Review of Carlito's Way (1993) by Mickey M — 07 Mar 2013

"Carlito Brigante" (Al Pacino) was just saved from a 30 year prison sentence when it is learned that evidence was illegally collected. Now, "Brigante" is determined to stay out of prison by trying to go straight -- but things keep bringing him back to his old life.

This is a pretty good telling of a man who tries to turn his life around. He reconnects with an old love (Penelope Ann Miller), and takes over a night club to try to make money legitimately. However, the D.A.'s office doesn't believe that he is trying to go straight, and tries to catch him in illegal dealings -- even convincing a friend or two to wear a wire.

Another problem is an up-and-coming punk named "Benny Blanco (aka Benny Blanco from the Bronx)", who is determined to take over "Brigante's" business by any means necessary.

However, his biggest problem is his lawyer, "David Kleinfeld" (Sean Penn). While trying to get "Brigante" out of prison, where he has been for five years, he has gotten involved with cocaine and an incarcerated Mob boss who forces "Kleinfeld" to aid in his escape from prison.

If you ask me, the two performances which carry this movie are those of Pacino and Penn. Thanks to make-up and the accent he picked for "Kleinfeld", you will not recognize Penn. Pacino, who is known for similar roles, makes the title character very interesting as he is tempted to go back to his old ways. In fact, "Brigante" is seen going back to those old ways when he needed to. Pacino brings "Brigante" to the edge of going back to the world of crime perfectly, then brings him back with equal ease.

Penn's performance is good too. However, I felt that his performance was very slightly below that of Pacino's. If we got to see "Kleinfeld" just a little more, then his performance would be absolutely perfect. He just wasn't allowed to shine, but nearly steals many of the scenes he is in.

One performance that was lacking was that of Miller. She really wasn't given much to play with. If you ask me, she was really weak in the delivery of her lines in many scenes. Her chemistry with Pacino is pretty good, but she sounded a lot like an airhead many times and not believable.

Surprisingly, there isn't a lot of violence in this movie. You would think, especially after the "Godfather" Trilogy, that the body count would have hit double digits by the time of the closing credits. However, we get less than five deaths in the entire movie. Blood is also kept to a minimum.

If you ask me, this movie is a pretty strong second choice the next time you go to your local video store if your first choice isn't available.