Review of Carlito`s Way

Introduction

Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) had been a very naughty boy indeed - 5 years inside for gangster and drug-related activities and a list of felonies as long as the preverbal arm. Now, freed from jail on a minor technicality, he sets out with the intention of making a fresh start, away from his previous life of gangland violence. Accepting a subsequent job offer from his best friend and successful lawyer David Kleinfield (played with gusto by Sean Penn), Carlito turns from gangster to night-club manager in a section of New York’s Spanish Harlem. Here he attempts to earn enough to fund his move to Phoenix, where he has plans to run a small car-washing business (and at the same time, start his life anew) with his ex-stripper sweetheart.

Of course, many still remember the Carlito of old and have outstanding debts to settle. Others have plans to be the ‘new’ Carlito and have no desire to see the old one back in circulation, cramping their style. In the end, Carlito is tested by a situation that Kleinfield involves him in, and he soon realises that there are few true friendships and very few people in the world he can trust.

Video

Visually I was quite impressed with the quality of this non-anamorphic 2.35 transfer. Image colours are well saturated and accurately presented and the typically dark, smoky night-club environment is nicely transferred.

Audio

DD5.1 surround is used to good effect with good quality vocal presentation and some effective surround effects. The accompanying music soundtrack is very 70’s in style and matches the mood of the movie very well. It certainly brings the night-club scenes to life.

Features

Very disappointing. I would have loved to have heard Pacino’s and De Plama’s commentary for this movie, but I’m afraid that this disk lacks even the most basic of commentary tracks. All we have are the usual mix of production notes, some cast and crew biographies, the original trailer and some movie highlights. Compared to what we had with some of De Palma’s other releases on DVD (especially “Scarface”) this is dreadfully lacking.

Conclusion

Few would argue that Pacino is the ultimate Hollywood hoodlum. The way he looks; dressed in a black leather coat with his chiselled, rugged features, he naturally commands our attention. Every role he enters into is made so much more real by his sheer on-screen persona and presence. His acting talent is extremely flexible, but here, however, Pacino’s role is a bit too similar to that in “Scarface” and at times, I found it difficult to see him as detached from that role. There was something a little too ‘samey’ about it all. Maybe it’s the fact that this is another partnership between Pacino and Brian De Palma, and they have perhaps got too familiar with each other’s talents over the years. I was left with the feeling that I had seen a lot of this before, even going back as far as his classic “Godfather” character Michael Corleone.

De Palma has been quoted as saying that Carlito’s Way is “a big romantic gangster picture” and in some respects this is true. Not as dark as some of his other projects, this movie smacks more of a standard Hollywood thriller. And I’m afraid this is where it falls over. Loosing steam a bit by the middle of the movie, it is largely left to Pacino to carry it through to its conclusion. We are falsely lead to believe that something really exciting is going to happen (largely due to De Palma’s skilful use of camera techniques and movements) and this ultimately disappoints.

For try as it may, Carlito’s Way is largely uninspiring and unfulfilling. Which is a shame.