Fresh
"Carlito's Way" is best watched as lively, colorful posturing and as a fine demonstration of this director's bravura visual style.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Carlito's Way
He's got a good future if he can live past next week.
1993 · 2h 24m · R
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Directed by
Brian De Palma
Overview
Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld, who also serves as his lawyer. An encounter with shifty gangster Benny Blanco sets the duo on a dangerous path.
Director and cast
- Brian De Palma Director
- Al Pacino as Carlito Brigante
- Sean Penn as David Kleinfeld
- Penelope Ann Miller as Gail
- John Leguizamo as Benny Blanco
- Ingrid Rogers as Steffie
- Luis Guzmán as Pachanga
- Adrian Pasdar as Frankie Taglialucci
- Viggo Mortensen as Lalin
- James Rebhorn as Norwalk
- Joseph Siravo as Vincent Taglialucci
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
82%
Tomatometer
Fresh
"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.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Rotten
About halfway through, the overwhelming fact that the movie is a complete nothing becomes too much to ignore.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Rotten
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.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Fresh
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.
Time Out
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