Review of Carlito's Way (1993) by David G — 25 Apr 2010

I was fully expecting Carlito's Way to be little more than Scarface with the names and locations changed and to begin with it certainly appeared to be heading that way but as time went on and the character study of Al Pacino's ex-con Carlito Brigante became ever more intimate I was more than happy to discover that it was something entirely different.

It's so refreshing to have a character like Carlito heading a gangster movie - a truly reformed ex-kingpin who wants nothing more than to earn a little money (legitimately), move to a quiet island in the Bahamas, run a quiet business and live the rest of his life in peace with his past firmly behind him.

People laugh at his plans - which must be tough for a proud man of his former stature - and his friends and acquaintances (as well as some hard to bury gangster instincts) keep dragging him into trouble but he never loses sight of that dream and is constantly fighting to stay away from his former life.

He's a great character and it's fascinating to see how his relationships develop with those around him such as Sean Penn's bent lawyer David Kleinfeld (a character any Grand Theft Auto fan will recognise as the inspiration for Vice City's Ken Rosenberg) and especially former flame Gail (Penelope Ann Miller).

Well recommended.