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Carlito's Way

Play trailer 2:46 Poster for Carlito's Way R Released Nov 10, 1993 2h 24m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
A free man after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Gail, Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld, who also serves as his lawyer. When Carlito and Kleinfeld run afoul of shifty gangster Benny Blanco, it sets them on a dangerous path.
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Carlito's Way

Carlito's Way

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Critics Consensus

Carlito's Way reunites De Palma and Pacino for a more wistful take on the crime epic, delivering a stylish thriller with a beating heart beneath its pyrotechnic performances and set pieces.

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Critics Reviews

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Chuck Bowen Slant Magazine Dreams can die but nightmares can flourish, an understanding brought about by the disillusionment that every De Palma hero experiences. Sep 26, 2023 Full Review Michael Sragow The New Yorker Penn, in curled hair and wire-rims, makes a brilliant, slippery high-end shyster; his modulated hysteria is amazing. So is Brian De Palma's direction. Mar 23, 2015 Full Review Zach Campbell Slant Magazine As with so many De Palma films, Carlito's Way soon manifests as an essay on its own forms. Rated: 4/4 Sep 9, 2006 Full Review Kathy Fennessy Video Librarian Magazine The film proved that the director hadn't lost his touch, despite controversy that he had cast an Italian-American--and not for the first time--as a Latino character. Unsteady accent aside, Pacino's heartfelt performance helped to win over many skeptics Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 18, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Pacino and especially Penn are terrific, and De Palma again masterminds a pair of superb set-pieces. Rated: 3/4 Nov 12, 2023 Full Review Emilie Black Cinema Crazed The performances here are what needs to be viewed, they make the film what it is. They are powerful and just right... Rated: 4.5/5 Sep 30, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Rami A Brain De Palma's "Carlito's Way" is the third Mafia movie he's directed, and the second starring Al Pacino. After watching those films, including this one, I realized how much of a natural De Palma is when directing these kinds of movies. "Carlito's Way" in particular is very dark. It has no signs of hope, except in probably in a few scenes, and it's all bad luck for Carlito. You can tell he wanted to change in this movie, but all his past actions, even the ones that we witnessed in the film came back to bite him. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/16/24 Full Review Farah R De Palma and Pacino reunite for another gangster epic, although Penn steals the spotlight from the titular character this time. His physical transformation made him unrecognizable, and his mind-blowing performance should've earned him an Academy Award. Carlito's Way is suspenseful, and although somewhat hard to follow, the film offers sharp humor, a compelling plotline, and complex characters. The cinematography is another admirable quality as it perfectly illustrates Brian De Palma's extraordinary visual style. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/25/24 Full Review Fabrícia F Um destino cercado de melancolia e desilusão marca a vida do ex presidiário Carlito (Al Pacino) que livre da cadeia, quer consertar os seus erros do passado. Mas infelizmente se torna vítima das circunstâncias, selando seu destino final de forma trágica. Prepare os lencinhos, porque assistir a esse filme é garantia de muitas lágrimas. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/24 Full Review Rich S It's one of Sean Penn's best performances and one of many similar performances by Al Pacino. They mesh to give Brian De Palma an excellent character study of a bad guy trying to better himself and another bad guy trying to continue his dirge of dragging people down. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/06/24 Full Review Sams K Wonderful! Amazing performance by Pacino. If you liked Scarface you must watch this. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/24/24 Full Review mark g Brilliant. DePalma at the top of his game. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Carlito's Way

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Cast & Crew

Carlito's Way

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Shooting Pool and Wiseguys Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Shooting Pool and Wiseguys 2:14 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Shot in the Hospital Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Shot in the Hospital 2:48 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - You Haven't Changed Carlito's Way: Official Clip - You Haven't Changed 2:40 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Cheesecake Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Cheesecake 2:06 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Getting Whacked Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Getting Whacked 2:02 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Benny Blanco Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Benny Blanco 2:28 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Wearing a Wire Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Wearing a Wire 2:50 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Escalator Shootout Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Escalator Shootout 2:32 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Killing the Mob Boss Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Killing the Mob Boss 2:34 Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Hunted by the Mob Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Hunted by the Mob 2:49 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis A free man after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Gail, Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld, who also serves as his lawyer. When Carlito and Kleinfeld run afoul of shifty gangster Benny Blanco, it sets them on a dangerous path.
Director
Brian De Palma
Producer
Martin Bregman, Michael Scott Bregman, Willi Bär
Screenwriter
Edwin Torres, David Koepp
Distributor
Argentina Video Home, Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Epic Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 10, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$36.5M
Runtime
2h 24m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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