on boa... read morerd its hard to go wrong. Sean Penn as the bent lawyer Kleinfeld is excellent and its really his actions that make you sit up and get involved with this film.

    Similar to the Godfather Part III, Carlito thinks he's finally free and can go follow his dream of renting cars to tourists in some far away paradise. However, just like Michael Corleone, just when he thinks hes out, they pull him right back!

    The lengthy cat and mouse end sequence is attention grabbing and keeps you guessing until the very end. Yes this is Al Pacino. Yes this is another gangster film. And Yes, we are all still watching and for good reason!

    "Favor gonna kill you faster than a bullet. "
  • puffchunk
    February 15, 2011
    puffchunk
    Pretty decent gangster movie. Viggo Mortensen is in a wheelchair and complains about pooping his pants everyday. You can't pass up cinematic gold like that. Pacino does an excellent job as always playing the same character.
  • theylovealexis
    January 9, 2011
    theylovealexis
    Not as good as Scarface.. but, really, is any drug&gun movie as good as that one?!
    I really wanted Carlito to get out and have an honest life, the ending could have been different. But it was really good and thrilling.. well done mob/thug/crime drama, with a great cast.
  • gokhale1
    November 21, 2010
    gokhale1
    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 stars as Carlito Brigante, an ex-gangster, who with the help of his lawyer a... read morend friend David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) beats his 30 years prison sentence and gets out in 5 years. Carlito has made up his mind to go clean and never to go in the coke business he used to be involved in. He plans to make enough money in order to start a car rental business. In order to do so, he partners up with a man called Saso and starts running his local disco.

    Things seem to be in place, but certain elements seem to be working against him and his plans. Carlito soon discovers that once you are in, you are in, and it is one hell of a task to get out of it!

    The plot somewhat reminded me of "The Godfather Part III".
    It could almost also qualify as a sequel to "Scarface", had Montana been alive and decided to go clean!

    Only 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. Carlito looks up his old girlfriend Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) who now works as a dancer in a nightclub and attempts to win her back.

    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, well-directed by Brian De Palma and with some fantastic performances from the supporting cast.

    Sean Penn is superb as the coke snorting lawyer David Kleinfeld. This is definitely one of his best, yet less known performances.

    John Leguizamo makes a very memorable appearance as Benny Blanco from the Bronx, a wannabe gangster who initially thinks very highly of Carlito.

    Luis Guzman does pretty well as Pachanga who assists Carlito in running the club.

    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!
  • garyX
    November 11, 2010
    garyX
    A Puerto Rican drug dealer is released from prison with the full intention of going straight, but circumstances make it increasingly difficult. Carlito's Way feels like the other side of the coin to De Palma's earlier collaboration with Pacino, Scarface. In this film the protagon... read moreist is an essentially good man doing his best to stay out of trouble, something made impossible by crooked, jewfro-ed best friend Sean Penn. As is always the case with De Palma, subtlety is thrown straight out of the window and his comic strip direction means it's hardly the height of sophistication. It is however always entertaining thanks to enjoyable turns from the double act of Pacino and Penn and the lurid environment of 70s New York makes a colourful backdrop to the slapstick violence. On the downside, Penelope Ann Miller is kind of a plank and De Palma should realise that giving away the ending at the beginning of the film only works when there are clever twists and turns during the journey. Otherwise all you're doing is, well, giving away the ending. Not exactly The Godfather, but it's a lot better than the over-rated Scarface.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    October 23, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    What I liked about it most was the angle. And the camera angles. But those are two different things. While this wanting to get out while getting sucked back in, is a mildly used plot line, though a whole film dedicated to it, it interesting. And I am really not a big Sean Penn gi... read morerl, but he was okay in this. Didn't like the character, but you weren't supposed to...
    It was nice and well done, but I don't need to watch it again.
  • clintervin
    October 6, 2010
    clintervin
    This is DePalma's Godfather and one of my favorites by him. Its a cult classic and great vehicle for several big stars who give memorable performances. Pacino has never been better, even in DePalma's Scarface, Penelope Ann Miller was better than expected, and John Lezigamo shone ... read morebrilliantly in the first serious starring role. Sean Penn, however, steals the show as the brutally sleazy lawyer; tremendous acting. This is a tale of redemption,revenge,and new beginnings as well as a typical opera by the director. The New York locations heighten the realism; I believed I was in the thick of the action. Urban crime dramas don't get much better than this.

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Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

"Carlito's Way" is best watched as lively, colorful posturing and as a fine demonstration of this director's bravura visual style. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"Carlito's Way," like "Scarface," is first and last a character study, a portrait of a man who wants to be better than he is. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

About halfway through, the overwhelming fact that the movie is a complete nothing becomes too much to ignore. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Pacino has his moments but for the most part he's surprisingly underwhelming. He's a great actor but even I can do a better Puerto Rican accent. Full Review

January 1, 1993
Entertainment Weekly

A competent and solidly unsurprising urban-underworld thriller: De Palma's imitation of a middle-drawer Sidney Lumet movie. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
September 23, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

A lengthy cat-and-mouse chase scene at the film's climax practically surpasses Hitchcock and even gives Scorsese's GoodFellas a run for its money. Full Review

Zach Campbell
September 9, 2006
Zach Campbell, Slant Magazine

As with so many De Palma films, Carlito's Way soon manifests as an essay on its own forms. Full Review

June 24, 2006
Time Out

Pacino looks every inch a movie star, and De Palma provides a timely reminder of just how impoverished the Hollywood lexicon has become since the glory days of the '70s. Full Review

Scott Weinberg
October 5, 2005
Scott Weinberg, DVD Clinic

A great story told by a master filmmaker; sterling actors playing some truly fascinating characters; and a bunch of cinematic set-pieces that are worthy of repeat viewings. Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
September 21, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

Stronger in its suspense and action elements than in its dramatic moments.

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Facts

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    • David Kleinfeld: Loyalty to your friends is going to get you killed one day.
    • David Kleinfeld: Fuck you and your self-righteous code of the goddamn streets. Did it pull you out of a 30 year stint in only 5 years? No, it didn't, I did. Did it get you acquitted 4 fucking times? No, it didn't, I did, so fuck you, fuck the streets, your whole goddamn world is this big, and there's only one rule, you save your own ass.
    • Gail: [crying] That's the last time I wipe up your blood!
    • Carlito Brigante: You think you're big time? You gonna fuckin' die big time.
    • Benny Blanco: Hey, remember me, Benny Blanco from the Bronx?
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Carlito's Way Trivia

  • Tagline: "Once youre in,there's no way out"  Answer »
  • Sean Penn and Al Pacino play best friends in which film?  Answer »
  • Who directed "Phantom of Paradise", "Dressed to Kill", "The Untouchables", "The Black Dahlia", "Casualties of War", "Carlito's Way" and "Mission: Impossible"?  Answer »
  • Who directed Carlito's Way ?  Answer »
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