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“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.”
Carlito Brigante, released after five years in prison finds himself back on the streets. With a plan to go straight this time he is unwittingly drawn back into the detritus. Clinging to a dream of escape to the bahamas, he hatches a plan to leave but he finds that there is no honour amongst theives…
Directed by Brian De Palma, Carlitos way is a glossy, gritty tour de force of suspence and great acting. In a lot of ways this was De Palmas best picture, controlled, great set pieces, interesting characters and a story that engages.
The movie spends no time settling into the story. After a brief and somewhat funny, slightly over the top Pacino (Carlito) monologue we are straight into Carlito’s story. He is a complex character with a set of honour codes that the newer generation no nothing about. He will quickly find out that honour will get you killed and its usually your best friend who will do it.
Although not the most original set up - prisoner trying to go straight this time but failing - Pacino makes the character his own. He is slightly more understated this time, more controlled. We feel his plight as a haggard, oldschool gangster who doesn’t want that life anymore. He is too old and too wise now.
The world has changed so much in five short years and he struggles to catch up. His best friend Davy Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) has changed too. A wiry haired gangster wannabe who defends criminals for a living. He’s come up in the world, flashing an endless flow of cash and unhealthy addiction to cocaine. Penn creates a memorable character, a sleazy scumbag who has no honour or backbone and will do anything to slither his way out of a jam. When a hit is put out on his life, Klienfeld will ask Carlito to crawl back into the underworld with him… with devestating results.
Undoubtedly one of de Palmas strengths as a filmmaker is his ability to create suspence and hold onto it for extended periods of time. indeed in Carlitos way he creates quite a few memorble set pieces of particular highlight a train station sequence that skillfully builds and builds in tension.
He is a master technician, his camera work almost a character in its own right. To some he is a copy cat of Hitchcock while others feel he is steeped in film knowledge. To me he is an interesting filmmaker, often great, sometimes less so, but when he is on form as he is here there are very few who are better, if any.
There is a bone of contention with Carlitos way and that is the opening, which if you havn’t seen it stop reading now…
To me, on a rewatch, it slightly ruins the film. We open on Carlito as he is carted away on a gurney. The way it is shot clearly you are meant to take it that he is destined for the morgue which ruins the final act in the train station. Carlito is desperately trying to catch a train and his dream of a life away from crime when unexpectedly he comes face to face with ‘Benny Blanco from the bronx’ (a brilliant turn by John Leguizamo) - a carbon copy of a younger self that he dismissed as a ‘nickle bagger’ - coming to inflict a deathly blow and a final nail in the coffin of Carlito’s dream.
Without this opening, the ending would have been far more shocking and effective. As it stands now it is less so.. even though you could argue that he was destined never to make that dream a reality, telegraphing it like this was a misstep in an otherwise brilliant movie.