Carlito's Way

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2:46

Carlito's Way

R

Released Nov 10, 1993

2h 24m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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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

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Movie W

Great style, performances, and writing

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

Full Review

David F

A cliched crime thriller.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/21/25

Full Review

Jake S

Outside of The Godfather Series and Scent of a Woman, this is Al Pacino’s best acting flick. He is so talented and the story is so well done. Any time this is on TV, I stop and watch. Every single time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

Full Review

Daniel C. M

Although Carlito's Way threads a little too much into a generic and formulaic mafia movie territory, in the way that it feels like De Palma is just trying to reharse Scarface's success, it nevertheless manages to pull itself from the dephts of a lake and not sleep with the fishes also thanks to De Palma's stunning camerawork that successfully creates flawless thrilling and suspenseful scenes that would make Hitchcock proud and bawl his eyes out from happiness, with special credit going to its twist-full ending that shatters expectations; and also not to mention Sean Penn's amazing performance as Carlito's fishy lawyer with double intentions.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/15/25

Full Review

ELI R

Great movie , Soecially for al pachino fans 👍

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Kept me on the edge of my seat. Great acting great story. Out of breath at the end.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

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Brian De Palma

Director

Al Pacino

Carlito Brigante

Sean Penn

David Kleinfeld

Penelope Ann Miller

Gail

Luis Guzmán

Pachanga

John Leguizamo

Benny Blanco

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Shooting Pool and Wiseguys

2:14

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Shot in the Hospital

2:48

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - You Haven't Changed

2:40

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Cheesecake

2:06

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Getting Whacked

2:02

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Benny Blanco

2:28

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Wearing a Wire

2:50

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Escalator Shootout

2:32

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Killing the Mob Boss

2:34

Carlito's Way: Official Clip - Hunted by the Mob

2:49

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Carlito's Way: Trailer 1

2:46

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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: Epic Productions, Universal Pictures
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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