Review: Carlito's Way

Carlito's Way is a de Palma-Pacino dessert to their earlier flick, that Pimp Your House must-have DVD Scarface.  Again, Pacino plays a Latin gangster.  This time, he is the Puerto Rican Carlito Brigante, threading his way through a world that teems with backstabbings, revenge, favors and blackmail.  It's a rich dessert, but not so chock full of gore this time – there are few moments of violence, but mostly, this film is interested in Carlito's attempts to extricate himself from the pitfalls of his earlier life as a famed Harlem drug dealer. 

After being released from prison through the efforts of his Ivy League lawyer (played by Sean Penn with delirious dark humor), Carlito faces the whispers of good angel through his girlfriend, a dashing Penelope Ann Miller, and bad angels from the pull of quick money, old favors and hard-to-leave habit as he tries to walk away. De Palma sets up the film with a gorgeous black and white close-up shot of Pacino.  The rest of the movie's camerawork follows Pacino's grandiose steps in psychological rapport.

There are numerous memorable scenes, but a chase through the NY subways and Grand Central Station should be a gem in any action-lover's collection.  This is one of Pacino's best, if understated, characters, and the screenplay really brings the sights and smells of a colorful sub-culture to screen.

4/5 stars