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Carlito's Way
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Carlito's Way (1993) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 41 | slideshow) Videos (see all 6)
Carlito's Way (1993) -- A Puerto-Rican ex-con, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of NYC.
Carlito's Way (1993) -- Charlie tries to escape through Grand Central Station.
Carlito's Way (1993) -- Tony Taglialucci demands that his lawyer Kleinfeld bust him out of prison.
Carlito's Way (1993) -- Charlie discovers that Lalin is wearing a wire.
Carlito's Way (1993) -- Gail teases Charlie through her chained door.

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   44,289 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 51% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Brian De Palma
Writers (WGA):
Edwin Torres (novels)
David Koepp (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Carlito's Way on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 November 1993 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Plot:
A Puerto-Rican ex-con, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of NYC. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win more
NewsDesk:
(13 articles)
Gamer - Trailer
 (From LateFilmFull. 18 May 2009, 10:50 AM, PDT)

Actress Miller Welcomes Second Daughter
 (From WENN. 7 April 2009, 9:15 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
As good as it gets, a must for any fan of Scarface (1983). more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence, drug content, sexuality and language.
Runtime:
144 min | USA:145 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Al Pacino had difficulty with his scenes with Jorge Porcel, who played Saso, the club owner. The actor, who was primarily a television comedian, spoke no English and learned his lines phonetically. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: Carlito gets off a #1 or #9 Broadway/Seventh Ave local train at 42nd Street/Times Square. He runs to a doorway marked "Grand Central Station". After arriving at Times Square, he would have to take a 42nd street subway shuttle train to 42nd Street/Lexington Ave before he could run into Grand Central Station. more
Quotes:
Carlito: You a gangster now. You can't learn it at school... you can't have a late start. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Fade to Black (2004) more
Soundtrack:
(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty more

FAQ

Why Did Saso Steal Carlito's $70,000 Dollars Out of The Safe?
more
61 out of 77 people found the following comment useful:-
As good as it gets, a must for any fan of Scarface (1983)., 8 February 2001
9/10
Author: John Paul Young (jpy@johnpaulyoung.com) from Toronto, CANADA

Carlito's Way (1993), is a brilliant cinematic work. Pacino's performance as Carlito Berganzi displays the duplicity and subsequent torment between his reformed spirit, and the endless seduction of the street, embodied more specifically as his reputation,legacy,those who know him, of him, and those whom he allows in his innermost circle. Sean Penn is phenomenal as the lawyer representing Carlito, his metamorphosis into character is testament to his depth of talent. Penelope Ann Miller, as the long-suffering love of Carlito's life is dramatically and visually enchanting. The casting is perfect. The supporting cast superb, perfectly augmenting the film. The script is alive with literary devices, the story line(s), characters, dialogue, themes, sub-texts,etc., make this an almost endlessly watchable film. Of this genre, Its all there, action, suspense, violence, confrontations, chases, prerequisite street and wise guy character profiling with the right dialogue to make it work. Directed, executed and rendered a cinema great. Carlito's Way is atypical of the gangster genre, although it adheres to certain basics. It is also a love story, not boy meets girl, ad nauseum, but real, destined soul mates, wrenched apart and thrown back together five years later by some abberation of fate. As one experiences spiritual,moral disintegration, the other the anti-thesis. Carlito's Way is a mix of genre's veiled with diligent artistic discretion. I even see certain thematic similarities to Casablanca. Watching Carlito's Way I had the feeling that De Palma wanted to resurrect and redeem poor old Tony Montana, Scarface (1983). Perhaps it was self-redemption, or a means to a great film with a second view or maybe the fun of bringing back that great ensemble of talent, based on a similar theme. A sequel of sorts, not to diminish either film in anyway. Released exactly ten years after Scarface, the comparisons are more than obvious. Ten years later, De Palma and Pacino. Oliver Stone missing, but another great script. In Carlito's Way, Pacino again plays a Hispanic drug lord. Now Puerto Rican in New York City, before Cuban in Miami. Now drug lord repentant, whereas in Scarface, drug lord vehemently unrepentant and devoid of remorse, from beginning to surrealistic end. Instead of classic gangster genre prerequisites employed in Scarface, such as, coming from the bottom, rising in status, trust and favour in the eyes of the mob boss, eventually killing him, and gaining his empire his woman(Michelle Pfeiffer). Love? Its not in the equation- Carlito only wants to unite with his TRUE LOVE. To redeem himself in her eyes, after causing her the heartbreak of losing him forever.(Which it would have been, if not for the quirk of intervention by Carlito's coke addicted, sociopathic lawyer). Carlito seeks solely to prove to his love that he is truly changed, honest, sincere, and even has a plan whereupon they can live happily ever after. Carlito and his girl are likeable. Upon viewing this film one is compelled to empathy, wanting them to escape insurmountable odds (the almost onmniprescent serpent-like "street"), finding and deserving of happiness as long as they may live. However, it is though The Angel of Death has been hidden somewhere in every frame of De Palma's film, casting a shadow, waiting patiently to put his hand upon...

Even the ancillary characters from Scarface are brought back in legions for Carlito's Way. Carlito's Way is Scarface with "feelings". Which is another similarity in the two films, "feelings" is the Achille's Heel of both Carlito Berganzi and Tony Montana. I also believe both films were vastly underrated and overlooked by the mainstream media, but upon populist vote, they are both widely esteemed as "classic". I'd give Carlito's Way (1993) nine out of ten. If I saw a ten, it would be a life changing event.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Carlito's Way (1993)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The Murder Of Carlitos Cousin Irish_Goodfella
Best MAN-TO-MAN chases!!! B_v_K
One of the most underrated movies queen_666
Pretty dumb chase scene for such a high rated movie mr_fantasy_1978
Carlito's Sunglasses TesoroMio
Who'd Win a Gang War Between this lot Macvisto
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