Review of Carlito's Way (1993) by Thomas L — 20 Mar 2009
Director Brian De Palma is very much a hit and miss guy. When his movies are great, they're exceptional (e.g. Scarface, The Untouchables, Casualties of War). When they suck, they suck like no other (e.
G.The Black Dahlia, Raising Cain). Luckily this flick is one of the former. Here he teams up with his Scarface leading man for another great gangster pic. He obviously wanted it to be an epic like Scarface, but it can't be because his protagonist doesn't travel nearly the same distance so to speak.
Whereas Scarface tracks the rise of an illegal immigrant to a Miami kingpin, this is about a gangster who's already been around the criminal block and just wants to go straight. The cast is terrific.
Check out Viggo Mortensen of all people as the paraplegic Latino gangster! John Leguizamo is convincingly terrifying. And how's about that Penelope Ann Miller? Where's she been lately? She was perfect as Al Pacino's ex.
Best of all, though, has to be Sean Penn as Al Pacino's lawyer. He's hardly recognizable. Brian De Palma obviously did his research about Spanish Harlem because you really get immersed in that world.
This review of Carlito's Way (1993) was written by Thomas L on 20 Mar 2009.
Carlito's Way has generally received very positive reviews.
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