Carlito's Way

Carlito's Way

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DVD Reviews of Carlito's Way

DVD Review: Al Pacino in his standard, but excellent, role
Summary: 4 Stars

But ironically it is his friendship with the man that freed him, Kleinfeld, that ends up causing him the most trouble; Kleinfeld is a thieving cocaine addict who has betrayed too many people. Not knowing the best way to get himself out of the trouble, he enlists Carlito to help him, who does against the advice of his renewed love interest, Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), who was going to escape to the Caribbean with him. Kleinfeld screws things up and now he and Carlito are wanted men. Kleinfeld doesn't really have a chance, but Carlito does. But there are a lot of people that don't want him to leave town and are willing to risk quite a bit to prevent it.

My Comments:
Somewhat following the Godfather tradition, Al Pacino delivers a great performance in this film. But the even better performer is Sean Penn. Penn is, as always, a very convincing dopehead. He is a great character actor, especially when the character is a druggy. Also good is John Leguizamo whose role as Benny Blanco turns out to be of primary importance.

The story is convincing, well-written, and makes logical sense. You find yourself continually rooting for Carlito to truly pursue his dream and get out of Dodge, but it is repeatedly delayed and as the movie continues you begin to realize that Carlito's chances of leaving for the Caribbean are dwindling. Apparently connections to the underworld of crime are difficult to kill, which is good reason not to get involved in the first place, but the movie begins with Carlito having already been involved so now he just has to try to escape.

Overall, the movie is entertaining. There is a bit of nudity, limited to women's breasts and semi-discrete sex scenes, so if that is a concern you may want to skip it. Perhaps the producer and casting agent did so intentionally to build off his Godfather fame, but Al Pacino is great in this role, not surprisingly, and if you are a fan of Al Pacino or gangster movies this is definitely one to see.

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