Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

merelyaninnuendo Carlito's WayThere are few high pitched dramatic and action sequences that antes up the game while the rest of it is just a repetitive slog that is pulled by nothing but only performance. David Koepp's adaptation is not only witty but gripping too that helps keep the audience engaged through out the course of it even though the outcome is quite predictable. Brian De Palma as always is no short on execution but the editing which could have been a lot better and shorter too. Al Pacino handles the "performance" account and unlike other features of his, he is supported too by an amazing cast like Sean Penn, Penelope Wanna Miller and Luis Guzman. Carlito's Way has an interesting perspective for a "gangster" tale but unfortunately is taken with the same approach and walks on the same line despite of containing a wider range.

seymourblack-1 Any movie about an ex-con who tries to go straight but comes up against all sorts of obstacles, really has to be good to overcome the natural scepticism of audiences who will justifiably feel that they've seen it all before. Fortunately, there's enough about "Carlito's Way" that's original, interesting and enjoyable to prevent it from being seen as too hackneyed, too predictable or too run-of-the-mill and a great deal of the credit for this must be down to the fact that it's based on two books called "Carlito's Way" and "After Hours" which were both written by Judge Edwin Torres who, no doubt, drew extensively on his experience as a New York State supreme court judge to inject his story with its impressively high level of authenticity.In a New York City courtroom in 1975, Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino), a Puerto Rican drug dealer and alleged assassin, becomes a free man again after having served only 5 years of his 30-year prison sentence. The legal loophole that was exploited to secure his release was spotted by his shady lawyer and best friend David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn). Now feeling older and wiser after having had plenty of time to reflect on his life, Carlito announces to the court that he has been totally rehabilitated and is determined to leave his old criminal life behind and finally go straight.Carlito makes his first mistake when he returns to his old neighbourhood and is persuaded by his young cousin Guajiro (John Ortiz) to accompany him on a routine delivery of some drugs to a local dealer. Their meeting descends into chaos when Guajiro is double-crossed and murdered and after the ensuing shoot-out, Carlito finds himself back on the street but $30,000 richer, after having pocketed some money which had been left unattended after all the shooting had stopped.Carlito promptly uses his newly acquired windfall to buy a partnership in a nightclub with the intention of earning the $75,000 he'd need to fulfil his long-held ambition of taking up an offer he'd had from an old friend to buy a share in his car rental business in the Bahamas. Soon, he starts to make good progress in achieving his goal and things then get even better when he meets up with his ex-girlfriend Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) and they rekindle the relationship which they'd been forced to end when Carlito was imprisoned.An unwelcome development then follows when Kleinfeld is cornered into assisting an Italian mob boss to escape from the Riker's Island prison barge where he's been incarcerated and Carlito feels that he can't refuse when his friend asks for his help. When the escape plan is put into action, the seriously unstable and coked-up Kleinfeld kills both the mob boss and his son and this leads Carlito to decide that if he's ever going to fulfil his dream of going to the Bahamas with Gail and their unborn child, he'll need to do so rapidly because the mob boss' son and his men will inevitably be coming after him with revenge on their minds.Told in flashback with Carlito providing the narration, this gangster movie is consistently tense, violent and very fatalistic but it's also surprisingly romantic. The relationship between Carlito and Gail is beautifully portrayed throughout and a hug that they share soon after reconciling provides an especially warm and powerful expression of their feelings for each other. Similarly, there's another particularly romantic moment at the end of the movie when Carlito, accompanied by the sound of Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful", stares wistfully at an illuminated advertisement which features a picture of a Caribbean Island and the slogan "Escape to Paradise".Brian De Palma's use of slow motion, black and white and revolving camera-work at various points is both stylish and effective and the extended chase sequence that brings the movie to its climax is brilliantly executed. Commendably, there's also a consistent vibrancy that runs through the whole movie that makes its duration seem significantly shorter than its actual 144 minutes.Al Pacino is marvellous as the ageing gangster whose downfall is ironically sealed by two of his more noble actions when he, through loyalty, agrees to help Kleinfeld and also unwisely shows mercy to another character who doesn't deserve it. Sean Penn is terrific as the corrupt, duplicitous and cocaine-fuelled lawyer who long ago lost sight of the line between what's legal and what isn't and the remaining cast members are also excellent with stand out contributions from Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman and John Leguizamo (as the unforgettable "Benny Blanco from the Bronx").

ahsawesa Carlito's Way is a gangster film but unlike many gangster films where the gangster is getting into the game, this film is about a gangster finding his way out of it It is very fast paced, i breezed through the first 30 or 40 minutes without even feeling like it's been 30-40 minutes. The two main performances by Pacino and Penn are very good. Narrations don't always work well in movies and can come off as forced sometimes but this film benefits from narration because it adds to the experience Romantic chemistry between the Pacino and Penelope Ann Miller's character is so goodThe story is good and decent enough. There are many tense moments in this film and some very fantastic action sequences that will keep you on the edge of your seat.I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

Johhny Night This is my first review and I must say I really admire those who come to this site to write thorough and interesting reviews. While I would really like to write in that tradition, to be completely honest I just don't think have the energy right now to do that. Thought I would though just mention a couple things I notice in the film which I find interesting. I've watched this movie so many times I've lost track of the number. Something I'm sure many here have done with their favorites.As mentioned in my title, there are some really funny contradictions in the story which can be found in the story line of many movies.Of course the most obvious is the reality of Johnny Briganti's pledge as stated in the summary "A Puerto Rican former convict, 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 N.Y.C."LOL..!!If you "pledge to stay away from drugs and violence", then I would recommend jumping out of that FlameMobil as soon as possible when Johnny "$30,000" Ortiz informs you he is making a delivery for the Senor.. lol..New Years weight loss pledges usually last longer than that one..And of course after the shootout at the pool hall Carlito turns the corner in the Bario and states as he throws his gun into the dumpster.. something to the effect.. "I'm not looking for this trouble.. it just finds me.."..lol.. Right..!!That's it for now... Don't know if I can update... We see.. Thanks